Birds of Paradise Theatre Company

Scotland's touring theatre company promoting disabled artists and supporting the arts sector

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Category: Blog

Blog 22 Oct 2025

Cue Backstage: Backstage Day at National Theatre of Scotland

Cue Backstage: Backstage Day is an opportunity for Disabled, D/deaf and/or neurodivergent people who are interested in exploring the technical and creative world of theatre making. You can join us at Rockville on Sat 19 Nov to find out more about backstage and offstage roles in theatre.

Blog 17 Oct 2025

5 Common Mistakes Arts Companies Make When Writing a Disability Access Policy

Five common mistakes arts organisations make when writing an access policy, and — crucially — how to avoid them

Blog 1 Oct 2025

BOP at the Glasgow Create Job Fair!

In late September, we had the joy of taking part in Glasgow City Council’s Create Job Fair – and what a day it was! Over 200 students came through the doors, all buzzing with curiosity about careers in the arts and creative industries.

The image shows the exterior of the Graeae Theatre Company, a building with a distinctive architectural style. The façade features a series of arched windows framed by red brick, supported by pillars adorned with green tiles. Inside, a large, red letter "a" is visible, likely part of the company's branding or an art installation. Above the image, the company's logo is prominently displayed, accompanied by access options such as text size adjustment and contrast settings. Below the image, there is a news section with the title "Graeae's response on the impact of recent policy changes" and the date "17 May, 2025.".
Blog 3 Jun 2025

Want Disabled People in the Arts? Then Fund Us – A Call to Reverse Devastating Policy Cuts

At BOP, we stand in full solidarity with Graeae and Touretteshero. The recent UK policy shifts—cuts to Universal Credit, delays and reductions in Access […]

A wide-shot, medium-high angle, shows a group of people of various ethnicities and heights sitting and standing on a stage. All the people in the group are wearing matching knit caps in dark blue with white trim, and most of them are giving either the peace sign with their fingers up, the "rock on" sign, or smiling. Some are seated on small wooden stools, and a fair-skinned woman who is heavy set is seated in a wheelchair off to the right, wearing a dark top, a long blue skirt, and black sandals. Further right from her are two brown-skinned men who are standing. A woman is sitting in a chair, raising one arm as she smiles and flashes a peace sign. She has a box of Mary Hill's candy in her lap. The stage is gray, and behind the group is a screen and black curtains with studio lighting overhead. In the foreground are two red, square floor cushions and a chair that faces away from the camera.
New Normal / Nepal 2025 5 Apr 2025

BOP at Nitfest – Performances and Farewell

Our final week in Nepal was very busy as we prepared for the performances of New Normal. The Nepal International Theatre Festival had such […]

The photograph depicts a late-day scene featuring a building adjacent to a paved parking area, marked by the presence of two cars and the architectural details of the building itself. The building is characterized by its red roofing, and what appears to be a partially open-air storefront marked by tables and activity within. The front is framed by a series of vertical supports and decorated with numerous colorful prayer flags that stretch across the frontage, adding a festive cultural element to the exterior. Potted plants line the walkway leading to the entrance, softening the hard lines of the structure with greenery. To the left of the main building, a taller, more modern building is visible, reflecting the sunset light with its light-colored facade. On its roof, three circular tanks are situated, presumably water tanks, while prayer flags are attached from the building. The sky, taking up a significant portion of the image, is awash with the warm hues of the setting sun, creating a backdrop of sunset pastels and soft clouds. The pavement in the foreground is a mix of grey concrete with subtle variations in color, likely indicating different paving sections. On the left side of the image, a silver car is parked, with its registration visible but blurred, while on the right, a compact grey hatchback can also be seen. A sign stands near the entrance of the building, positioned near a person in a white t-shirt.
New Normal / Nepal 2025 25 Mar 2025

BOP at Nitfest – End of rehearsals

The whole team has accomplished a lot in the second half of this week. The two translators, Jaldeep and Sandip, have done an amazing […]

A medium shot shows a group of adults gathered in an outdoor paved space for a rehearsal. Toward the back of the image, five adults stand and sit on chairs. From left to right, a woman in a red sweater, a woman in a red patterned top, a woman in a blue patterned top, a woman in a navy sweatshirt with white dots, and a woman in a light pink top and pale blue shawl. These seated women appear to be watching a performance. One of the seated women rests her hands on her throat, and the woman in the pink and blue stands behind the others with her eyes closed. A short dark chair also sits between the seated woman in the sweatshirt. In the bottom left, a woman with dark hair who is turned away from the camera sits on a blue outdoor chair. She wears a dark teal top and appears to be recording notes on a pad of paper she is holding. At the bottom right, a man with dark curly hair sits on a green chair with a guitar in his hand, and a light blue denim vest over his black shirt. He faces the group. The scene is set in a green space with a backdrop of trees and bushes. The ground is paved with grey stone tiles. The group sits on a raised platform, three steps high, with more grey stone.
New Normal / Nepal 2025 19 Mar 2025

BOP at Nitfest – Halfway through rehearsals

We’ve settled into rehearsals for New Normal here in Nepal. As the culmination of this part of the UNWRAP project, this play will be […]

Four women pose for a photo in front of a large, vividly colored backdrop depicting Middle Eastern culture. On the left, the woman nearest to the camera wears large, wire-rimmed glasses and a dark jacket. Next to her, another woman sits wearing a pale green jacket over a patterned top, her curly hair framing her face. Behind them, a woman in a floral jacket and black top smiles, a pink crossbody bag visible on her hip. To her right, a woman with red hair, glasses, and a dark shirt with a delicate gold pendant necklace also smiles. The backdrop features traditional-style buildings adorned with decorative lights and crescent moons. On the wall is an image of a man in a white thobe and headdress is prominently displayed, along with another of a woman wearing a blue hijab. The lighting is a mix of warm hues from the illuminated buildings and cooler tones from the overhead lights, which casts shadows on the wall. All four women wear glasses and smile at the camera, and their clothing choices suggest a casual outing. The faces are well-lit, and the background is sharp and colorful, evoking a sense of warmth and cultural richness.
New Normal / Nepal 2025 14 Mar 2025

BOP at Nitfest – Day 1 

BOP travel to Kathmandu, Nepal to begin the rehearsals to Nitfest 2025

Five people are posing for a group photo in front of black brick wall with black curtains on the right. The person in the front is seated in a wheelchair, and the other four are standing behind him in a horizontal line. To the far left is a white man wearing a muted purple zip-up hoodie, black pants, dark grey sneakers, and black framed glasses. His hands are in his front pockets as he looks at the camera. Next to him is a man with light skin, brown hair, wearing a white knit hat, black glasses, and a blue button up. The central person is seated in a blue-wheeled wheelchair, is light-skinned, and wears a bright yellow sweater over a collared shirt, jeans, and black-framed glasses with a large smile. To the right of the wheelchair is a Black woman with her hair styled into a high bun and wearing black-framed glasses, a zipper jacket with a white and black floral pattern, black pants, white socks and sneakers. To the far right is a white woman with her hair in a low bun, wearing a light purple shirt, high waisted denim jeans, and dark grey sneakers. The floor is dark grey industrial carpet.
Blog 27 Feb 2025

Dev days at The Sunshine Spa

At the end of February 2025 we spent a few days in a room with playwright Simon Jay and actors Fatima Jawara and Jack […]

Blog 12 Nov 2024

Celebrating 30 Years of BOP at the Scottish Parliament

Three new offerings for you – our new website, our new Annual Report and our sparkling new accessible trailer

Blog 11 Nov 2024

ShapeChangers

ShapeChangers was a project commissioning young people to create outdoor artworks on the National Cycle Network.

Headshot of Dr Sally Witcher. A white woman in her late 40s or so. She wears a blue wool jumper and an orange headband over short-ish light brown / grey hair. She is looking warmly into the camera.
Blog 15 Mar 2024

Accessible Britain? Careful what you wish for!

A response to Don’t. Make. Tea. by Dr Sally Witcher.