About Us

Firebird Members

Members of the Company

Daniel Bryan, Steve Canby, Penny Goater, Kevin Hogan, Tina Kelly, Mary Lansdown, Sarah McGreevy, Marilyn Rees, Olivia Watkins, Chris Wiltshire & Resident Musician: Ed Goater.

We’re supported by: Amanda Fawcett, Company Producer; Isabelle Sallis, Pastoral Lead & Carlota Matos, Facilitator.

Directors/Trustees

Mel Scaffold (Chair); Antigoni Messaritaki; Jo Cuthbert; Sabrina Sallis & Christina May (Company Secretary)

Partners & Collaborators

We are lucky and honoured to have worked with a number of partners and collaborators who have supported our work and helped us develop as a Theatre Company.

PARTNERS

Bristol Old Vic – We first worked at Bristol Old Vic in 1990 when we did our first play in the professional theatre: Yellow Sun, Red Moon. Since then we have developed a very special relationship with the Theatre, that have given us a lot of practical support, shared their expertise with us and we always premiere new work at the Bristol Old Vic. We have received fantastic support over the years and we would like to thank all the staff for their support, it means everything to us.

Kathryn Hunter is Firebird’s Patron. 

PAST COLLABORATORS

MAYK – a theatre producing company that worked with Firebird to produce our shows including The Breadhorse, The Nine Lessons of Caliban & A Spark and a Beating Heart.

Theatre Bristol – Theatre Bristol has supported us with business planning, company development and finance. 

Kim Lawrence, producer for Faustus and The Tempest; John Nicholson, co direction and workshop leader for Faustus and The Tempest; Tristan Sturrock, co direction and workshop leader for The Nine Lessons of Caliban and The Breadhorse; Adrian Lee, member of The British Paraorchestra: A Spark and a Beating Heart; Mark Richardson (musician): Breadhorse and Prospero, Duke of Milan; Pete Judge (musician): Sharing the Stars; Sarah Moody (musician): The Tempest, The Nine Lessons of Caliban and The Breahorse; Annette Dunn (musician): Faustus; Vanessa Luckwell (musician): The Clowns and The Chalk Circle; Ruby Spencer Pugh (designer): A Spark and a Beating Heart and Prospero, Duke of Milan; Dan Ashcroft (costume designer): The Breadhorse; Ann Pugh (Redweather Productions): The Tempest; The Lying Doctors; The Nine Lessons of Caliban and The Breadhorse; Frank Spencer (Redweather Productions): A Spark and a Beating Heart and Propsero, Duke of Milan; Claire Williamson (poet) A Spark and a Beating Heart; The Breadhorse; The Nine Lessons of Caliban and The Tempest; Photographers: Paul Blakemore; Graham Burke and David Gilliland; Production and Stage Management: Gemma Brooks; Anna Griffiths; Jo Cuthbert, Jay Costello Roberts and others from Bristol Old Vic; Lighting design: Ben Dodds for A Spark and a Beating Heart; Tim Streader for The Breadhorse.

About Firebird’s work

Our Work

Firebird Theatre have always been trailblazers in disability practice. They’ve been at the forefront of best practice, empowering members and respecting their autonomy long before this was considered best practice.

Members have a wide variety of experiences, and come from different areas and backgrounds. Older members have experiences of medicalisation and institutionalisation and have battled for respect and for their voices to be heard. Younger members grapple with developing independence and online skills in a disempowering society. Even now, Bristol is facing budget cuts and decreasing social care funding which will directly impact our members.

What unites Firebird members is their proud identity as Learning Disabled artists and that a common thread throughout their lives has been Firebird.

Our main areas of work include:

• To be an independent theatre company of disabled actors

• To perform plays

• To show our work to as many people as possible

• To link up with other actors, theatre companies, theatres and new audiences

• To develop and become more professional

• To work together

• To become more well known

• To support and involve other disabled people in our work, especially children and young people.

Firebird Theatre Documentary

This film was made by Ann Pugh of Redweather Productions in 2007. Although many things have changed and developed in Firebird since this film was made, it still captures the essence of Firebird Theatre and the Company. This film also serves as a memory of Ann’s wonderful work with us (Ann Pugh 1955 – 2015). There are many films on this website made by Ann, particularly The Breadhorse films on the ‘shows’ page and by Frank Spencer, Ann’s partner, also from Redweather Productions.