Please contact Chief Executive & Artistic Director, Daniel Swift FRSA:
daniel@concreteyouth.co.uk
Hull-based theatre company Concrete Youth has today announced Blueprint — an ambitious new research-led project that aims to re-examine how sensory theatre can be created alongside audiences labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities.
Building on years of national touring, acclaimed productions, and award-winning access work, Blueprint marks a significant step forward in the company’s mission to improve cultural access for one of the most underserved audiences in the UK. Blueprint will explore how we can push sensory theatre into a more bespoke format of delivery. Through a combination of creative experimentation and academic rigour, the project will investigate how tailored sensory experiences can be developed in collaboration with audience members and their support networks.
Led by Concrete Youth’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director, Daniel Swift, the work forms part of Swift’s PhD research at Rose Bruford & University of East London. His doctoral study underpins the project’s inclusive methodology, which centres co-creation with people labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities and invites them to shape the direction of the work from the inside out.
As the company continues to grow its research-led practice, Blueprint represents a pivotal opportunity to test and develop an emerging of sensory theatre. The findings from the project will go on to inform the company’s future artistic direction, while contributing to wider conversations around inclusive practice across the theatre sector.
Daniel Swift, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Concrete Youth, said: “Blueprint is one of the most ambitious projects we’ve ever undertaken. It’s a bold step towards people labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities not only being included in cultural conversations, but being central to shaping them. This work is about partnership, possibility, and pushing sensory theatre into its next chapter — with care, creativity, and community at its heart. It’s about moving forward to productions that are truly bespoke and access-driven, ensuring the most enriching experiences possible for our audiences.”
Blueprint is supported by public funding from Arts Council England.
