Worcester Live has received funding that will allow it to make its facilities at Swan Theatre more accessible for disabled performers.

The £5,000 grant from the Theatre Trust will be used to make the backstage area of the theatre more accessible, with improvements to the changing rooms and showers.

The Small Grants Scheme is being run in association with The Linbury Trust, and Theatre Trust’s marketing and communications manager Justine Harvey is thrilled to be able to help the Worcester venue.

She said: “We were delighted to be able to support this work as it is great to see a project focusing on removing the barriers for performers and staff, which can often be overlooked.

“While theatres have been adapting their front of house spaces for a long time, there is still a way to go in making theatres everywhere fully accessible. Progress back of house has been slower and theatre performers, technicians and other creatives can be prevented from accessing and working in some theatres.

“This project from Worcester Live will help to remove some of the barriers that the building currently creates.”

She added that the Theatre Trust hopes to replicate this progress across the country, saying: “Theatres are at the heart of their communities so it is vital that they can be enjoyed by everyone.

“It is important to remove barriers to engagement and opportunity and ensure that the performances, performers and audiences are representative of the broad range of experiences within a community.”

Mel Julians, head of marketing at Worcester Live, is excited for what this grant can do for the venue.

She said: “We currently have no accessible dressing rooms at the Swan Theatre and the funding will therefore enable us to provide facilities to accommodate disabled actors at the theatre. This will comply with our vision of becoming more accessible and inclusive by creating facilities that support this objective.”