I first started with Graeae Theatre Company in 1994. After seeing that Seminal production of Ubu Roi, I was determined to join them, and become the actor I always wanted to be, but had never thought would be possible due to my radical visual physical difference. Somehow my audition for them, which consisted of an eight-line version of one of Shakespeare’s sonnets, impressed Ewan Marshall (Previous Artistic Director) and the rest of the team enough to get me a part. Firstly, doing a school tour of Forum Theatre under Colette Conroy. We had all been taught by Ali Campbell the magnificent forum theatre teacher. After that, I got the part of Dr Prentice in Joe Orton’s What the Butler Saw under Ewan Marshall’s fantastic directing. I had the most thrilling theatrical experience of my life up to that date, I was hooked into Graeae, into disabled people being on stage in the UK and entertaining audiences in ways that had not been imagined before, and I continue to be thrilled by that concept.

Over the last 30 years, I’ve seen a lot of changes in mainstream drama, but not enough regarding disability and Graeae’s role is still vital in the theatrical world.

One of my best times with Graeae was drumming in the show Reasons to be Cheerful, directed by Jenny Sealey on their first tour in 2010. Getting the opportunity to play 15 of Ian Dury’s songs, one of my favourite disabled musicians of all time with the greatest band ever being led by the wondrous John Kelly, it was fantastic. It was one of Graeae’s great successes I think, one of the most successful shows in performing versions of disabled people that audiences were entertained from, accepted and grew to love very quickly.

This kind of working, more work coming along, and the work that’s gone past all to do with the disabled experience on stage, interpreting and performing it for audiences and generally educating people to understand our quality is my life’s work, and also is why I’m happy to be a patron and to help Graeae, whenever I can.

Being a Graeae patron means promoting the work of Graeae, talking to people about the work that they do in theatre and social spaces which they might not feel comfortable with, and to champion the further successes and outreach of this wonderful company. Graeae is still Europe’s leading theatre company of Deaf and disabled people… but also to push Graeae to do more. For example, I would love to see them tackle a muscular adult play previously not done by disabled people. Open to a bit of reinterpretation that challenges the intellects and understandings of society in the audience level…educational outreach is wonderful and burgeoning talent always needs to be encouraged, yes, yes, but I do yearn for an excellent piece of drama that has experienced writing, and seasoned actors, a top-notch performance coming out of Graeae. When they did Blasted in a co-production with drama school (RADA), we were getting places. We don’t need a drama school, but a Graeae production of Blasted would be thrilling I think….

My opinion on the Richard III debacle? I don’t think non-disabled actors should play disabled characters, not Richard III, not Franklin de Roosevelt, not anyone who is disabled in real life. My opinion is recorded on equity’s register from 1997 to the recent Guardian article about the Globe’s catastrophic decision by Artistic Director, Michelle Terry, who has cast herself in a lead role a second time, but this time ‘cripfacing’, and all I say to that is to quote Mandy Colleran regarding this:  “I can’t wait for her Othello!”