CRIPtic Arts, led by Artistic Director Jamie Hale, is a disabled-led creative hub bringing the most exciting disabled creatives to stages around the UK. We produce work that is intimate and urgent: bold, feisty, vulnerable and darkly comedic. Previous shows include the award-winning NOT DYING (Barbican 2019, HOME Manchester 2022), The CRIPtic Showcase (2019 and 2021) (Barbican 2019 and 2021), CRIP Cabaret. (HOME Manchester, 2022), and Self & Other (HOME Manchester, 2024)
CRIPtic Arts works to make the arts industry more accessible and to support, develop and champion disabled people across the industry.
Hayleigh Morrow
Hayleigh Morrow is a writer based in the west coast of Scotland. Her debut novel, Girl of the Ashes, was published in 2020 under her previous name, Hayleigh Barclay. After many years as a disability rights campaigner, she feels passionate about promoting disability-led stories, and has accumulated a list of writing credits for flash fiction, articles, and now scripts, challenging ableist stereotypes. Her other projects include two supernatural series, The Witch’s Apprentice and an adaptation of her novel.
Theo Angel
Theo is a nonbinary, mixed race, disabled actor and writer. Their work focuses on the line between identities and how people who are “a bit of both” can find their communities. Their acting work encompasses Netflix, HBO, BBC and Sky. Their writing is still overcoming stage fright and until now has mainly appeared in magazines like Şerābi and ‘101 contemporary artists and more…’
Simone Roach
Simone Roach is Jamaican-British and has spent most of her life living in the Netherlands. She was born with a progressive Disability which caused her to gradually lose the ability to walk and the mobility in her wrists and fingers. Simone writes about her experiences as a Black, Disabled, queer woman. She continues to fight for awareness of Disability culture, heritage, history, and pride.
Emily Brenchi
Emily Brenchi is a 32-year-old disabled writer and actor who is interested in exploring ideas around disability and the body on the page. Her poems feature in places such as the Anthology of Illness (The Emma Press, 2020) and disability journal Wordgathering.
Tatum Swithenbank
Tatum is a queer disabled performer, audio-maker, and creative facilitator. Drawing on their experience of living with Muscular Dystrophy, their work explores themes of accessibility, class, and care. With a knack for storytelling, they’ve produced engaging narratives for BBC Radio 4, Audible, and BBC Sounds, across the fields of culture, identity, and disability. Their passion extends to community theatre and DIY drag shows, where they champion the preservation of queer spaces. Tatum is influenced by folklore, the entanglement of myth and reality, and how the passing down of stories shapes us.
Sam Zelaya
Sam studied at Royal Holloway University and currently trains with Collective Acting Studio. Best known as the voice of Raul in Netflix’s Wendell and Wild – where he starred alongside Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele – his other credits include Creon in Antigone, Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Caught Red-Handed: An Improvised Heist, and The Duchess of Buckingham Regrets to Inform You That Her Husband Is Dead. Sam writes in his spare time and is passionate about creating work that reflects queer experiences and voices.
Kate Cavill
Kate is a physically disabled actor/writer, originally from the East London/Essex borders. She has had a passion for theatre since seeing Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in London, aged seven. Growing up she sang in various choirs, participated in acting workshops and amateur productions, before studying English Literature and Creative Writing at university. Kate also took private singing lessons, and played the Narrator in Joseph at The Upminster School for Young Performers. Kate has recently participated in Graeae Theatre Company workshops both as an actor and writer. She is also continuing her acting training with Stagecraft@The Headgate (Colchester).
Samira Ahmed
Samira, a British-born Bangladeshi actor and creative facilitator, stands proudly as a Deaf individual, leveraging her unique identity to inspire change. With a degree in Applied Theatre from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, she seamlessly intertwines her diverse backgrounds and education to challenge society and broaden perspectives towards inclusivity. Samira's unwavering mission is to advocate for greater accessibility for all.
