Papertrail has been staging untold stories from underrepresented voices in Wales, and beyond for the last 10 years. Thanks to ACW’s Creative Steps the company is now entering an exciting new stage of development which sees Jonny Cotsen co-leading the company along with founding Artistic Director, Bridget Keehan. Their joint vision is to advance and experiment with the ways in which creative access is used in productions. Papertrail will also offer two new associate artist positions for creatives who have experienced barriers and are under-represented in the arts.
“I originally set-up Papertrail to stage unheard stories and to work alongside marginalised individuals and communities in the creation of new scripts. Jonny joined Papertrail as Associate Artist in 2021 and we began creating a new show together. It quickly became clear that we shared a passion for dismantling barriers to creativity and for sharing unheard stories. We realised that through continuing to work together we could be a greater force for creating change. Over the last year we’ve been working hard on a joint artistic plan and thanks to the support of Arts Council Wales we can now begin the exciting process of offering new opportunities to artists in Wales, particularly those who have experienced barriers due to factors such as class background, ethnicity, disability and / or economic hardship.”
-Bridget Keehan, Founding Artistic Director and Co-Creative Director
“I’m really excited to be joining Papertrail as Co-Creative Director. As someone who is Deaf, and has faced barriers, especially in the arts, I feel this is an exciting time to develop creative access in the arts. We want to reach out to other artists who have experienced barriers, such as Deaf, Disabled, Neurodivergent artists who have this incredible voice but haven’t had the chance to use it. Having had the experience of being an Associate Artist with Papertrail, and the opportunity it gave me, it’s great to be able to offer a similar development chance to others.”
-Jonny Cotsen, Co-Creative Director Papertrail.
Over the next year, Papertrail will be expanding the company, creating two new part time roles, Creative Producer and a General Manager, and appointing more trustees to support the growth of the company. It will also be recruiting two Associate Artists to work alongside the company’s Co-Directors as part of a mentoring programme.
Alongside expanding the company, Papertrail will continue to make compelling, groundbreaking, productions. Creative plans include a new show created by Jonny Cotsen and Bridget Keehan, ‘Moses, Grobbelaar and Me’, and a tour of the company’s latest production, A Visit, following on from its hugely successful run in Pontypridd. Papertrail will also be developing a pilot training programme in stage skills for BSL interpreters and Creative Access for Stage Director’s in partnership with Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
“We want to be at the forefront of developing creative access, and for Access to be integrated to the degree that it’s almost invisible and done in a beautiful way. We want to inspire other organisations and artists to be excited about the aesthetics of access.”
- Jonny Cotsen, Co-Creative Director Papertrail.
Papertrail Chair, Suzanne Carter said, “We are really excited about the future of the company and how we can create inclusive theatre and share it with more audiences.
Papertrail has an incredible track record of producing courageous, high-quality theatre, in partnership with third sector organisations such as the Welsh Refugee Council and Wales Probation Service. To date the company has staged stories of people seeking refuge, created a poetic bus journey through the streets of Barry, and invited audiences to a meal at HMP Cardiff’s Clink restaurant to hear stories from people leaving prison, and their hopes for a different future. More recently the company produced A Visit, by Siân Owen, in association with Clean Break. This gripping drama highlighted the impact the prison system has on the families of prisoners, especially children. This new chapter in Papertrail’s work will support what is needed now in the arts and in Wales. We are really pleased to have Jonny Cotsen take up this key role with the company and work with us in achieving extraordinary and inclusive theatre experiences for audiences throughout Wales and beyond.”