Overview
Working with partners across Wales, Open RWCMD aims to widen access to creative experiences, support the next generation of artists and technicians, and strengthen Wales’s cultural life.
Craidd
The Royal Welsh College is proud to be a partner of Craidd, a new partnership bringing together a collaboration of mainstream Welsh theatre companies.
Craidd’s aim is to create meaningful and sustainable change, improving the representation of disabled people (including Deaf, neurodivergent and learning-disabled people) across Wales’ mainstream theatre sector.
The work with Craidd is supporting a sustained programme of change to embed access, inclusion and belonging across all areas of the College’s work.
‘If we want to make the arts industry accessible to everyone, then we have to start with the training of young disabled creatives, so the College is a really important partner.’Sara BeerCraidd, Director for Change
‘We want to use this project as a catalyst to make long-lasting change, harnessing this creative energy to make a real difference.
For example, the College’s recent British Sign Language integrated production of ‘A Christmas Carol’, an inclusive work that not only taught the actors new skillsets but also brought in a new audience to the Royal Welsh College.’
What's next?
Our approach focuses on continuous learning and development across three key areas:
Making access part of trainingAll students will build the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to work inclusively. This includes understanding access needs and working with Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent creatives.
Opening up opportunities
We are creating more chances for Deaf and disabled creatives to get involved with the College, helping to shape and improve a more accessible training experience together.
Improving support and systems
We are putting the right support and structures in place to make accessible performance a regular part of our public programme, while also contributing to wider progress in accessible practice across the sector.
Agent for Change
Craidd's Agent for Change is someone who works within an organisation to help make it more inclusive and accessible. They look at what’s already in place, identify what could be improved, and support practical changes that open things up to more people - especially those who are Deaf, disabled, or neurodivergent.
In 2024, Bridie became an Agent for Change with Craidd at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. In this role, she advocates for a theatre sector that is more inclusive and accessible to disabled, Deaf, and neurodivergent people. She brings a strong commitment to creative access, alongside her lived experience of disability and her background in theatre practice.
