As part of our on-going efforts to ensure our audience is reflective of our community and that the people of Longford feel they are welcome and represented by their local theatre, we engaged in an extensive EDI project (Equity, Diversity & Inclusion.) This project involved in-depth reviews, research and training at Backstage, examining our attitudes and perceptions and exploring ways to ensure a deeper welcome in our venue for all people, regardless of culture, ethnicity, ability or age.
As part of this project we held a series of Community Meetings, opening up conversations with a diverse range of communities throughout Longford. On foot of this project and these meetings we are proud to have initiated the following activities and will continue to make steps to ensure people know that “our space is your space”…
Theatre Camp Bursarys
Our theatre camp has been running since 2004 and has been hugely successful in nurturing confidence in the participants and a life time love for the magic of theatre. In an effort to ensure that our Theatre Camp is inclusive and as many people as possible can benefit from it, this year we launched our Theatre Camp Bursary. We connected with 5 local schools and asked them to select a child who would otherwise not have the means or the opportunity to participate. We look forward to welcoming these kids and introducing them to the transformative power of the arts.
Open week
As part of our endeavors to show that “our space is your space” we teamed up with Cruinniu na nOg in June 2023 to open our doors and give kids a sneak peek behind the scenes with a tour back stage at Backstage and give them the opportunity to take part in a range of exciting workshops with some amazing artists in anything from theatre, film, dance and music with some of the industries leading artists.
Arts Ambassadors
Our newly introduced Ambassador Programme now allows many communities to have a voice in what we programme and in how we communicate. In addition to representatives from cultures and ethnicities including our African, Eastern European and Asian communities, our Ambassador Panel includes representatives of those with disability. Through our interaction with these representatives, we are increasingly aware of the challenges facing those with disability and the shortcomings of our building and organisation in ensuring that those with disability can access and enjoy our programme of activities.
Read more about our amazing panel of Ambassadors