Lara Wilson: ‘I Can Do This – I’m Good At It.’

For as long as I can remember I’ve loved being creative. At school I enjoyed reading and writing stories and I loved going to the theatre to watch musicals with my parents. When I was nine, I joined East Leeds Youth Theatre and that’s what really sparked my passion for performing and being on stage. It was like stepping into another world.

The theatre was run by a lovely lady called Sara Allkins and we created many wonderful shows, performing in different venues across Leeds. Sadly, the youth theatre no longer exists but I adored it and I cherish those memories.

As someone who has cerebral palsy and is an ambulatory wheelchair user, getting the chance to act on stage was exhilarating. It’s something I was able to further explore when I joined the BA acting course at Leeds Conservatoire, where I spent three amazing years.

The stage is my passion but because I have cerebral palsy I sometimes doubted whether I could be a performer, or whether I could realistically do this as a career. But Leeds Conservatoire and especially Erin Carter, who is head of drama there, encouraged me to embrace having a wheelchair and to use it as a creative tool, rather than seeing it as a hindrance or a barrier. That was a liberating moment for me and boosted my self-belief.

In the past I tried to downplay my condition. I thought if I called myself a ‘disabled actor’ people wouldn't want to work with me. But it’s important, it’s part of my identity. In my third year I played Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet at Leeds Playhouse, and I made the artistic choice to perform both in and out of my wheelchair, using it as acreative tool – a choice I wouldn't have made previously.

This gave me the confidence to do Red Ladder’s director’s workshop last year, which was run by Cheryl Martin, the artistic director. I really enjoyed it and a couple of months ago Cheryl said she was running the course again and asked if I’d like to be her assistant director, so I jumped at the chance. I learned what it’s like to run a rehearsal room as well as all the admin side of things. Cheryl also invited me to direct one of the rehearsed readings at the recent Leeds Theatre Festival, run by the Conservatoire, which was amazing. I got to be part of the audition process which was really insightful both from an acting and directing perspective.

I directed the rehearsed reading of Sameer Ali’s dark comedy Bring Me the Head of Dr Vohra. We had five actors who were a joy to direct, which made my job so much easier. The writer really liked what we did with the characters, and that was important because you want to do the best you can with someone else’s work, and the audience loved it too. It was a brilliant experience and really gave me confidence and made me think ‘I can do this – I’m good at it.’

I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to do something I love, but the fact is people with disabilities are still hugely underrepresented not only in the arts, but many professions. According to statistics from 2023, more than 16 million people in the UK have a disability of some kind, that’s 24% of the total population – or almost one in four of us!

There are so many more disabled people out there than we realise, and I think attitudes are shifting. There’s growing awareness and representation of disabilities which has to be a good thing – and theatre has played a part in this. I love how it can give a voice to people who aren’t normally seen, it’s certainly increased my own awareness of other disabilities.

The beauty of theatre is it can entertain as well as educate, it has the power to start a conversation and shape people’s perceptions. This is something that should be harnessed. We need to show young people, no matter who they are or what their background, that they can have a career in the arts. Which is why it’s so important they get the opportunity to develop their skills and thrive, and places like Red Ladder and Leeds Playhouse are doing exactly that, they’re making theatre more accessible.

Last year, when I did the Red Ladder course there were multiple people with disabilities and for me it was nice to feel like I wasn’t the only one. I didn’t realise how good it would feel to be surrounded by other wheelchair users until I experienced it.

But it’s not only important that opportunities exist in the arts for those with disabilities, we also need to make sure there are viable pathways that young people can follow, so they know they can enjoy a successful and rewarding career in the theatre, whether it’s acting, writing, directing or all three.

At the end of the day it’s about giving people the chance to follow their dreams and the opportunity to do something they’re good at and passionate about. And, perhaps most importantly of all, it’s about giving them a voice.

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Lara Wilson is a disabled Yorkshire-based actor and theatre maker, and a graduate of Leeds Conservatoire’s BA Acting course. In 2023, she performed in Leeds Playhouse’s co-production of Romeo and Juliet as Mercutio and has worked with Red Ladder as an assistant director.

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Header Image: Lara. (Emily Goldie)