The final South Bank Show Awards are being held on Tuesday 26th January, and we've got our fingers crossed for a Graeae win!

Along with Julie McNamara and Clean Break, Jenny Sealey, Graeae's Artistic Director, has been nominated for the Arts Council England’s Diversity Award

Click here for the full list of nominees for all categories

Good luck, Jen! (Julie and Clean Break too, of course)

Graeae's latest production opens this week at Theatre Royal Stratford East, and if you're quick you can snap up a ticket for just £8 on one of the preview nights - Weds 27th and Thu 28th.

If you can't make one of those nights, the show runs until Saturday 6th February so plenty of chance to catch the fabulous Caroline Parker signing some classic Diva songs as she takes us on an emotional journey from funeral parlours to Vegas.

There's also some great ticket offers to be had on the first part of the national tour.  The Junction, Cambridge, has free tickets as part of the Art Council's A Night Less Ordinary scheme for those under 26.  At The Ustinov, Bath, there are limited numbers of tickets for just £5.

Click here for all dates and ticket details

WORKSHOP WITH DISCOVER YOUNG HACKNEY
We have a free workshop on Saturday 6th Feb for Hackney residents aged 14-19 who would like to learn more about sign language in performance.

Taking place at Bradbury Studios, the workshop will be followed by the matinee performance of the show at Theatre Royal Stratford East (transport will be provided).

Click here for more details.

Although most of our work is UK-based, we've a bit of globe-trotting coming up to look at disability and the arts overseas.

Amit Sharma, one of Graeae's Associate Artists, is developing an outdoor performance piece as part of the cultural exchange between London and Delhi for this year's Commonwealth Games.  Here's what he has to say on the project:

"Inspired by the story of a young man carrying his visually impaired mother around India by foot to different pilgrimage sites, our aim with Travels With My Mother is to engage with disabled people across India; find out what their journeys have been and what their impairment means to them.

The research will take us from a deaf school in Baroda, speaking to disabled people at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, to looking at the level of access in Chennai. 

If the cultural exchange piece later in the year is successful then we're hoping to do something similar for the London 2012 Olympics."

And in Australia...
Jenny and Judith, our executive directors, will be in Australia during March to undertake a number of appointments.  In Melbourne they'll be catching up with our good friends at Strange Fruit to look at ways of further developing our successful collaboration.

Following this they're heading over to Sydney to attend the Arts Activated conference where Jenny will be giving a keynote speech.

In addition they'll be looking to meet with Australian deaf and disabled artists who are forming part of the emerging arts scene Down Under.

We're starting to get a little more creative with how we let people know about all the goings on at Graeae.

The Graeae Theatre Company page is now up and running on Facebook.  If you use Facebook, use the Search Box to find us and then become a Fan.  This will let you see all the latest news and reviews - as well as being able to 'chat' with other Graeae supporters.

Our YouTube channel has undergone a revamp and is now live.  You'll find clips from previous productions - both rehearsals and show footage - as well as all the videos we'll add on an ongoing basis.  Click here to see the channel and add yourself as a subscriber to be notified when we upload new clips.

We'll be doing more online over the coming weeks - including the first ever Graeae blog.  Not only will this give you a chance to learn more about Graeae and our work, but create a platform for discussion, ideas and, hopefully, inspiration.

So, no excuses for not being in the know on all things Graeae now!

Graeae has been chosen to be one of the BBC’s partners in this year’s Norman Beaton Fellowship.

The Fellowship is an annual competition to broaden the range of actors available to BBC Radio Drama producers by encouraging applicants from non-traditional training backgrounds.

Ten disabled actors will attend a Graeae workshop to try to gain a place in the final of this year’s award, which will give two actors a contract in the BBC Radio Drama Company. We are delighted to be a part of this prestigious programme and hope that our actors are successful. 

The finals will be held at Bush House, London, towards the end of March and we will of course let you know if any of Graeae workshop attendees make it through.

For more information on the Fellowship click here