RAMPS ON THE MOON PODCAST

Michèle Taylor talks to Christopher Samuel , a multi-disciplinary artist whose practice is rooted in identity and disability politics.  Often echoing the many facets of his own lived experience as a Black disabled man, his work tells stories, highlighting the often unseen experiences of his day to day life and those of others in similar circumstances.  His practice includes small detailed ink draw...

Michèle Taylor talks to Rachel Sharpe , Head of Co-Creation, Creative Learning and Engagement at the Royal Shakespeare Company . In this powerful conversation Rachel chats about: The emotional story of Ukrainian actors collaborating with the RSC on King Lear What genuine co-creation looks like in practice The 'risk register' - a practice which make creativity possible Her personal experi...

Michèle Taylor talks to Maximillian Fairley - screen and stage actor about his flourishing career and what matters to him to be able to do his best work. Max talks about his experience in playing a lead role (Harry) in World Premier Village Idiot - A co-production by Theatre Royal Stratford East, Nottingham Playhouse and Ramps on the Moon, and written by Samson Hawkins Max talks in depth about his...

Michèle Taylor talks to Penelope Saward and Ben Oliver at The Production Exchange about their steps, successes and challenges towards creating an anti-ableist organisation following their year-long journey on the Ramps on the Moon Change Partner programme . The Production Exchange is a charity, established in 2013. They provide artists with pathways into the performing arts industry, with the hope...

Michèle talks to Mat Fraser - stage and screen actor, writer, drummer, and an anti-ableist activist. Join us for this lively, interesting and challenging podcast episode! Mat is well known for his powerful presence on both stage and screen, and is a patron of Graeae theatre company. Mat has appeared in acclaimed productions including American Horror Story , His Dark Materials, CripTales ,  and Bar...

Michèle Taylor talks to Amy Trigg, actor, writer and comedian, as well as Olivier Awards Winner in 2024 for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for 'The Little Big Things'. Amy talks about how representation has improved greatly on the screen over the last few years - and that she is now auditioning for roles that are not specifically for disabled actors, the only option avail...

Michèle talks to Zak Ford-Williams, screen and stage actor in Bridgerton (Lord Remington), The Hardacres (Harry Hardacre), Wolfe (Tyler) and The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man (Joseph Merrick). Zak knew he wanted to act at six years old, after seeing George’s Marvellous Medicine . Though he didn’t initially identify himself as disabled as a young child, he later realised how exclude...

Clare Hammerton carried out the independent evaluation for the Ramps on the Moon consortium.  In this episode, Michèle asks her about the challenges of evaluation (especially in a multi-partner project) as well as talking about why it’s so important and powerful.  Clare puts the Ramps evaluation into the wider context  of her work around empowerment and participation and explains why it’s so impor...

Ben Wilson and Aisling Gallagher have been Ramps on the Moon Agents for Change at Sheffield and Theatre Royal Stratford East respectively. They are both also independent theatre-makers. They give us a fascinating insight into what an Agent for Change does - and doesn’t do - to support organisational transformation, why being annoying, and why they have a trampoline instead of a desk.  Aisling cele...

Michèle talks to David Bellwood - Head of Access at The National Theatre Michèle and David discuss rigour around language and what it means for David to be a non-disabled person working in the area of ‘access’.  David throws down the gauntlet: can he and Michèle find a word that can usefully replace ‘access’ by the end of the episode?  They explore vulnerability and transparency as important value...

Eleanor Lang and Sean Brooks are from Theatre Royal Stratford East. Eleanor is Executive Director and Sean is Deputy Producer and a freelance producer. Michèle asks the 64 million dollar question, “ What is a Producer, anyway? ” and gets a great answer in which Eleanor and Sean unpack the process.  They discuss the growing recognition in the industry of the importance of having early conversations...

Amongst other things, Andrew Miller is the UK Arts Access Champion and a broadcaster and cultural consultant and commentator with an impressive CV.  In this episode, Michèle asks Andrew about his career so far, and the ‘accidents and disappointments’ that got him to where he is now. Andrew talks about the moments of change that he’s been a part of, the importance of representation and what’s neede...

Disability equality leader, Michèle Taylor invites Amy Leach, Deputy Artistic Director at Leeds Playhouse to talk about her work as a director and how her approach has grown as a result of working with disabled and deaf performers.  Amy talks about ‘packing on the muscle’ as a director, goosebumps moments, the team you might expect to find in a Ramps rehearsal room, and her advice to ‘just put it...

Disability equality expert, Michèle Taylor, talks to Dan Bates, former chief executive of The Crucible, Sheffield Playhouse and the Sheffield Lyceum.... asking him how he started to make it happen as a Ramps on the Moon partner. excited to be a part of Ramps on the Moon, the irony of scheduling the first Ramps meeting in a room with all sorts of access challenges, and how his learning has changed...

Welcome to the Ramps on the Moon Podcast. In this first episode, Anti-Ableist leader, Michèle Taylor invites Sarah Holmes into the recording studio to talk about how Ramps first started; from conception in 2015 to present day. Meeting together for the first time in a London train station café they both knew something very positive and exciting was about to happen in the theatre industry. Listen to...