FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Severe Funding Shortfall Forces Replay Theatre Company to Cut Vital Services for Young Disabled Audiences
[Belfast, June 2026] — Replay Theatre Company today announced a significant reduction in its services for young disabled audiences following a critical shortfall in funding, raising urgent concerns about access to inclusive arts experiences for some of the most underserved members of the community.
For well over a decade, Replay Theatre Company has been a leader in creating innovative, sensory-rich performances designed specifically for children and young people with disabilities. Its work has provided not only artistic engagement, but also essential opportunities for social connection, communication, and personal development.
However, recent funding cuts and the absence of sustainable financial support have left the organisation with no choice but to scale back its programming. This includes reducing the number of performances, limiting outreach activities, and pausing several development projects aimed at expanding access.
“This is an incredibly difficult moment for us,” said Brian Mullan, Chief Executive at Replay Theatre Company. “Our work is built around inclusion and ensuring that young disabled people can experience theatre in a way that is meaningful to them. To reduce these services is heartbreaking, not just for us, but for the families and communities who rely on them.”
Families and educators have long praised Replay’s work for its transformative impact. Many of the young people served by the company face significant barriers to accessing mainstream arts provision, making Replay’s specialised approach uniquely valuable.
The reduction in services risks leaving a gap that cannot easily be filled. Without immediate investment, the long-term sustainability of accessible theatre provision remains uncertain.
The funding crisis has also resulted in the redundancy of Replay Theatre Company’s Director of Inclusive Theatre, a role that has been central to the development and delivery of the company’s specialist work with disabled children and young people.
This represents a significant loss, both for Replay and for the wider field of inclusive theatre. The post was held by Andrew Stanford, a highly respected practitioner who has spent the past decade creating groundbreaking theatre experiences for disabled children and young people. During his time at Replay, Andrew established himself as an internationally recognised leader in inclusive theatre practice, most recently leading Replay’s international collaboration with two Swedish production houses to create ROTVISKA.
“We are deeply saddened to lose both this role and the expertise it represents,” said Brian Mullan at Replay Theatre Company. “Andrew has made an extraordinary contribution to Replay, to disabled young audiences, and to the development of inclusive theatre nationally and internationally. His work has demonstrated what is possible when specialist skills, creativity and sustained investment come together. While Replay remains committed to inclusive practice, the loss of this dedicated role reflects the growing challenges of maintaining a full-time programme of specialist theatre provision for disabled children and young people within the current funding landscape.”
Replay Theatre Company expressed its sincere gratitude to Andrew for his exceptional contribution over the past decade and hopes to collaborate with him again in the future.
Replay Theatre Company is calling on public bodies, private funders, and community partners to recognise the importance of inclusive arts and to take action to secure its future.
“We are committed to continuing our work in whatever capacity we can,” Brian Mullan added. “But we cannot do this alone. Access to the arts should not be a privilege, it is a right.”
ENDS
Media Contacts:
Brian Mullan – Replay Theatre Company Contact HERE
Notes to Editors:
- Replay Theatre Company has been delivering world class theatre for young audiences from 0-19 since 1988.
- The post of Director of Inclusive Theatre has been funded by BBC Children in Need for 12 years, with a recent change in eligibility criteria meaning that Replay Theatre Company must now take a 3-year break from support.
- Replay will continue to deliver programming across all of its audience streams, however, as funding reduces, the provision to young disabled audiences will also reduce.
- Replay continues to receive annual support from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council.