CRIPtic Associate Artists 2025
Investing in ongoing work
CRIPtic’s Associate Artists scheme is a brand new opportunity, supporting and investing in three exciting artists. Offering a small financial grant, plus a bespoke programme of development, mentoring and networking, it’s designed to be responsive to the needs, desires, and priorities of individual artists, helping them take their work to the next level.
Drawn from the pool of applicants for Reach, Launchpad and Breakthrough, we’re incredibly excited to be working with three fantastic artists: Hayleigh Morrow, Jordan Charles and Nicola Warner. Read on to find more about them and the projects they’re working on at the moment…
2025 CRIPtic Associate Artists
Hayleigh Morrow
If Morticia Addams and Kimmy Schmidt had a love child, it would be Hayleigh. The stories she writes are fun, engaging, and push boundaries, often placing women and disabled people at the forefront. Whether it be scandalous sex, unrequited love, or the search for the perfect mojito, every story serves a purpose.
She has experience in writing for theatre having recently been part of The Crip Monologues produced by CRIPtic Arts. Her debut Gothic novel, Girl of the Ashes (Garmoran Publishing) was released in 2020 – written as Hayleigh Barclay. Other publications include kid/family friendly stories as featured in the Pagan children’s e-zine, Aether Magazine, and Disability Horizons.
She has a BA and MA in subjects relating to Film and TV, plus a Doctorate of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.
According to some, she is also very, very Scottish!
Jordan Charles
Jordan Charles is the winner of Pride’s Got Talent 2023! Dazzling audiences at the Adelphi Theatre on the West End and Trafalgar Square’s Pride Main Stage. This poet, performer and playwright has starred in TV shows such as ITV’s Starstruck with Beverley Knight and as a judge on BBC1’s All Together Now with the actual Ginger Spice. Whilst performing with Gary Barlow, Kaiser Chiefs and Dannii Minogue, Jordan also appeared on BBC1’s Let it Shine.
Jordan has just wrapped the sensational R&D of his original musical OYA with the support of Arts Council England and fantastic partners including Islington Mill, Upswing Circus and many more (11 years and counting). Culminating in a sold-out premiere at the iconic Phoenix Arts Club, the show is a magical celebration of West African Yoruba mythology and a tender story about disability, justice and forgiveness.
Jordan’s work as Host of The Cocoa Butter Club (7 years) and singer with collectives such as Vox Clever and Uptown Music have taken him all over the world. He has reached festivals such as Glastonbury, Wilderness & Latitude, venues like The Troxy, National History Museum, Madame Tussaud’s & Soho House and cruise tours across the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Scandinavia.
Nicola Warner
Nicola Warner (she/her) is a musician and emerging writer/performer from Hertfordshire.
She is currently writing her debut opera with composer Zhenyan Li for Second Movement Opera’s ‘rough for opera’. Her poetry has been published in FLARE Magazine, broadcast across the East of England on BBC Upload and placed in the top 9% of the Bridport Prize 2024. She has performed her poetry in Anthroplay Theatre’s Anthrotalks ‘Desire‘ and ‘Pride‘ events at the Two Brewers, Clapham.
Nicola read Music at the University of Manchester where she studied cello with Simon Turner and orchestral conducting with Mark Heron. She was subsequently offered a Leverhulme Trust Scholarship to study cello under the tutelage of Joely Koos at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance but her studies were unfortunately interrupted by ill health. She has since studied privately with Joely Koos and Tim Steggals.
Nicola is about to start working as a trainee workshop musician with the English Folk Song and Dance Society through their programme Folk Beyond for learning disabled adults.
She is currently writing her debut one-woman show ‘Miss Diagnosis’ which she will be developing as a CRIPtic Arts Associate Artist.
You may also be interested in
Reach
Supporting emerging disabled scriptwriters & performers to develop their first full-length shows.
Launchpad
A development and showcasing opportunity for disabled theatre makers to stage new work.
Incubate
Building disabled-led arts organisations & supporting disabled arts leaders.
