Since 1997 Julia has steered the administrative, structural and financial helm of the company. Little could they have foreseen that for over 20 years (17 alongside founder and former Artistic Director Tim Wheeler) Julia would lead Mind the Gap through enormous change and growth: developing from a small back-office theatre company with 4 members of staff and core Drama Club group, to the leading, internationally respected company it is today: England’s largest learning disability theatre company.

Julia is undoubtedly one of the UK art scene’s most significant female Executive Directors, and (perhaps until now) is a rather unsung hero. It’s hard to know where to start listing successes under Julia’s lead, but perhaps one of the most noteworthy is MTG Studios – Mind the Gap’s £2.4 million development within the iconic Lister Mills in Bradford, which took 7 years of dreaming, fundraising and negotiating to realise. These purpose built, award-winning premises not only provided essential, accessible, facilities for the company to make work, but raised the profile of the company, and hugely influenced its artistic output.

Mind the Gap’s productions are increasingly multi-artform, which can be directly attributed to the theatre space, dance studio and AV facilities now at their command. Since moving into MTG Studios in 2008, Mind the Gap’s Academy has expanded from 1 course with 12 students to 5 courses with 50+ students, plus hundreds more engaged through workshop activity each year. Their recent artistic successes include significant national tours, international collaborations and European projects, as well as individual artists successes including the first actor with Down’s Syndrome on the UKs longest running soap opera ITV’s Coronation Street, and the first individual learning-disabled artists to gain Grants for the Arts funding for their own projects.

Julia is deeply passionate about driving forward the equality and respect of learning disabled artists in the UK and international arts sector, and it is this ethos of high expectation and mutual respect that is ingrained in the company and can be experienced the moment you walk through the doors of MTG Studios or see one of their productions.

Of course, Julia would say that none of this success could have been possible without the wider team at Mind the Gap. While this may well be the case, there is no doubt that Julia’s leadership has shaped and influenced each step of the way – from finding the funds for wild ideas led by artist Jez Colborne that have become some of the most iconic outputs of the company’s history (Irresistible 2010-2015, Gift 2014), through to carefully choosing the colour of the chairs in the studios and the paint on the walls!

Julia’s leadership style comes down to one core motivation: for everyone to be the best they can be – students, artists and staff alike. Good enough is simply not good enough and through continuous, subtle, pushing and challenging, Julia ensures that the good enough becomes the best it can be. It is directly through this encouragement of individual successes and the freedom to try, to fail and to fly, that the company continues to thrive.

Perhaps Julia’s second most favourite place to be, outside Mind the Gap, is on the back of a horse. Mind the Gap is certainly looking forward to another 20 successful years with Julia at the reins, and can only begin to dream about where the company may be by 2037.

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It has been a fantastic opportunity for me and I have learnt much more than I could ever have imagined through the process. I have of course my own methods and idiosyncratic ways, but the time spent with Mind the Gap has made me question some of those long held beliefs. What is emerging for me now is a new way of thinking about theatre and how to make it.

Listening to the Mind the Gap performers’ stories has been up-lifting and I have learnt so many things from them, including some pretty deep thoughts about what it is to be human. Their stories have become the true centre of our work, reflecting their lives with honesty and finding new ways of presenting themselves through story telling, music, dance and just by being who they are. Sometimes the simplest of tasks takes on a sense of deep meaning, for example, watching them go about a series of jobs on stage, moving a speaker, plugging in an amp, testing a microphone become powerful moments of self expression.

One of the aims of the work has been to create the environment in which the performers have been able to say, in a sincere and complete manner, I am me, I am here and I am fine. It takes a lot of guts to say that and mean it. Many of us find it really difficult to do. It makes us vulnerable and unsure, yet if we can believe it, it can make us powerful and loveable. The Mind the Gap performers’ have become experts at presenting themselves. Nobody does it like they do it and it is wonderful to watch.

Contained is a ‘circle of projects’, that surround a piece of high quality theatre and feed off each other artistically building long-lasting relationships with people locally, nationally and internationally.

The ‘circle of projects’ are developed from a relationship with a new performance piece, Contained (The Performance), which at its centre, is a collection of personal stories told by an ensemble of performers, with a range of learning disabilities, whilst they create a music video.

The activities include a series of one-minute films, a two day filmmaking residency, an Academy showcase, a music video, a documentary about learning disability, an exhibition and much more.

Ideas travel between each mini-project – informing, exciting and generating enthusiasm for the whole range of ideas and activities, developing an holistic/integrated approach to the project as a whole.

Contained (The Project) will grow experientially over time, changing and developing and deepening the experience for ourselves and the people we create the projects for and with.

The theatre piece is moving towards its final stage. Rehearsals for the final production starts at the beginning of September. I will be back on familiar ground in a rehearsal room with a team of performers and theatre practitioners.

This is an extract from a longer blog post by Alan Lyddiard on his own website. The full version can be found here…

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Dave has been tinkering and making things since childhood. Lego, meccano, cardboard boxes into houses and forts for action men. He joined Mind the Gap in 2008 as Production Manager where he finds, makes and uses all the things the company needs to put on its high quality shows. Here he shares some of his fond childhood memories and how he came to be working at Mind the Gap.

“I’ve always been interested in theatre and shows,  I remember being the giant in a play at primary school. I had to stand behind something and pass hula hoop sized gold coins out without being seen! Secondary school saw me in Hiawatha as Mudjekeewis – the west wind standing on top of a stage block mountain with a full stage covering of parachute silk hanging from my shoulders. Parachutes were apparently easy to come by when you were surrounded by North Lincolnshire RAF bases, hope it was old or spare or someone could have had a nasty surprise!

Playing Marcel in Sandy Wilson’s ‘The Boyfriend’ had me singing and dancing! I somehow missed the point where they handed out librettos (the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera or a musical) and scores and ended up learning the whole thing during rehearsals. (I am not sure how I learnt it actually!)

I studied electronics and then trained and worked as a teacher of design and technology, whilst working on gigs and shows at University and in Bradford Theatres. After three years both teaching and working in tech I realised which I preferred and began working full time in theatre. I ran the tech department at St Georges Hall for seven years, working on classical concerts, rock gigs, stand-up, ballet, musicals, and wrestling! In fact if you can think of a style of performance – I have probably worked on such a show.

After a few years of freelancing and IT tutoring in a community training centre I arrived at Mind the Gap and its new studios in Autumn 2008. I first met MtG whilst volunteering as a steward at Bradford Festival in 1990, I had to look after this show which featured a big yellow skip with a crane on top, operated by juggling bin men who turned up for work in a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce!

Working at MtG lets me be more creative. I love getting involved in making the shows not just staging other peoples and sourcing or creating solutions to the strangest of requests. My job description is to: Find it, fit it, fix it!

MtG is the friendliest and most supportive work environment I have ever experienced. Every day is different, often challenging, sometimes exasperating but always, eventually, rewarding.”

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Andy Stoneman is creative director at inspiredby: creative solutions ltd. He has been working with Mind the Gap since 2008, producing marketing materials for all its national tours and other creative projects.

Since working with Mind the Gap in 2008, Andy has created and designed brands for marketing materials to promote its shows and projects such as Stig, Treasure Island, Boo and Irresistible. These brands are important in making sure audiences know about the shows. They form the basis for the show’s leaflets, posters, show programmes and for the website.

“I started inspiredby in 2003 after working at several design agencies in Leeds, since graduating in 1996 from the Glasgow School of Art, where I studied Graphic Design, Illustration and Photography. I love all things creative and I’m always so inspired by the Mind the Gap productions and projects. My love for the countryside, particularly getting out in the Yorkshire Dales to run or cycle inspires me to create fantastic design.

The best thing about working with Mind the Gap is seeing the energy and smiles from the all team, actors and students every time I visit.”

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A 15 year veteran performer and rehearsal director with the international hit show STOMP, Billy Hickling has been working with Mind the Gap since 2010.

“I was introduced to Mind the Gap during its production of Stig of the Dump in 2010 when I was asked to help create Stig’s “Junk Soundscape”, and soon after I was quickly welcomed into this unique and wonderful theatrical family.

I’m now a regular contributor, collaborator, workshop facilitator and touring cast member of Jez Colborne’s (in collaboration with Mind the Gap) Irresistible and I’m really excited to be involved in the upcoming new sister project called Gift to be revealed in 2014.  I firmly believe that music is everywhere and continue to kick trash cans in the pursuit of music and art as both a performer in STOMP, as a freelance percussionist and as a musical educator within the British schools system.

My workshops, TrashBang! are interactive, accessible, fun and have recently won The Lord Mayor of York’s Shine Award for Best Community Service Provider 2013.

Billy can be found, wielding unconventional instrumentation at: thetrashbangman@gmail.com and on Facebook.com/The Trash Bang Man.

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Si McGrath is a sound designer/recordist, music producer and musician based near Leeds. He has worked in collaboration with many bands, artists and creative organisations in a freelance capacity for over a decade, creating sound and music for theatre, video games, TV, and film.

“The first major project I worked on with Mind the Gap was “On The Verge” in 2005, and more recently I have been working closely with actor/musician Jez Colborne in a mentoring role throughout the production of Irresistible, a piece  commissioned for the London 2012 Festival. I also produced the sound and music for Mind the Gap’s touring productions of Stig Of The Dump, Of Mice And Men and Treasure Island.

Working with Mind the Gap, and particularly with Jez, is always inspirational and offers the opportunity to see, hear and think from unique and fresh angles.”

Si lectures in Studio Production at Leeds College of Music, and is currently studying for a Masters Degree in Music Production.

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For over 10 years, Lizzie has worked full time as a British Sign Language Interpreter in a variety of settings and countries. She shares her experiences working with Mind the Gap here.

“For the past 3 years I have worked with Mind the Gap interpreting their shows such as Of Mice and Men, Stig of the Dump and Treasure Island…arrr!

I have always enjoyed working in theatre and have done many shows and concerts over the years but when the opportunity came along to be an integral cast member, as a Siren, in Jez Colborne’s (Mind the Gap artist) show Irresistible – I jumped at it!

A real highlight was the opportunity to perform in Irresistible at the National Theatre, South Bank Centre and the Olympic Park as part of the Unlimited Festival, to celebrate the London 2012 Olympic Games.  This was only topped when we went on to tour Irresistible to four festivals across Switzerland in the summer – it was an amazing experience.

More recently, Mind the Gap gave me the ability to conquer my fear of heights when we performed Irresistible on a cherry picker in Bradford’s iconic City Park as part of the Council’s Reflections Festival.

That’s what’s so great about working with Mind the Gap, the endless opportunities so you overcome challenges and achieve your goals.”

Lizzie lives in Hebden Bridge where she also runs a Pottery Studio – Old Stables Studio with her partner.

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One of the leading playwrights of the moment and nationally acclaimed writer, Mike Kenny is the author of Mind the Gap’s latest national tour Treasure Island. Here he shares his experiences of what it means to work with learning disabled people.

“Its shocking how we can take some things for granted until our attention is drawn to them. It’s an even bigger leap to do something about it. Some doors seem to be locked that aren’t. They just have the weight of history leaning against them, which makes them resistant to opening.

When I first entered theatre in the seventies I came through a recently opened door with a passion for making work for those who had had little voice. I’d grown up working class on a rural council estate and saw myself as one of those excluded. Much of my first ten years was spent in working with the clamouring voices of class, race, gender and sexual orientation which came flooding out of the seventies and eighties.

Towards the end of that time I was working on a play about disability. None of the cast were disabled. We were serious and impassioned, and researched and interviewed many people, both disabled and non-disabled. Then one day, a guy I was talking to who had cerebral palsy said to me, ‘Why am I not in this play?’ Its a damn good question. It’s one that bears repeating. Years ago Sheila Rowbotham said, the task is to make the door wider. I’d add to that now that some people may need a ramp, a terp and a bit of a hand up, but it’s still the same task.

Learning disabled people have had to wait a long time before they got to tell their own stories on the stages of the world. I’ve been involved in ways of helping them do it since I arrived at Mind the Gap, and it has been an adventure for all of us.

A major breakthrough for me was Of Mice and Men. Going back to where I started, I’m not sure I’d ever really thought much about Lenny being a learning disabled character. I was aware that actors had consistently used the character as a way of displaying their talents. I saw someone on the TV only this week, who had won an Olivier Award for playing Lenny. He said, flippantly, ‘I think they give most people who play Lenny an award.’ Yes, well. It’s a bigger discussion than I’ve got room for here.

When Kevin originally played the role, the fact that he shared experiences with Lenny didn’t  mean he wasn’t performing. But he was bringing a reality to the role that existed in a place beyond performance. The same could be said of Jonathan Ide when he played Boo. It was a performance but it had an authenticity you don’t often find.

This work is truly ground breaking, and throws down a gauntlet to mainstream work. I’m not sure the gauntlet is being taken up yet, though the mainstream has started to take note. In 2013 Rob Ewens, who was our second Lenny, was auditioned for the National Theatre and the RSC. This kind of thing is a step in the right direction for equal opportunities, though I think it won’t much affect our continued adventures at Mind the Gap. We will still be posing questions and leaning on doors, heaving them open, and I will be very proud to be involved.”

In March 2011 Mike won an Olivier Award for his adaptation of The Railway Children, and in December 2012 the German Children’s Theatre Prize for his play, Electric Darkness. Another of Mike’s plays, Stepping Stones, written for an audience of young people with learning disabilities, won the Arts Council Children’s award in 2001 and Writers Guild Best Play.

Previous work for Mind the Gap

On The Verge, Cyrano, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Pied Piper, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, and Stig Of the Dump.  He lives with his family in Yorkshire and in 2012 produced a new version of the York Mystery Plays. His plays are regularly seen in the region.

In 2013 Nottingham University honoured him with the title Doctor of Letters for his work.

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Jez Colborne is an international artist, musician and composer. He has a rare condition called Williams syndrome – a genetic condition that brings some striking verbal abilities, perfect pitch and particularly – an affinity for music.

Jez could sing before he could talk! He has been working with Mind the Gap since 1998 after being discovered at an Arts Festival in his hometown Nottingham. Collaborating on a wide range of projects with diverse artists, Jez always aims to create something no one has created before. He challenges people’s perceptions of artists who have a learning disability and ultimately create a world of positive chaos!

Music is Jez’s passion and he is interested and inspired by rock, contemporary and world music as well as non-traditional instruments such as sirens, shipping containers and foghorns!

“I’m absolutely mad about objects that create unusual sounds. My passion began with my fascination in wide-area warning sirens, like the type they use in quarries to signal that they are going to blast or in a petrol-chemical plant to warn the people around if there is a disaster. When I was a kid there was a part time fire station near me, it used to go off every morning and afternoon.

 

I heard it on many occasions. One day in particular sticks in my mind when I went to the supermarket in town with my mum. The fire station was right behind the supermarket, and as soon as I got there the siren screamed to life like a huge monster – it was deafening! For a long time after that I didn’t like them and definitely didn’t want to listen to them. “

Jez’s anxiety around sirens became instrumental in creating his first commission –Irresistible. Whilst on tour with Mind the Gap, Jez confronted his fear and researched different sounds sirens made.

“I felt that as a musician – even though it might be harsh for my ears – there are loads of tones to them and they all have their own voice; just really loud, like an opera singer. I started listening to them as musical instruments, my fear went away and I started to be more and more interested in them.

 

My project Irresistible involves using lots of types of sirens to create a symphony. It brings a whole new meaning to the word siren, mixing them with choirs, bands and lighting to make sirens the star of the show.

 

It’s about using danger, excitement and risk to create a new piece!”

Jez exploded onto the music scene with Irresistible at the London 2012 Olympic Games when all the eyes of the world were watching. Since, it has toured across the world from places around the UK to Beijing, Wales, Switzerland and Germany. It has also inspired Jez for two new pieces of work – Gift and Trickster.

Gift and Trickster follows the tales of Greek Mythology, the Trojan Horse, of Odysseus  – a man on a journey, a long way from home.

Gift is a new show commissioned by PRS for Music Foundation’s New Music Biennial. It is uniquely developed from Irresistible but taking the inspiration behind exploring new instruments. Instead of sirens, Jez is creating work in, on and around a shipping container. Investigating different ways in which he can use it to create diverse sounds.

It represents another chapter in Jez’s journey as a learning disabled musician, inspired by working with MA students from Leeds University he wanted to discover what it feels like to be contained and what that means.

“I want the audience to go through a mix of emotions, from wary and confused, to elation and amazement. It will be 15 minutes of new and exhilarating music.

 

Trickster is the next part of our story, but an entirely different kettle of fish!

 

The container travels to Galway, Ireland, and opens out into a ginormous space with endless possibilities for movement, dancing and performance. It’s more a music-performance piece with a bigger cast. It’s going to include all my experiences of Galway, the industry, the weather and being stranded on Inisheer with really cool people. They all had different stories to tell, in the middle of a storm, it was such a powerful experience!

 

I really enjoy meeting new people with different and diverse cultural backgrounds, they become part of my story and I weave them into the work I produce in collaboration with Mind the Gap.”

Jez currently resides in Nottingham with two friends and his cat Felix. 

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