Beyond started life at the very beginning of the covid emergency, set up initially as a way to physically connect regional artists with our partner venues. On the surface, this appeared to be an impossible task. It turned out not to be, and 6 years on, at what is still a vulnerable time for our industry, our Beyond artists and our partner venues have proved that creativity, tenacity, and shared ambitions can enable artists to expand their careers.

Beyond has helped to develop greater access to regional opportunities across England ensuring Deaf, Disabled and neurodivergent artists are at the forefront of new and emerging work. We recognise the immense value of our intersectionality across our communities, which includes Black, Asian, Global Majority, migrant, and LGBTQIA+ artists, which is why our approach is to be as bespoke as possible for each individual artist on the programme.

Across the three cohorts, Graeae have teamed up with many leading venues across England including;

Octagon Theatre in Bolton, Nottingham Playhouse, Cast in Doncaster, Hull Truck Theatre, Shakespeare North in Prescot, Everyman in Liverpool, Derby Theatre
Mercury Theatre in Colchester, Curve in Leicester, Live Theatre Newcastle and Northern Stage in Newcastle.

Together we are creating a national network of artistic support and development for Deaf, Disabled and neurodivergent artists.