What is Inclusion Boost?
Maya Productions’ research project Where Am I? ,led by Suzanne Gorman, revealed the importance of South Asian, African diaspora and global majority background role models and leaders for workforce diversity and inclusion in the performing arts. Seeing these role models in the spotlight builds ambition in young people and motivates individuals to step into a career in the arts.
Inclusion Boost is Maya’s pilot online careers toolkit. It puts the spotlight on six theatre professionals from black, asian, latin american and global majority backgrounds working in a range of roles in theatre. Through interviews we found out about their background, routes into their profession, career highlights, challenges and day to day working lives.
In sharing these inspiring and honest accounts Inclusion Boost aims to demystify theatre processes and open up pathways into the industry for those currently underrepresented, and give everyone an insight into what it’s really like to build a career in theatre.
We have partnered with Charter Schools, North and East Dulwich, to develop and test the toolkit. This included working with students to identify theatre roles and jobs that they want more information about and finding out the key questions they would like to ask theatre professionals.
We are also very grateful to our local Southwark-based partners: Mountview, BOLD Elephant, Exchange Theatre, London Bubble Theatre Company and Southwark Playhouse who have supported us in creating this toolkit.
The toolkit has been made possible with funding from:-
- Southwark Council
- Teale Charitable Trust
- The Newcomen Collett Foundation
Devised and created by the team at Maya Productions
- Maria Cuervo
- Suzanne Gorman
- Hector Manchego
- Breman Rajkumar
- Ada Onyekwelu
Maya Productions makes theatre to create change, bringing together organisations and individuals who passionately want their work to enable social change and racial justice. We create opportunities for people of all ages, abilities, cultures and classes to experience theatre. We make work led by South Asian, African, Latin American Diaspora and other global majority artists, involve young people and underrepresented communities in creative activities and promote workforce inclusion across the arts.
