Shifting the Stage
Shifting the Stage is a Nordic collaboration between four partners who all produce an international theatre and dance festival for children: bibu in Helsingborg, Sweden (Lead Partner), Showbox Festival/Scenekunstbruket in Oslo, Norway, Bravo! Festival in Helsinki, Finland and Edinburgh International Children’s Festival/Imaginate in Edinburgh, Scotland. Shifting the Stage offers professional, international artist development opportunities and exchanges for disabled, D/deaf and/or neurodivergent artists to support the development of new disabled-led production ideas for children.
The project will include networking opportunities in each partner country as well as the following key activities:
Shifting the Stage Lab from 19 - 23 January in Glasgow, Scotland kicking off the project and connecting disabled artists from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Scotland.
Artistic residencies in Finland, Norway and Scotland with the opportunity to present works-in-progress at partner festivals
Festival presentations of disabled-led productions at partner festivals
Festival visits to bibu in Helsingborg, Sweden (27 - 30 May 2026) and Edinburgh International Children's Festival, Scotland (30 May - 7 June)
Shifting the Stage symposium in Norway, November 2026
The four partners will work together to increase our collective knowledge in supporting and presenting disabled-led performances for children. We will create space within our festivals and other events to share this learning with our international and national networks. Through this partnership, we hope to grow a Nordic community of disabled artists involved in/interested in the young audiences sector for solidarity and collaboration. Together we want to ensure that the young audiences sector is talking about disabled-led performances as well as about accessible productions for disabled audiences.
If you would like to know more about Shifting the Stage, please contact Tanja Mangalanayagam, Director of bibu.
We are delighted to have received funding from the Nordic Culture Fund and Nordic Culture Point for Shifting the Stage.
