We awarded funding to The Occasion Theatre this year for their Southside group's 'Christmas Tales'. The Occasion Theatre are a Glasgow based theatre company with an artistic programme focused on the production of innovative, fully inclusive community performance programmes, regardless of ability or perceived disability, working with groups of up to 80 people.
They offer dynamic, professional touring performances - touring both within Scotland and internationally. The Occasion Theatre is fully committed to widening access and participation in the arts. The Southside Group is The Occasion's adult learning disability theatre project. Involving 15 people, aged from 21 to late-fifties, the group was formed in February 2020.
Our award to The Occasion’s Southside Group's project greatly helped towards TSG’s ‘Christmas Tales’ production. This involved 14 learning disabled performers, rehearsing, producing and touring a 25 minute performance to 4 Glasgow Southside libraries, as well as staging a fully technically resourced performance at the company’s rehearsal base in Queen’s Park, Glasgow. Total audience reached, over the whole tour, numbered just under 400 people.
As a group, over the past 4 years, TSG’s members have grown enormously in their abilities, confidence, professionalism and support for each other. Each successive project has furthered this development. The tour of ‘Christmas Tales’ was a significant new achievement.
‘This is a lovely night of welcome magic which lights up the cold winter evening.’ Donald Stewart – Fringe Review.
Interest in The Southside Group has continued to grow, from both the general public and the media as a result of the project and they very much look forward to consolidating, and further building, this enhanced profile.
