Raspberry Ripple

Raspberry Ripple was born as a response to the great hole in our theatre industry. Nowhere could I see a disability-led theatre company let alone one actively bridging the gap between Disability and Mainstream performing arts. And what a gap it is! There is a great reluctance in Australia to acknowledge that disability is simply part of the human c... ondition, and that performers with disability can add a dimension that has never been seen before. I believe that disability and diversity can actually make the work better! The experience of working with disabled and non-disabled performers has shown me that everyone has some experience of disability in their family, working life, or just around them generally but it is not widely acknowledged that one in five people live with a disability of one form or another. In Australia it is common practice to have disabled characters played by able-bodied actors. At Raspberry Ripple, we want to change this. We want to tell stories that have not made it to the stage before. And we want to use a combination of disabled and able-bodied actors to do it. Why? Because in life we breathe the same air all the time. The tenacity, grace and natural creativity of disabled artists also the openness and curiosity of the non-disabled artists we work with gives me confidence that the future of our industry is in good hands. To quote the extraordinary Jo Verrent, we want to boldly go where everyone has been before.Read More