Disabled and Deaf-Led Creativity and Performance Festival

A two-week celebration of disabled and deaf-led performance, creativity and community is to be staged by Camden People’s Theatre (CPT).

The ‘Every Body Festival’ features a packed line-up of live shows, workshops, digital premieres and panel discussions – all led by disabled and deaf artists pushing at the boundaries of access, artistry and resistance.

From one-night-only scratch nights to urgent political debate, the festival is designed to create space for everyone – with access at its heart and artists at the centre.

The festival features new work from FUSE, Deafinitely Theatre, and Paines Plough, alongside streamed performances that extend the programme - and its accessibility - beyond the building.

Access is at the heart of its design, not just its delivery. All of the festival’s events have an element of access, whether that’s BSL, captioning, audio description or a relaxed design.      

"Camden People’s Theatre strives to model the future we want to be part of – where there is equal, intersectional access to the arts for both creatives and audiences,” said  Rio Matchett, Artistic Director of Camden People’s Theatre.

“The Summer 2025 programme has been my first opportunity to programme a season since joining CPT in October last year, and despite the many systemic challenges facing the industry, it felt vital to use this festival to make a statement of intent.

“Alongside platforming voices and stories that continue to be marginalised – or fetishised – by the theatre industry, every event in the festival includes some form of integrated access: from creative captioning and multilingual BSL/English performance to work curated specifically for neurodivergent audiences and artists.

“We’re also really proud that, with support from City Bridge Foundation, we’re paying every live artist a guaranteed fee – not a box office split. That felt like an essential political decision at a time when disabled people are being squeezed harder and harder financially.”

The ‘Everybody Festival’ runs from June 29 to July 13 at the Camden People's Theatre, London. For further information visit www.cptheatre.co.uk/festivals/EveryBody