Weren't You Expecting Me?

Weren't You Expecting Me? was a year-long Imaginate project led by Caroline Bowditch in 2017

Caroline is a performance artist and choreographer with years of experience in working to improve accessibility and inclusivity within the arts.  You can read more about her here.

The presence of visibly disabled performers in performance work targeted at young audiences is incredibly rare. As a direct response to this realisation, disabled performance maker and choreographer, Caroline Bowditch, spent time with us taking a closer look at the impact, if any, that this may have on the live performance experience that disabled and non-disabled children have particularly looking at the effect on aspirations, self-esteem and overall perceptions of disability. She also talked to the industry and performance makers about their experiences, choices and identifying areas for future growth and change.

Caroline worked with Imaginate to explore the following questions:

• Where/who are the disabled artists in Scotland?
• How many of them are thinking/about making work for young audiences?
•  Are disabled children, and their families seeing/engaging with performance?
  If not, why not?
• What prevents disabled children seeing performance?
• Do disabled audiences actually need different things?
• Who is including disabled performers in their work?
• Are there relevant conferences/symposium discussing this work?
• Is bespoke performance relevant/possible?

This project created paid time for Caroline to meet with the young audiences sector and to talk with disabled artists who are interested in making work for children.  There was also a series of workshops led by leading disabled artists and some discussion events including one at Edinburgh International Children's Festival.

• Make your work accessible
• Visual Language workshop
• Making for the Troupe

If you would like to talk about this project or for further information about Imaginate's creative development work you can contact Fiona Ferguson (Creative Development Director).