Projects and Events
Take Away Theatre
Take Away Theatre is an interactive, fun performance that happens at home for disabled people and their families. It is suitable for anyone 5+ years and all abilities!
The performance engages families to co-create a drama based on our unique Takeaway Theatre menu! Two of our takeaway delivery performers ‘Ron, Stephanie, Lucy or Barry’ will lead on the fun and frolics!
It lasts for a maximum of 75 minutes and can happen indoors or outdoors.
Each family will receive a call from a performer before the visit to make sure that access needs are met, to discuss where they would like it to happen and any covid precautions.

Words Out
‘Words Out’ is an eclectic anthology of creative work by Open Arts participants including our core writing group. The anthology also features a range of visual material from our art groups and gathers together many of the voices that have sounded from within the unique Open Arts programme, in celebration of our 30th year.
You can pick up a free copy from the Crescent Arts Centre on University Road, the University of Atypical on Royal Avenue and the Linen Hall Library across of Belfast City Hall.
To listen to the AUDIO BOOK click HERE
Andrew Ward, a member of the Open Arts Creative Writing group whose work features in the book said:
“Open Arts is my creative and social lifeline and being part of the organisation has helped me enormously over the past couple of years. As well as the great support I receive in the writing class and opportunities to be part of projects like ‘Words Out’, the Open Arts team has also helped me to access my own funding. I now have mentors who are helping me to create my own work that explores my feelings about my diagnosis of autism later in life.”

In addition to our year round programmes Open Arts runs additional stand-alone participatory projects. The purpose of these projects is to engage more disabled people in the arts including children and young people. We continuously grow and develop artistic programmes to respond to changing needs and interests.
You can find more information about our past projects here.
Living in a Box
Living in a Box is a unique film collage reflecting on creativity and connection during lockdown by Open Arts participants. In their individual boxes on screen but still together: laughing, supporting and encouraging each other. The film showcases the importance of individuals’ artistic expression and shared creative experience through the most difficult of times.
Showing again soon…

In Tune
The project provides an opportunity for participants to gain skills in particular instruments and also experience the joy of playing group music. Participants have the chance to work with a high-quality team of musicians who have numerous specialties including Gamelan, flute, tin whistle, violin, guitar, percussion, keyboards, music technology and singing.
Our partners assist the project by recruiting participants from their client base, delivering specialist training for our musicians and supporting the children and young people during the sessions.
Reminiscence in Song

In this project, artists engaged groups of older people from Abbeyfield Belfast Society houses in reminiscence and song writing workshops. These led to the creation of a piece of creative writing and two new songs “When I was a child” and “Happy Landings”. You can listen to these two songs in the videos below.
Zoom Fest 21!
From 22nd March until 1st April 2021 we hosted a series of workshops on Zoom. The workshops were for anyone over 18, with a disability and did not currently attend any of Open Arts activities. All the workshops were free, but some of the workshops happened over two sessions.
