Reach FAQs

Reach FAQs

Who can apply?

CRIPtic’s work is for disabled people – by which we mean “people who face disableist [including audist or neurotypist] barriers”, or “people who identify themselves as deaf or disabled – or are identified by others as deaf or disabled in society”. To find out more about what we mean by this, please look at our website.

We’re looking for five emerging disabled theatremakers who are looking to write their first full-length show and who have a strong idea of what their show is, what makes it unique and the audience it’s for. We’re also looking for people who like to work in collaborative group settings, and feel the structure of Reach will be beneficial in helping them to develop their work.

These shows can be ideas, first drafts, or have gone through an early process of development. They should not have been staged more than twice, and only within ‘scratch’ settings orearly  work-in-progress settings, as the writer will be expected to undergo an extended period of script development work.

In 2026, we are intensifying our efforts to support disabled individuals who continue to face significant barriers in accessing opportunities in both mainstream and disability arts. We aim to dismantle disabling barriers and enable people to do their best work, instead of constantly fighting to have their needs met. We want to direct part of our organisational focus towards working with people who need the expertise and resources we have, and who face particular barriers in finding opportunities that meet their access needs.

Part of the expertise we have at CRIPtic includes:

  • Sourcing venues with comprehensive wheelchair access, including facilities like Changing Places toilets
  • Working with people who use 1:1 support
  • Implementing robust infectious disease and illness protocols
  • Designing remote-only or remote-priority work environments
  • Providing BSL interpretation across the board in our work

We want to increase representation of specific groups of disabled people in the arts, and are particularly keen to receive applications from wheelchair users who are unable to work in spaces that aren’t wheelchair accessible, People of the Global Majority*, working class people, and people with parenting or care-giving responsibilities.

*People of the Global Majority includes people of Black Caribbean, Black African, South Asian, East Asian, South East Asian, Middle Eastern, Arab, Latinx, Jewish, Romany and Irish Traveller heritage.

How much prior experience should I have had?

This shouldn’t be your first piece of writing ever – but you don’t necessarily have to have had work staged or showcased previously. You should not have previously had a full-length self written show staged professionally.

What are you looking for – and what aren’t you looking for? 

We want pieces that showcase the range of disabled writers, creating pieces that will bring something new to the theatre world. We’re looking for talented writers who show a strong sense of tone, voice, and character in the sample work provided to us.

We’re very interested to receive pitches from shows with delivery in BSL and other signed languages.

We often receive a lot of pitches on the following topics:

  • Narratives about encounters with the medical system (often discriminatory or traumatic ones) and experiences of diagnosis
  • What it’s like to have a particular experience (e.g. “being invisibly disabled”, “being visibly disabled”, “being neurodivergent”)

If you have a great idea on one of those themes please don’t let this stop you from submitting, because great work shines through in every topic. However, if you’re choosing what work to submit, consider sending us something we haven’t encountered before.

How many sessions am I expected to attend?

We expect Reach participants to be able to attend all of the scheduled sessions. Exceptions will be made for missing occasional dates.

How complete should the work be when I apply?

The work should be somewhere between ‘completed pitch’ and ‘first draft’ stage, with ideas that are open to change and growth as you go through the programme.

Can I apply as part of a group?

This programme is specifically supporting individual writers in creating a show, so is not designed for groups.

I don’t want to perform in my piece at the sharing. Do I need to cast other performers?

CRIPtic Arts will be responsible for casting performers for the sharing, taking into account any casting notes you’ve given.

How do you assess applications?

Reach exists to nurture exciting, bold, and fresh ideas. When we’re assessing applications, we will often ask ourselves questions like:

  • Does the writer know the story they want to tell, the piece they want to make, and the venues they want to see it in?
  • How original is the idea? Have we seen it before?
  • Is the piece at the right stage of development?
  • Can we imagine a future in which this piece can develop further after Reach?
  • Do the applicants have enough experience for us to be confident that they can deliver this project?
  • Are the samples of work submitted of a quality and level that’s appropriate for Reach?
  • How many opportunities have the applicants had previously, and to what extent do they need Reach?
  • How clearly can we identify the shift that Reach would make in their creative practice and future career development? Are they at the right place for this opportunity to have real benefit?
  • What barriers have they faced in accessing other opportunities? Are there things that Reach can offer (e.g. a venue with hoist-adapted toilets, and support towards funding for 1:1 support work and BSL interpreters) that they need and wouldn’t be provided by other opportunities?

Don’t worry about neuronormative applications and what you think is “expected” in terms of spelling, grammar and structure – your application will be read by a disabled team and will be assessed on its creative or organisational merits. Just tell us about the things we’ve asked you to tell us about, in the way that works best for you.

What support is available to me when I apply?

As a disabled-led team, we understand the barriers disabled people face to applying for arts opportunities. That’s why we’ve tried to design a “friendly application process” for our projects that is as universally accessible as possible to diverse, and neurodiverse, communities from the outset. Read more about this here.

Advice before applying

We will always hold at least one online Q&A session about applying for our development programmes, led by one of the panel who assess applications. This will be recorded and published to our website as a video after the fact. Where we are seeking to reach groups we are prioritising in our work, or who are under-represented in our work or the sector, we offer group-specific Q&A sessions or 1:1 sessions.

How you can apply

You can submit an application:

  • By filling in a Google Form
  • By downloading and filling in a Word document
  • In audio format (in spoken English and up to 7 minutes long)
  • In video format (in spoken English or BSL and up to 7 minutes long)
  • Using bullet points or full sentences in response to questions
  • Using an image or images (e.g. a mind-map or photo of handwritten answers) in response to questions

Please note that audio, video and images may be transcribed into written English, to meet the access needs of reviewers.

Our application forms contain a guide character count or word count, showing how much we expect applicants to write, but these limits are set higher to take into consideration that not everyone can explain concepts within a low word/character limit.

Where possible, we will provide a “mock answer” to any longer written questions to give applicants an understanding of what we are hoping to receive, or a list of bullet points that explain what sort of information we’re looking for. We’ll also include an explanation of what we are assessing in the answer.

If there are questions or things in the application form that you don’t understand or are struggling with, please do say so in your application – we will not discount an application we would have otherwise moved forward because a question has not been answered, but will get in touch with you to discuss it.

Support when writing your application

We can’t offer 1:1 support with applications – because everyone applying for opportunities with us is disabled, this wouldn’t be financially or logistically feasible. However, we don’t expect all applicants to write applications solo, and happily accept those written with partners, friends, peers, support workers, or anyone else. 

We know applicants might use AI to support with or write their application – however, we value unique approaches and self-expression and we’d always prefer a less “well written” application that conveys your individual voice, over a perfectly written application that was produced by AI. Ultimately, we’re looking for the ideas behind what you tell us, not how you tell us them, and encourage you to ensure that comes through in your application.

Deadlines

We will always have a fixed deadline, with the option for people to apply for an extension of up to a set number of days or weeks, as an access consideration where required. We will always publish the fixed deadline, instructions for applying for an extension, and the maximum extension available on the project. 

Please note that we won’t ever be able to extend beyond the maximum extension stated.

How your application is reviewed

Applications are reviewed and decisions are made by a disabled panel, including at least one neurodivergent person, and we do not expect them to be written in a neurotypical style. This means you will not be disadvantaged for using different spelling, grammar, speech, signed language, or structure. If we want to move your application forward but parts of it haven’t been done in a way we expected, contain mistakes, have gaps that concern us, or if we don’t understand an answer given, we’ll come back to you and work with you in those areas before we make a decision. Your application is not the end of the conversation, it’s the starting point.

Any other advice?

We have our 2026 Q&A later this month but, in the meantime, you can view:

If you have any queries about anything here, please contact us on artists@cripticarts.org to discuss.

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Ozioma Ihesiene stands looking down at the script in her hands. She is a black woman, wearing a green fleece.

Reach

Supporting five emerging writers & performers to develop their first full-length show.

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