Scotland’s national children’s theatre organisation says the new commission reflects its commitment to inclusion, but warns that government welfare reforms are threatening the ability of disabled artists to sustain careers.
Imaginate has announced that its next major Festival commission will be Boys Don’t Dance, a new work for young audiences by award-winning disabled choreographer and director Marc Brew. The production will premiere at the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival 2026, supported by the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund, before touring across Scotland in partnership with Aberdeen Performing Arts.
The commission comes as Imaginate increases its focus on disabled-led projects, with several new works and collaborations planned through 2025–26. Alongside Boys Don’t Dance, the organisation will present Ross MacKay’s new play Cringe, support writer and performer Ellen Renton through an Unlimited Partner Award, and launch Shifting the Stage — an international artist-development scheme with Nordic partners to create new disabled-led ideas for children.
At the same time, Imaginate has publicly expressed concern over the impact of recent government reforms to Access to Work and Personal Independence Payment, warning that the changes “are dismantling hard-won progress on the employment of disabled people in the cultural sector.” The organisation has signed an open letter urging the Prime Minister to halt the cuts.
“All I wanted to do was dance”
For Marc Brew, who grew up in rural Australia, Boys Don’t Dance revisits the moment when a childhood dream collided with social expectation. “I grew up in a poor and rural area of Australia surrounded by sheep, cows, and country folk who loved football. All I wanted to do was dance but I was told ‘boys don’t dance’. Throughout my life, society has told me that I cannot dance — whether that was during my upbringing as a boy from a working-class household, or after I acquired my disability,” he says.
“All I wanted to do was dance but I was told ‘boys don’t dance’. Throughout my life, society has told me that I cannot dance…”
Marc Brew
Brew describes the new piece as “a celebration of individuality and the beauty of difference — how we can each forge our own path to fulfil our dreams.” The performance, aimed at younger audiences, will combine movement, storytelling, lighting, sound and projected imagery to trace what he calls “a tapestry of memories.”
The commission follows Brew’s internationally acclaimed an Accident / a Life, a dance-theatre work that explored his experience of becoming disabled at the age of 20 after a car accident. Brew says that with Boys Don’t Dance, he wants to bring similar honesty to the experiences of growing up and finding expression against expectation. “I’ve worked to prove people wrong by championing and celebrating differences. This work will celebrate the beauty of this, and how we can each forge our own path to fulfil our dreams.”
“A layer of depth and authenticity”
Festival Director Noel Jordan described the commission as a natural progression from Brew’s earlier work. “It is always exciting when an artist makes a work based on their own personal experiences. It adds a layer of depth and authenticity that, when done well, reaches out and touches audiences in a truthful and unique way,” he said. “This was the case in Marc’s powerful and poetic piece for adults an Accident / a Life. So, when Marc discussed the kernel of an idea for a production based on his experiences of growing up in rural Australia, as a boy drawn to dance in a hyper-masculine world, we immediately became excited about its potential and universal relevance.”
Jordan added that the commission forms part of Imaginate’s broader “focus on disabled artists,” calling the new work “an exciting, bold addition to our 2026 Festival programme.”
A wider shift
Imaginate’s chief partners for the project — Aberdeen Performing Arts — said the collaboration continues a shared commitment to presenting inclusive work for young people. Chief Executive Sharon Burgess noted: “Our previous collaborations have produced meaningful, high-quality experiences for young audiences, and it’s wonderful to continue that relationship again for Light the Blue Festival. This new piece by Marc Brew is set to be a beautiful celebration of individuality, courage and creativity. It will deliver important messages and themes to young people while giving them an inspiring and rewarding experience.”
For Imaginate, however, the commission also signals a broader repositioning. The organisation’s current international programme — supported by the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund, Unlimited, and Nordisk Kulturfond — seeks to build stronger professional networks for disabled, D/deaf and neurodivergent artists. The hope, it says, is to “create platforms for artists to share their work internationally, and gain greater visibility and touring opportunities.”
Yet this expansion comes amid what Imaginate calls a “climate of decreasing support.” In its statement, the charity said it was “particularly concerned by the impact of the government’s reforms on artists’ ability to work.” It argues that “a truly thriving arts sector is one that is accessible and inclusive to all.”
“…when Marc discussed the kernel of an idea for a production based on his experiences of growing up in rural Australia, as a boy drawn to dance in a hyper-masculine world, we immediately became excited about its potential and universal relevance.”
Outgoing Festival Director, Noel Jordan
“A natural development”
Brew’s appointment, the organisation says, continues a long-term relationship with disabled and neurodivergent artists. Imaginate’s chief executive Paul Fitzpatrick described the focus on disabled-led work as “a natural development” of its remit to champion under-represented voices in children’s theatre and dance.
For Brew, it represents a further step in a career that has helped to redefine what inclusive dance can look like on international stages. Now artistic director of the Marc Brew Company, he has choreographed for the Australian Ballet Company, State Theatre Ballet Company of South Africa, CandoCo Dance Company, and AXIS Dance Company, and performed at the London handover for the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games closing ceremonies.
Speaking about his new commission, he said: “I am extremely excited to be commissioned by Imaginate to make new work Boys Don’t Dance for young audiences… This work will celebrate the beauty of difference, and how we can each forge our own path to fulfil our dreams.”
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