Theatre

National Theatre partnerships with theatres around the country are creating an opportunity for them to share and compare experiences and ideas across a mix of scales, locations and financial models. Lisa Burger explains what’s going on.

Can theatres really forge deep and meaningful connections with their local communities across age, class and ethnicity? Douglas Rintoul explains how Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch has done just that.

Victoria Edwards details a plan to attract students with previously low arts engagement to the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama - and by extension, the creative industries.

A play at Gloucester Cathedral with a cast drawn from local people sparked real change among participants and spectators alike, writes Fiona Crouch.

Alongside the creative highs, Chris Jaeger's 24 years at Worcester Live involved plenty of putting out fires - sometimes literally. He shares his doubts about tribute bands, calls for trustees to hand over more money, and laments that Arts Council England will only fund work no one wants to see.

Last month, weekly arts group participants with sensory impairments, physical disabilities and mental illnesses came together to perform an adapted Shakespeare play in Belfast. Eileen Branagh explains the process of creative collaboration that allowed the cast to realise their ambitions.

Lucy Garland explains how her company makes theatre accessible to adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities.