Knocking Down Walls

Evangeline Grace Cooper

In December 2022 I was part of The Lost Post Office, what a wonderful experience! The chance to be in a festive production with other professional artists while progressing into paid work with B-Arts was a brilliant opportunity.

I joined B-Arts in November 2020 as part of the Tomorrow’s Garden Project which was devised as a team. I was a volunteer performer on the project which was delivered via Zoom. This was something that I wanted to try as I had only worked online once before. The project resulted in filming online over Zoom which gave a different way of working. I later went on to take part in various walkabout performances, other opportunities, summer school and workshops along with being a company member of B-Arts. In the summer of 2022 I worked on The Blue Girl Commonwealth project professionally, before taking on The Lost Post Office 2022 after being a volunteer performer on the 2021 production.

On my first day in the rehearsal room, I was able to see how accessible the job was going to be physically and as a working actor on the project with a disability. Stepping back into the B-Arts building gave me yet another opportunity to work on a devising piece of theatre. We discussed suitable themes, before trying them out to see which ones worked the best. My ideas were listened to and I felt part of the team. I instantly felt more creative as my ideas became a part of the final show. The extra challenge of singing was fantastic as it aided me to showcase a different skill by having the chance to sing a solo line during the show. I felt accepted within the process and not judged due to my disability, which is so refreshing when working professionally.

When I work I usually have a support worker with me, on this occasion I felt more comfortable to do some of the rehearsals by myself, whereas on other jobs I’ve sometimes not felt ready or confident to do so. I never felt alone in The Lost Post Office, as I had an encouraging team behind me.

Another element to the process was helping with the cardboard set, which is a tradition at The Lost Post Office as the post office warehouse is full of undelivered parcels. I helped on different tasks such as labelling boxes with unusual reasons for non-delivery, for example “all the pigs ran off” and “I’ve got no milk in.” I also helped with assembling boxes, making post office signs, decorating the works canteen (B-Arts café) and various other production tasks. This really pulled the team together and built on the creativity making us all a part of the show. During helping out with production tasks, I managed to knock down a wall of boxes, destroying an important part of the cardboard maze, which was quite embarrassing. However, the team gave me a hand and we built it back up together in a stronger fashion, followed by the team jokily saying “were you just testing it out, Evie?”

I always felt supported within the rehearsals which made me feel very proud to be working with B-Arts. When working on production tasks there was always a form of support when a task was a bit more challenging, so that everyone and anyone could participate fully. In terms of accessibility B-Arts were very accommodating and understanding and when I needed to discuss possible availability issues, logistics, the team was always open to my opinions. I think that whenever I needed a hand or I needed to speak to someone it was always acted upon and there was always a friendly face to talk to about a potential idea or issue. I feel incredibly proud and confident of what I achieved and I feel I helped to break down even more barriers and metaphorical walls when it comes down to actors with disabilities working professionally within a theatre company.

Performing was exciting as the shows were immersive and the audiences could get involved with as much or as little as they wanted, so every show was a different experience. I think because the show had been devised there was more creativity and room for more improvisation, which gave a different element to an actor’s role. I was very pleased to be a part of the relaxed and BSL performances as it enabled everyone to experience the magic of The Lost Post Office. This showed a great understanding of diversity and equity which meant more people could be involved with the creative elements of the show.  

The logistics during the run were always addressed and I felt supported and able to participate fully during the shows. I think during the whole process of putting the Lost Post Office on we all looked out for each other and supported the development of our project, working as one huge team. I hope to work with B-Arts again and further develop my professional career. I can definitely say I feel that I am part of the B-Arts family.

“B-Arts is a unique creative company, always taking on new projects”

Evangeline Grace Cooper, 2023