News and Opportunities - Page 3 of 19

A group of people from a range of backgrounds stand around a table with cooking utensils and biscuit dough. They are engaging with the props as part of the Touch Tour for ‘Pepper and Honey’ at The Courtyard, Hereford.

Extant are recruiting regional visually impaired facilitators and access workers!

Posted on: 18 Jun 2024

Call out for Visually Impaired Facilitators and Access Workers! Extant are looking for freelance visually impaired facilitators and access workers to work on our Paul Hamlyn funded Enhance programme 2024-26. We are particularly interested in freelancers based in these regions: North East / North West / Midlands / Hereford / Derby / London. Enhance Facilitator skill […]

Ben Wilson, a white man, with short blonde hair and a beard. He wears a floral shirt and is talking mid-sentence.

Identical Twins

Posted on: 5 Jun 2024

Trainee Artistic Director R&D Project on Toxic Masculinity During my time as Trainee Artistic Director (TAD) at Extant there has always been a pot of money for me to develop an artistic project of my own. This was one of the most attractive elements of the original job advertisement when I applied, so I’ve been […]

Ellen is a white woman, in her mid-twenties, with long brown hair. She is wearing a navy-blue jumper and has her arms crossed, with a big smile on her face.

The importance of making time for learning

Posted on: 3 Jun 2024

The importance of making time for learning One of the reasons why I joined Extant was to expand my knowledge and grow my practice in theatre and accessibility, and since I joined 8 months ago as Administrator and Project Coordinator, I have certainly been doing that! The staff team at Extant each have […]

Enhance Makes A Splash!

Posted on: 3 Jun 2024

Enhance Makes A Splash! It has been a lively time for Enhance at Extant. Our first two Enhanced shows for our Paul Hamlyn Foundation funded roll-out – Pepper and Honey by Not Now Collective at The Courtyard, Hereford and English Kings Killing Foreigners by RealFake Theatre company at Camden People’s Theatre, London – both […]

A group of eight people of varying ethnicities and genders are rehearsing and smiling together. They are dressed colourfully and casually in a brightly lit white and green room.

Unseen: co-creation

Posted on: 3 Jun 2024

Unseen: co-creation and the devolution of creative power to a community of VI artists In November 2022, Maria Oshodi and I found ourselves representing Extant at a glitzy soiree at the House of Lords, hosted by the Vision Foundation in honour of the release of the Unseen Report. We were moved to hear the eloquent […]

A group of drag performers look out beyond the camera. Their expressions and poses are varied: some are smiling, some pouting, some laughing, some with arms and legs out, some posing with their hands to their face. They wear bright colours and unique outfits.

TAD2 Recruitment

Posted on: 15 May 2024

Applications are now open for our second Trainee Artistic Director! About Extant Extant is the UK’s leading professional performing arts company that explores visual impairment to create unique and innovative artistic experiences, placing visually impaired (VI) people at the centre of all it does: from the productions we create, to the artists we support, to the audiences […]

A group of 8 people sitting around a large table in a modern rehearsal space. There are six women and two men, who are all varying ages. The picture is taken candidly as they are engaging in a table read. From Ben, who is wearing a blue T-shirt and has a beard, clockwise we have Ben Wilson, Georgie Morrell, Esther Irving, Tam Gilbert, Tafsila Khan, Louise Hall, Ian Rattray and Anna Clarkson.

An insight into the creation of Unseen

Posted on: 19 Mar 2024

An insight into the creation of Unseen: An Assistant Producer’s perspective “We’d be delighted to offer you a place on the devising team and the Assistant Producer role if you’re still interested.” Nice one. My reply […]

My Development As An Artistic Leader

Posted on: 5 Mar 2024

My Development As An Artistic Leader Amazingly, I am at the halfway point of my time as Trainee Artistic Director with Extant, but I am not sure how this has happened. The past seven and half months have flown by, but in other ways it feels like I have been at Extant forever. […]

A group of three white people sitting and discussing feedback on a post-it note at a Brixton House rehearsal room.

Enhance spreads its wings!

Posted on: 5 Mar 2024

Enhance spreads its wings! One of the first things I organised when starting my role as Enhance Training Manager in October 2023, was to recruit a pool of experienced visually impaired facilitators and access workers. I worked with many Extant creatives during Pathways 2020-23, and was happy to reconnect with them and the wider […]

Ben Wilson simmers over Richard III controversy

Posted on: 24 Jan 2024

Ben Wilson simmers over the recent Richard III controversy As a disabled person and a Shakespeare nerd, I struggle with Richard III. It’s a really tricky play. Part of me wants to tear it up and never see it again because it’s strewn with vile ableism from start to finish. My soul sinks every time […]

A group of two white men and two white women chat and smile together in a relaxed workshop space. They all face away from the camera, and are surrounded by chairs and a large window looking out onto trees.

Enhancing Enhance!

Posted on: 29 Nov 2023

Enhancing Enhance! Enhance 2 – our tailor-made access support and training for shows in post-production – is ready for a 3-year roll-out from 2023-26. Thanks to Paul Hamlyn Foundation, we are now offering this tailor-made programme for venues and touring theatre companies across the U.K. We will be working with 54 touring theatre companies […]

Blind in Theatre Festival

Posted on: 29 Nov 2023

Blind in Theatre Festival in Zagreb In October, along with Artist Development Manager Louisa, I lead Extant’s biannual visit to the Blind In Theatre festival (BIT) at the New Life theatre in Zagreb, Croatia. Louisa and I were joined by Samuel Brewer, Aarian Mehrabani and Alice Christina Corrigan. Sam and Aarian are both VI actors […]