On Wednesday 15 April 2026, the team were very excited to go to Derby Theatre. The reason for this was that we were going to get to meet Derby Theatre’s Community Team. Derby Theatre proudly works with the Derby community to plan events and to understand the needs of the community in areas such as Normanton.
We didn’t know what the session would be like, as you cannot plan for what other people may or may not say. This was very exciting and anxiety-provoking at the same time.
My creative enabler and I arrived at the theatre at 1:00 pm and were very kindly treated to lunch and hot drinks at the theatre. Lily arrived and supported us to set up the space.
I need not have worried because the Derby Theatre Community Team were very engaging, interesting, and kind people with fantastic ideas. In two groups, we explored how to create a policy which promoted collaboration between the Derby community and Derby Theatre with the aim of reducing social isolation. The other group designed an accessible community event which introduced the public to different forms of art, such as music. The event included interactive workshops and a fully accessible route around the event, with accessible toilets, quiet spaces, first aid, and well-being marquees around the event. This thought exercise was designed to explore what was possible in terms of access and to explore how ideas could be made possible even with a limited budget.
I really enjoyed meeting the Derby Theatre Community Team, and I was pleased that they wanted to come back for another session. I found this session to be the most interesting one that I had facilitated because it really combined Liz’s access experience with my lived experience of attending events and of neurodivergence.
A Ferret in the Theatre
Derby Theatre session 4 was held on Friday 8 May. This session explored how to support neurodivergent actors in theatre spaces. This session made me feel incredibly proud of our team, and it showed me how far we had come as people and as practitioners.
On Thursday 7 May, directly after Alternative Voices Theatre Company’s first ever board meeting as a Community Interest Company, one of the actors messaged me to ask if she could bring an emotional support animal to the theatre for the talk the next day. Now, this might seem like a simple request, but the animal in question was neither a dog nor a cat but rather a ferret. I myself am afraid of ferrets, and I wondered how the theatre staff would feel about having an animal that was known for its potent smell in the building. I also worried that the other actors and community members might be afraid of ferrets as well. What would happen if the ferret got loose? If I were a lesser director, all of the above would have been grounds for me to deny this actor’s access need.
However, I asked the Alternative Voices Company if they were afraid of ferrets, which nobody was. I asked the actor if the ferret could be kept in a carrier and if the animal would have enough food and water. Both of those requirements could be met, so I took a positive risk and allowed the actor to bring her ferret to Derby Theatre.
On Friday 8 May, prior to the session, our usual contact at the theatre had to attend hospital unexpectedly because of a family member. We were also in a different room from the room we were usually in to provide a bigger space and to support access needs.
Historically, all of these last-minute changes would have been enough to make me have a meltdown and not be able to continue the session, meaning that this session could not have gone ahead.
However, I texted Liz to make her aware of the changes so that she was not surprised upon arrival. She genuinely believed that I was joking about the ferret, only to see that it was not a joke and was, in fact, a real ferret.
Derby Theatre quietly made history that day. All four actors made it to the venue and travelled by train from Birmingham, which can be a big and anxiety-provoking experience for neurodivergent individuals. I was incredibly proud of them that they managed their individual access needs and did this prior to sharing their stories with staff who were strangers to them at Derby Theatre.
Each story was so unique and so diverse, and I think everyone learnt a lot, including Derby Theatre staff, the Community Team, actors, and the creative team. It was such a joy to hear them speak and to see that Derby Theatre enabled our group to feel safe, empowered, and valued at their theatre venue. We think even the ferret had a great time being the centre of attention for the photographs.
After an amazing session, we all went back home very tired but very proud of what had been accomplished at Derby Theatre, as we think it was the first time a group of neurodivergent artists delivered a training day for staff at the theatre. It is by positive risk-taking and collaboration that great conversations and days of learning can be enjoyed by all, and we even learnt things about each other as a team that we did not know before. Only by sharing stories and connecting with compassion can humanity move forward and share their stories and Alternative Voices.
