Stage Beyond is a theatre company for young adults with learning disabilities. The company is made up of members from throughout the North West, who already have shown a keen interest in drama. These actors research, devise and tour shows as well as providing accompanying workshops. Based in the Millennium Forum, the company offers the opportunity to explore issues significant to the learning disabled community and present these as theatre pieces and open workshops to the general community.

The company offers theatre training in many art forms, including; dance, voice, physical theatre, music, set design, stage management, lighting directing, facilitation skills and script writing. These take the form of master classes with practitioners from throughout the UK.  

Our program this year will also prove to be a busy yet enjoyable and varied schedule.

After our Christmas break we were delighted and honoured to welcome Tim Wheeler, Artistic Director of Mind the Gap Theatre Company (http://www.mind-the-gap.org.uk/) for a week long residential training workshop. Tim explored the use of Forum Theatre as a way to deal with issues affecting young people with learning difficulties with a particular focus on relationshsips.

Tim's workshop formed part of an exciting new project that we are working on with MENCAP and LiveNet. Our Theatre Squad are working with a group of young people from Belmont House School to produce a piece of theatre that explores relationships in the modern age. This piece will be performed in June 2014 and it will also be streamed online.

Stage Beyond are also delighted to welcome internationally aclaimed theatre maker Caitriona McLaughlin as our guest director of 2014. The group are working on a full length performance of Seamus Heaney's translation of Sophocles' Greek tragedy Antigone.The group will also collaborate with The Carmel McCafferty School of Drama, who are providing a group of young theatre lovers to take part. Students from the University of Ulster will lend their various musical talents to the production. 

The Burial at Thebes will be premiered in the Millennium Forum in May 2014. We will then tour the production, stopping at schools and commnity groups throughout the North West. You can find a video of our performance in our media section!

Any account of our work this year must include our weekly workshops with local primary and post-primary schools. We have had the privilege of working with pupils from Belmont House School, Troy College, Foyleview School, The Model Primary School and Fountain Primary School. These workshops were tailored to the needs of the pupils in each school and aimed to introduce our young people to the concept of theatre as fun, to increase self-confidence and team skills and to encourage creativity in a safe space.

 In June 2014 we will work with a group of young people aged 10 - 13 from AFASIC NI. AFASIC supports parents of children with speech and language issues. (http://afasicnorthernireland.org.uk/)

This week long workshop will introduce the group to theatre games and performance in a safe and creative space. The group will be encouraged to explore communication closely and to experience drama and theatre as a fun, inclusive and accessible activity.

We are looking forward to a busy, exciting and creative year - we hope you can join us!