I have been engaged for over two years in an endeavour to try to encourage better practice in the arts when it comes to nurturing those with caring responsibilities. The research has already borne fruit in the launch of a campaign, some theatres are looking into their accessibility policies to see what changes could be made, the DfE have read the research and I have met with them regarding ways of improving flexibility in childcare offerings and we are now in the process of setting up our own theatre company that actively seeks to get caregivers back into work. Thus far most of the work has been done voluntarily.

The company has a name and a plan, but now I need to involve others, and I want to pay them. If I abide by what my research calls for, I need to pay them!

So what is slow theatre? Those who are familiar with the Slow Movement will have an idea of what I mean. But in a nutshell it looks something like this: we aim to work at a pace that is conducive to having children present if need be; we aim to offer part time positions for those who need it, including actors; we aim to take time over our creations so they can be fully explored and enjoyed without sacrificing other important aspects of life like time together as a family, rest time and life admin; we aim to seek out those who have been out of work because of their caring responsibilities.

We need an awful lot more than we're asking for, but this will really help to kickstart our journey for our new Slow Theatre, Dovetail.

Just £1 would help, really only give whatever your means allow!