Graeae Theatre Company is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 organisation composed of artists and managers with physical and sensory disabilities. It was founded in 1980 by Nabil Shaban

Nabil Shaban

Nabil Shaban is a British actor and writer. He founded The Graeae - a theatre group which promotes performers with disabilities. He has a son named Zenyel....

 and Richard Tomlinson and named after the Graeae

Graeae

The Graeae , were three sisters who shared one eye and one tooth among them. They are one of several trios of archaic goddesses in Greek mythology. The Graeae were daughters of Phorcys and Ceto...

 of Greek mythology

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

. In 1981 the Company was offered the use of an office, rehearsal space and facilities for 18 months by the West End Centre, an Arts Centre in Aldershot

Aldershot

Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...

 in Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

. During that year, the Company became eligible to receive full funding from the Arts Council of Great Britain

Arts Council of Great Britain

The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. The Arts Council of Great Britain was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England , the Scottish Arts Council, and the Arts Council of Wales...

.

In 1984 the Graeae Theatre Company won a Special Award in the Evening Standard Awards.

Today Graeae performs on national and sometimes international tours. Its current artistic director is Jenny Sealey MBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

.

Repertoire

Actors who have appeared with the company include Mat Fraser

Mat Fraser

Mat Fraser is an English rock musician, actor and performance artist. Between 1980 and 1995 he was a drummer with several rock bands including Fear of Sex, The Reasonable Strollers, Joyride, The Grateful Dub, and Living in Texas, the latter of which had a number one single in Italy.- Life :Fraser...

 and Nabil Shaban

Nabil Shaban

Nabil Shaban is a British actor and writer. He founded The Graeae - a theatre group which promotes performers with disabilities. He has a son named Zenyel....

. Graeae has performed plays by Glyn Cannon

Glyn Cannon

Glyn Cannon is a British playwright.His plays include; Coffee , The Kiss and Gone, a modern adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone that was first produced at the Pleasance Courtyard for the 2004 Edinburgh fringe festival. It won a Fringe First award from The Scotsman and transferred to the West End...

 and Sam Boardman-Jacobs

Sam Boardman-Jacobs

Sam Boardman-Jacobs is a Welsh based playwright, director scenographer & recently Choreographer, having studied for an MA at Laban....

.

External links

• The Graeae Theatre Company website
• The Beginning of Graeae
• Graeae Theatre Company Information from the official British Council
  British Council
  The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
  
   website
• "Whiter Than Snow" by Ronnie Haydon, The Stage
  The Stage
  The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
  
  , 12 March 2009
• "Exclusive: Disabled actors take lead roles in Channel 4 drama about Shipwrecked-style reality TV" by Matthew Hemley, The Stage
  The Stage
  The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
  
  , 11 March 2009
• "Whiter than Snow: North Wall" by Giles Woodforde, The Oxford Times
  The Oxford Times
  The Oxford Times is a weekly newspaper, published each Thursday in Oxford, England. It is published from a large production facility at Osney Mead, west Oxford, and is owned by Newsquest, the UK subsidiary of US-based Gannett Company....
  
  , 26th March 2009