On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, join Every Body Festival (29 June – 13 July 2025) at Camden People’s Theatre for a vibrant celebration of disabled and deaf-led performance, featuring bold theatre, cabaret, and discussions with accessibility at its heart!
Every Body Festival
disabledFrom 29 June to 13 July 2025, Camden People’s Theatre (CPT) will host the inaugural Every Body Festival, a vibrant two-week celebration of disabled and deaf-led performance, creativity, and community. Curated by CPT’s new Artistic Director, Rio Matchett, the festival marks a powerful statement of intent, reimagining the future of theatre through bold, accessible, and artist-led programming. Featuring live theatre, digital premieres, cabaret, workshops, and panel discussions, the festival centres disabled and deaf artists while embedding access—such as BSL, captioning, audio description, and relaxed performances—into every event.
A Diverse Programme
Every Body Festival brings together an eclectic mix of performances and discussions, all rooted in the lived experiences of disabled, deaf, and neurodivergent artists. Highlights include:
Lighting the FUSE: A groundbreaking BSL-led theatre piece devised in just five days, showcasing the innovative work of FUSE and its commitment to deaf-led storytelling.
The Only Brown Deaf Man in England: A fierce and funny work-in-progress by Nadeem Islam, created with Fuse Theatre, tracing one Deaf Bengali man’s journey through racism, rebellion, and resilience from 1970s Brick Lane to post-9/11 Britain.
Balancing the Books: A timely panel discussion addressing Labour’s proposed reforms to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Access to Work, which threaten vital support for thousands of disabled people. Led by disabled artists and activists, this event offers a platform for creative resistance and lived-experience perspectives.
A Night in Sign: A vibrant BSL-led cabaret celebrating Deaf talent, alongside Deafinitely Theatre’s New Writing Sharing, which platforms emerging deaf women’s voices.
Scratch Nights: Two evenings of brand-new work from disabled and neurodivergent artists, fostering bold experimentation and fresh voices.
Laika: A sci-fi-inflected story exploring disability and isolation.
Characteristics of a Child Ten Days Old: A lyrical new play about medical choice and motherhood.
For A Palestinian: A ★★★★★ (WhatsonStage) performance by Extraordinary’s Bilal Hasna, with proceeds supporting the Ghassan Abu Sittah Children’s Fund.
GRILLS: A ★★★★★ show described by The Reviews Hub as “an archive of queer joy,” developed through CPT’s commissioning scheme.
The festival closes with the inclusive Every Body Party, featuring snacks, a chill-out space, and possibly Deaf karaoke, inviting audiences to celebrate together.
Access at the Core
Every Body Festival is designed with access as a fundamental principle, not an afterthought. From multilingual BSL-led work to creative captioning, audio description, and relaxed performances, every event ensures inclusivity. Digital streams of performances like For A Palestinian and GRILLS extend the festival’s reach beyond CPT’s physical space, allowing audiences nationwide to engage with its groundbreaking work. Online meet-ups, such as Queerdos—a space for queer, disabled, and neurodivergent people to connect—further amplify the festival’s commitment to community and accessibility.
A Vision for the Future of Theatre
Under Rio Matchett’s leadership, Every Body Festival reflects CPT’s 30-year legacy as one of Britain’s most influential studio theatres. Founded to champion emerging artists and adventurous theatre, CPT continues to platform underrepresented voices and tackle urgent issues. By partnering with companies like FUSE, Deafinitely Theatre, and Paines Plough, the festival showcases the power of disabled and deaf-led artistry to challenge norms, spark joy, and reimagine who gets to make theatre—and how.
Matchett’s programme is both a celebration and a call to action, blending protest, performance, and connection to create a space where disabled and deaf artists lead the conversation. Whether through the urgency of Balancing the Books, the vibrancy of A Night in Sign, or the experimental energy of scratch nights, Every Body Festival invites audiences to engage with stories that are bold, spirited, and unapologetically inclusive.
Join the Celebration
Every Body Festival runs from 29 June to 13 July 2025 at Camden People’s Theatre, with digital streams and online events ensuring accessibility for all. Tickets and full programme details are available at Camden People’s Theatre’s website. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience a festival that redefines theatre as a space for everyone—where access, artistry, and activism collide.
Find more from Every Body Festival now:
Every Body Festival
29 June – 13 July 2025
Camden People’s Theatre, 58–60 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2PY
www.cptheatre.co.uk/festivals/EveryBody
Accessible venue | BSL-led and interpreted shows | Relaxed performances | Digital streams available
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