Box Breakers - All About Us

Can we break down the boxes and categories that we put people in?

James rehearsing 'All About Us'

All About Us, is the result of the Box Breakers Performing Arts Residency.

Box Breakers has been a 12 week Performing Arts Residency based at Valley Park Community School.  The participants from various schools and groups in Maidstone, have had the opportunity to shape and direct their own work resulting in a unique performance experience.  This residency has been led by the UK's foremost Deaf and disabled theatre practitioners, No Handbags - Unlimited Theatre and Jenny Sealey, from the internationally renowned Graeae Theatre Company.

No Handbags make visually striking performance based experiences that are emotionally engaging, blurring the boundaries between performer and audience.  They are pioneering the innovative "scratch" process, as developed by Battersea Arts Centre and this company of learning disabled performers aims to challenge traditional perceptions of theatre.

Graeae Theatre is the eminent British Disabled led Theatre Company.  Jenny Sealey has been Artistic Director since 1997 and has been praised in the press for the richness of creativity in her productions.  Graeae have an enviable reputation for producing thrilling and innovative work - particularly built around the creative use of sign language and audio description.  Graeae do not only target disabled audiences but make "exceptional, thought provoking theatre with Universal appeal" The Herald on Whiter Than Snow - Jenny Sealey's latest production.

Box Breakers has been devised, supported and managed by Valley Park Community School and Dada-South.  This has been an opportunity for Valley Park to build on its already highly acclaimed reputation for the performing arts.  Dada-South is one the UK's leading development agencies for Deaf and disabled artists in the South East, who delights in devising innovative projects of excellence.

Check out more pictures from Box Breakers in our galleries.