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Theatre group performs more accessible shows

Cat Humphries Six actors performing a scene of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. A male actor in the middle, wearing a lighter coloured track suit is holding small rocket, five other actors, all dressed in black, have their arms out and they are holding teach other. Cat Humphries
The cast of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time put on a relaxed performance in May

A community amateur theatre company said it aimed to be "inclusive for everyone" by adapting more shows to cater for diverse audiences.

Rickmansworth Players, in Hertfordshire, wants to prove that "entertainment is for everyone".

In May it adjusted its production of the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by putting on a relaxed performance and its musical The Little Mermaid will have a British Sign Language signer at two shows.

Sarah Rodrigues, actor and marketing manager, said the non-profit company wanted to "move forward with the times".

Cat Humphries Three women taking part in a rehearsal. Their mouths are open and their arms are out and they are holding a toy snake. The image is black and white and the rehearsal is taking place in a wall with sport equipment behind. Cat Humphries
Sarah Rodrigues (left) will be playing the role of an eel in The Little Mermaid but said the snake is a prop they are using just for rehearsals

Ms Rodrigues said as the play adaptation of the popular book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, was about an autistic boy, they wanted to try and encourage people "who go through those same experiences to come and see the show".

She said altering the lighting, introducing all the characters and organising a meet and greet, was only possible after the cast and crew, who are not paid, committed to making the changes and took time off work for the relaxed performance on a Friday afternoon to go ahead.

The performer said the changes were daunting at first but "the reward from it is just amazing", and the additional costs have been "outweighed by the new audience that you get coming in".

"There's clearly a need there, or a want there, from a different audience", she added.

Cat Humphries 10 actors rehearsing a scene from The Little Mermaid. One is on the floor pulling a face, a woman looks shocked, with her hand on her mouth, one man is looking out with a hat, the rest are looking down at the women in shock. The image is black and white and they are in a school hall with equipment behind on the wall. Cat Humphries
The cast are busy perfecting their moves for The Little Mermaid

"We want to move forward with the times and being a community theatre we want to be much more inclusive to the whole community", she said.

"We want to get a more varied audience to prove that entertainment is for everyone.

"We are determined to be as inclusive as possible, whether you want to take part or just come and watch, we know there is more to do."

Cat Humphries Two female performers in rehearsal. One woman is looking to her dance partner on her right, and is wearing a hoddie. The other woman has her mouth open, singing, with her right arm out. There are two more women in the background. Cat Humphries
The Little Mermaid is a stage adaptation of the popular Disney musical film

The Little Mermaid will be performed at Watersmeet, Rickmansworth, from 20 - 23 November with the signed performances on Thursday night and Saturday afternoon.

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