We love getting our spreadsheets out and crunching the numbers, sometimes it's not all about the feedback and reviews we get from audiences, participants and programmers... sometimes it's about the cold hard facts! So here is our review of 2024!
Read more about our activities and reach over 2024 HERE
We are super excited to announce that Daryl & Co in partnership with Mimbre have been commissioned by The Space to create a series of films for social media inspired by our touring show Look Mum, No Hands!
The concept came from our joint experiences of touring and working with young people, fielding the many honest questions they are curious to ask about what it means to be disabled and a wheelchair user. It’s a great opportunity for us to have the space to answer them meaningfully and creatively!
Read more about it HERE
Have you heard about our Online Access and Inclusion Training yet? We released it last year, and our alumni who come from arts organisations and across the wider arts sector have only had positive things to say about it. So because we’re really proud of the programme, we thought we’d share with you what others have said about it so far.
Find out what others are saying about our Access and Inclusion Training for the Arts HERE
We are incredibly pleased and excited to announce Boxed In our new co-production and upcoming tour with Half Moon Theatre!
Boxed In, is a story about being made to feel naughty, just because the rules don’t make sense and is a playful show for early years about (mis)understanding the rules! The shows goes into rehearsals in January before going on a national tour from 1st February - 23rd March 2024!
Boxed In is largely non-verbal and will be presented in a relaxed environment. It offers an exciting visual experience with a charming soundtrack, both filled with humour and fun, giving little ones and their grown-ups a way to think about how rules work and whether they work for everyone.
Read more about it HERE
Here at Daryl & Co’s we're really excited to launch or new ‘Online Learning - Access and Inclusion in the Arts’digital training programme which makes it easier to learn independently, in your own time and at your own pace. These friendly and informative training resources are aimed at arts organisations and freelancers. They're a unique opportunity to listen in on a conversation between Disabled artists, in order to understand more about access and inclusion from real-world experiences.
And don't worry, none of them are death by Powerpoint!
Read more about it HERE
Daryl & Co recently contributed to the 'Getting Started with Environmental Sustainability: Top Tips for Outdoor Artists' resources created by Without Walls and Norfolk & Norwich.
These new resources are designed to serve as an introduction to Environmental Sustainability for outdoor artists. This training videos is envisaged as a useful starting point for any artist working outdoors that wants to think about the impact of their work..
Hoping that they will become a valuable resource for artists creating and touring work outdoors, now and in future.
You can access all the resources HERE
We often get asked what Daryl got up to before setting up Daryl & Co. Well he had been directing, managing and producing lots of creative projects and productions with and for young people, working extensively within the Theatre, Disability and young people’s arts sector for over 25 years. He is a recognised cultural leader and a high-profile advocate for Disabled artists.
So rather than a boring C.V. check out our new page with a few of our favourite & relevant highlights HERE
Often our evaluations for projects and production go unseen by the wider world, hidden on a funders or partners virtual shelf, but we are proud of what we achieved with our Mimbre co-production Look Mum, No Hands! so we are putting it out there for the world to see!
We wrote a little something for Without Walls about the implications of access vs environment sustainability whilst touring 'Look Mum, No Hands!', our co-pro with Mimbre
Access and inclusion is at the heart of everything we do here at Daryl & Co and our co-production with Mimbre, Look Mum, No Hands! was no exception. From the start we included a high level of access costs: pre-rehearsal training, understudy roles and role shares, accessible rehearsal spaces, designed accessible audience seating, access workers, easy read synopses and audio introductions.
Then we thought about how this approach to access and inclusion would impact touring the show in an environmentally sustainable way… and that’s when access requirements and environmental sustainability clashed!
You can read the full blog 'Without Walls TALKS: Access vs The Environment by Daryl Beeton' HERE
Daryl & Co are pleased to announce that we have been commissioned by Applause to create a new show called 'It's Classic Connee'!
For 2023, Applause are supporting, through commission funds and development awards, 12 companies to create exciting and interactive shows specifically to tour to outdoor events.
It's Classic Connee is a lavish, larger than life and lip-syncing outdoor show celebrating Connee Boswell, probably the most popular singer you've never heard of. Inspired by the life of Connee Boswell, a famous voice of radio in the first half of the 20th century, but Connee had to keep a big secret and so got left behind by the move into the new golden age of TV and Film.
Performed by Daryl, It’s Classic Connee will combine Connee’s music, comedy and a ravishing outfit to create the usual offbeat performance style that Daryl & Co have become known for.
Find out more HERE
Daryl & Co want to create and hold a space for Disabled artists and young people to be together. As a result this will allow young people to take the lead and to work with us, tell us what they want and influence the type of creative work Daryl & Co should be making.
Presently Daryl & Co does not have an ongoing, relationship with young people directly BUT we have a plan to change this and work strategically with key partners to build a community of Disabled young people across England connected to the company over the next two or three years.
At the moment those plans are just on paper and we are looking for a Freelance Programme Coordinator to join us and start to turn those plans into a reality!
PURPOSE OF ROLE
The Freelance Programme Coordinator role will work with the Creative Director in these early stages of the programme. Together they will coordinate the initial phase and to bring on strategic partners and provide a framework to allow Daryl & Co to approach funders and realise this new programme of work
CONTRACT DETAILS
Fee: Freelance Contract £150 a day x 10 days = £1,500
Working hours: Mainly home working with some travel for meetings if required
Timeframe: October - December 2022
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Closing date for applications: 12 noon on Monday 19th September 2022
Interviews (online): Wednesday 28th September 2022
To find out more and how to apply visit our Jobs Page
Over the last few weeks we’ve been sharing some thoughts and ideas about the ways we work and the ethos behind why we do what we do... So we thought we’d pop them down in one place!
Reclaiming The Mainstream
Daryl wrote an article for Total Theatre Magazine explaining our approach to what we mean when we say inclusive.
“From my point of view, when I talk about inclusive or diverse I’m actually talking about opening up the mainstream to more people. It’s not separate, it’s not niche, we’re not taking away from it but we are adding to a rich tapestry of the arts.
Let’s be honest – the mainstream excludes! So therefore, how can it be mainstream if it actively excludes artists, participants and audiences from being involved. The problem with words like ‘inclusive’ is that they are defined by and seen through a cultural lens of tradition.”
You can read the full article here - Reclaiming The Mainstream, Total Theatre Magazine
Can Art Save Us
Daryl was also interviewed for the podcast series ‘Can Art Save Us?’ which talks to award-winning, diverse, national and international artists about the role of curiosity and courage in their lives and work with lessons in wellbeing for all of us.
He talks about social disability, taking risks as part of exploring friendship ad self-development, owning your identity and not being mis-represented, pushing boundaries and expectations, with plenty of mischief, merriment and fun.
You can listen to Daryl’s episode here - ‘Mischief, Merriment and Movement’
We are very excited to introduce the world to Daryl & Co!
Daryl & Co is the new name for Daryl Beeton Productions. We feel it represents our collaborative spirit better and shows just how important our artists, audiences and partners are to our work.
We have been growing and changing over the past year and now feels like the perfect time to share our new look and our new Vision.
While a lot has changed, much of our Team are still the same, including me, Daryl Beeton. (You'll have noticed that I made sure my name was still in there somewhere!)
Of course the other thing that hasn't changed is that we are excited to keep making delightful and accessible theatre for young people and their grown ups. In fact, our new show Look Mum, No Hands! is touring as we speak. Look out for it in a town near you.
We hope you like our new look as much as we do.
We make quirky, creative theatre for young audiences and their families. Ideal for theatres and art venues as well as schools, festivals and rural touring.
Click to discover a whole new world of theatre!
We are proud to work with a talented team of artists, producers, actors, artists, managers and more.
Head over to say hello to our creative and friendly team!
