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★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“One of the most important pieces of theatre I have seen in recent years… Access All Areas have released a creative call to arms.”

– London Theatre

Inspired by a refusal to be silent, and a history of being ignored, five learning disabled artists take us on a wondrous adventure underground.

A goddess, a baby, a bird, an eater and an escapist guide us through a maze-like institution, growling to be heard, and waiting for the revolution that is forever promised.

As they tear back the walls to their lives, past and present spin together in a powerful expression of what it feels like to have a learning disability in today’s world.

Over two years, MADHOUSE re:exit built on the legacy of Mabel Cooper, a resident of a long-stay hospital for people with learning disabilities, who pressed the button that blew up one of the last of these institutions in the UK. Now, award winning company Access All Areas returns with a fantastical, disruptive, immersive experience that explores what this history means today.

Dates and Venues

Shoreditch Town Hall, London | March 2018

The Lowry at Barton Arcade, Manchester | May 2018

Creatives and Crew

  • Patient 36 (London) and Singer
    Kali Joy
  • Patient 36 (Manchester)
    Amy Carter
  • Sharron Casey
  • Angela Chadwick
  • Daryll Duncan
  • Chrissy Jones
  • Charlotte Little
  • Cathy Rothwell
  • Anna Ward
  • Singer
    Adam Smith
  • Director
    Nick Llewellyn
  • Producer
    Patrick Collier
  • Dramaturg
    Max Barton
  • Designer
    Joanna Scotcher
  • Costume Designer
    Carley Hague
  • Costume Supervisor
    Annelies Henny
  • Lighting Designer
    Katherine Graham
  • Associate Lighting Designer
    Stuart Glover
  • Movement Director for DJ Hassan
    Ita O’Brien
  • Video Designer
    Nathan Theys
  • Animator
    Alex Uragallo
  • Sound Designer
    Jethro Cooke
  • Production Manager
    Ian Moore
  • Deputy Production Manager/Video Engineer
    Dom Baker
  • Stage Manager
    Dannii Ryalls
  • Deputy Stage Manager
    Ina Berggren
  • Technical Stage Manager
    Zak McClelland
  • Construction Manager
    Elouise Farley
  • Production Sound
    Tom Hackley

Creative Devisors and Performers

Doctor | David Thackeray and Hayley Hill

Sandra | Francesca Burgoyne

Sally | Lesley Ewen

Sue (London) | Jess Mabel Jones

Sue (Manchester) | Kat Bond

Patient 36 (London)

Paul Christian

Jolene Sampson

Rachael D’Arcy

Tyson Bushe

John Danielson Fuller

Luke Fox

Rufaro Asuquo

Neil Thomas Bennet

Deen Hallissey

Kali Joy

Ellen Goodey

Patient 36 (Manchester)

Amy Carter

Sharron Casey

Angela Chadwick

Daryll Duncan

Chrissy Jones

Charlotte Little

Cathy Rothwell

Anna Ward

Singers

Kali Joy

Adam Smith

Access all Areas and The Open University partnered to develop interactive learning material on ‘living with a learning disability’ – shortlisted for a Learning on Screen Award. AAA were fantastic partners to work with: collaborative, energetic, professional, reliable. They came to the project full of excellent ideas and worked thoughtfully and sensitively to deliver the content.
Dr Elizabeth Tilley, Senior Lecturer, Open University
One of the most important pieces of theatre I have seen in recent years… Access All Areas have released a creative call to arms.
Londontheatre1.com
Proudly and defiantly other […] The actor’s loud, proud and shameless commitment to presenting the stigma, trauma and pain they are, have been, and will continue to be subjected to is a gesture of empowerment; empowering not just for the actors, but for all those living with disabilities.
Olivia Lunn for A Younger Theatre
The powerful creativity of the artists doesn’t just own the way the story is played back to us as immersed audience members, but it demonstrates a powerful activism and rejection of state-enforced failings.
Katie Davies for Entertainment Focus

Madhouse Pop Ups

The Associate Artists took their characters all over London and beyond. Characters popped up at: Liberty Festival; South London Gallery; Steakhouse Live at Arts Admin; Rich Mix; The British Medical Association; Duckie and The Place in London and at The Lowry in Manchester.

Madhouse, My House?

A three-year digital and creative learning programme that ran alongside ‘MADHOUSE re:exit’ production ensuring as wide an audience as possible could engage in the performance and surrounding activities.

MADHOUSE re:exit was developed with Barbican Centre, Shoreditch Town Hall, The Lowry, Battersea Arts Centre, Wellcome Trust, Arts Council England, and the Open University.

MADHOUSE re:exit was developed with Barbican Centre, Shoreditch Town Hall, The Lowry, Battersea Arts Centre, Wellcome Trust, Arts Council England, and the Open University.