BOP Young Artists

A space where young people with a passion for the performing arts, can learn skills and develop their own creative practice

BOP Young Artists is an artist development initiative from Birds of Paradise Theatre Company led by BOP’s Development Officer, Morna McGeoch (staff).

BOP Young Artists is for young people who have experienced barriers in taking part in other artist development opportunities due to a condition or impairment.

We recruit a new group of young people annually/bi-annually, providing opportunities to develop skills and make work in specific areas (e.g. performance skills; writing; backstage; theatre-making etc.)

NEW Young Artists (Theatre-Makers) 2026-27 Young Artists (Performers) 2025-26 Young Artists (the Third) 2021-23 Young Artists (Digital) 2020-22 Young Artists (Pilot) 2019-21 Previous Activity

This project aims to provide a space where disabled young people with a passion for the performing arts can learn skills and develop their own creative practice, so they are better able to apply and take part in future creative opportunities. BOP wants to help nurture the future generation of talented disabled creatives.

With funding for 2026 from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Young Start programme and The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust.

Inside BOP Young Artists

This film was made with GMAC and final year students from the University of Glasgow’s School of Culture & Creative Arts. Working alongside BOP Young Artists throughout the year, they captured the creativity and collaboration that goes into making work together

Locked World

Locked World is a digital-born project: an online arts space which is being designed for (and by) disabled people

BOP Youth Arts Online

BOP Youth Arts Online is a free social space for disabled young people aged 13-18 across Scotland, hosted online and facilitated by professional disabled artists

NEW BOP Young Artists (Theatre-Makers) 2026-27

BOP Young Artists (Theatre-Makers) have just completed our Devising Kickstarter week where we got to know each other, did some disability equality training and came up with the premise for our March 2027 production. The group will start creating the production with Creatively Embedded Access in September!

BOP Young Artists (Performers) 2025-26

This cohort have now taken part in a whole year of activity with BOP! This has involved:

60 hours of tuition in a range of techniques across: movement, vocals, text, improvisation, devising, stage combat and audition preparation.

9 hours of training in Disability Equality, Creating Your Own Access Statement, and Creatively Embedding Access in Performance.

2 hours of conversation with professional disabled actors including Amy Conachan (Wendy Hoose, Orphans, Glass Menagerie and Hollyoaks), and Ed Larkin (Little Big Things, (we indulge in) a bit of roll play’). [include links]

3 hours visiting professional disabled-led rehearsal room for The Sunshine Spa (written by Simon Jay and directed by Robert Softley Gale). [links]

Artists in BOP Young Artists Performers were [get consent before sharing names online]

Young Artists (the Third) 2022-23

BOP Young Artists the Third completed a residency at the Transport Museum, exploring the process of making accessible multimedia artworks.

The members of this cohort were: Mariam Chaudhry, Lloyd Darko, Cleopatra Gabriel, Rahul Mehmi and Yuki Neoh, pictured below during their album creation residency in April 2023.

Young Artists (Digital) 2020-22

In light of COVID-19, and their locations ranging from right across Scotland, this cohort worked together digitally. This cohort consisted of Joanna Shand, Beaux Springhart, Lewis Teckkam, Karis Williamson and Gavin Yule.

The group collaboratively wrote a screenplay with creatively embedded access, which was then produced as a short film. ‘Dollhouse’ was written as Scotland was coming out of lockdown, and explores the ways in which society treats disabled people in its’ attempts to ‘protect’ them. You can watch ‘Dollhouse’ <here>.

Young Artists (Pilot) 2019-21

BOP Young Artists Pilot Cohort instigated a radical digital platform to amplify the work of emerging disabled artists. The members of this cohort included Emily Beaney, Jonathan Carlton, Emily Ingram, Ink Asher Hemp, Robert McIntosh and Andrew Robertson.

Locked World is a digital, disabled-centred artistic platform, designed to centre creative access. You can visit Locked World here (best experienced on a laptop or desktop).

Previous Activity

A Festive Scratch

In 2019, the BOP Young Artists were invited by Glasgow Connected Arts Network’s (GCAN) youth arts project The Bold Collective (TBC) to work with […]

BOP Work Experience

Guest blog post by Cleopatra, one of our BOP Young Artists.

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BOP Young Artists in 2019/20

In December 2019, the Young Artists were involved in ‘Festive Scratch Night’ – a scratch night created in partnership with Glasgow Connected Arts Network and The Bold Collective.

The BOP Young Artists began creating their work-in-progress pieces in September, and took part in event-planning meetings through October and November, before the event took place on December 18th 2019.

A performer- his hood is up, his eyes are closed. One hand is on his heart, his other hand reaches upwards- hopeful. — Solo dance piece by Andrew Robertson

A performer is onstage in a large wearable sculpture. A projector screen shows words which are also heard aloud- playing throughout the piece. A sign language interpreter can be seen, and a number of audience members. — Solo dance piece by Andrew Robertson

From April 2019 til August 2019, the Young Artists took part in a wide range of activity – providing support and opportunities to develop their existing skills and knowledge, and to connect with other arts professionals across the UK.

Some of the activities they engaged in have included:

Access to Acting workshop led by Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), at Scottish Youth Theatre.
Workshops on: making successful funding applications; employment and disability; self-employment and tax returns; roles in the theatre industry; and sharing our practice with others.
Observing rehearsals of Birds of Paradise and National Theatre of Scotland’s ‘My Left/Right Foot: The Musical’ at NTS’ purpose-built home: Rockvilla.
Attending performances of ‘My Left Right Foot: The Musical’ at Dundee Rep, and ‘Purposeless Movements’ as part of the Edinburgh International Festival 2019.
Attending a number of performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019, including two performances by members of BOP Young Artists.

The silhouette of a house with many windows, set against a white backdrop, with a light shining through. Emily is kneeling on the ground, holding up the house- demonstrating some shadow puppetry to a group.

A number of performers participating in a movement exercise - they are stretching upwards, towards the sky.

BOP Young Artists in 2020/21

BOP Young Artists (Digital) took part in workshops with a number of industry professionals including: Matilda Ibini (autobiographical writing), Robert Softley Gale (writing Creatively Embedded Access), May Sumbwanyambe (writing new work), and Rosie Kellagher (writing adaptations). The group have also been delighted to take part in workshops with Rachel Bagshaw (director), Ali MacLaurin (designer), Alyson Woodhouse (dramaturg) and Ellen Renton (performer) on working with the writer in production.

The group also took part in a mentoring project, where they chosen writers / artists they would like to be supported by. We are very excited to announce that these mentors included Matilda Ibini, Aoife Lyall, Gerda Stevenson and Jack Thorne.