Richard Hayhow

For over 30 years Richard Hayhow has promoted the creativity of people with learning disabilities through the performing arts, confounding pre-conceived notions of learning disability and what people with learning disabilities can achieve. Richard is Director of Open Theatre Company, which he has run since 1990 years: in 1997 as part of OTC's work Richard set up The Shysters Theatre Company, based in Coventry, to train actors with learning disabilities: within a few years the company gained a national reputation for its performance work. Through the work of the Shysters Richard developed a unique non-verbal physical theatre practice based on the creativity of people with learning disabilities. He was then responsible for disseminating this practice within special schools to have a significant impact on children's learning and development and to influence teaching practice across the curriculum. After The Shysters folded in 2011 OTC's work spread across Birmingham and the West Midlands - much of it developed in partnership with Birmingham Hippodrome. OTC now engages regularly and over sustained periods of time with 2000 young people with learning disabilities each year, using the practice to develop creativity and enhance learning within young people with learning disabilities in special schools and to create drama projects and performance work with young people in out of school settings. In addition to this, Richard has worked extensively as a freelance theatre director, writ