Major national award for Galway theatre company

Galway’s Blue Teapot Theatre Company has won a major award for its outstanding achievement in adult education from AONTAS, the national voluntary group which promotes adult learning.

Blue Teapot won the AONTAS Star award in the Connacht category for its outstanding work in providing high-quality education and training opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.

Blue Teapot was founded in 1996 and its aim is to create a positive change towards people with intellectual disabilities by promoting their contribution to Ireland’s cultural and creative life. 

The company has developed three education programmes to do this – the Blue Teapot Theatre Company, the Performing Arts School and Bright Soul. 

Blue Theatre includes professional actors with an intellectual disability; the Performing Arts School delivers accredited training in the performing arts; and Bright Soul is an outreach programme which encourages people with an intellectual disability to participate in the performing arts.  Blue Teapot works with Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board in the delivery of FETAC accredited training for learners to Levels 2 and 3.

The company has helped to increase awareness of issues facing people with intellectual disabilities through its staging of the play ‘Sanctuary’ last year. That play, by Christian O’Reilly, focused on the theme of love and intellectual disability.  Members of the group also featured in the recent documentary Somebody to Love, which was broadcast on RTÉ last week.

Paul O’Toole, CEO of the new Further Education and Training Authority, SOLAS presented the winners with their awards at a ceremony yesterday, Monday, in Dublin.  The event was attended by over 200 people.

“The range of projects submitted for the awards this year once again highlights that learning isn’t just in the classroom,” said Mr O’Toole, as he congratulated the winners. “Both the providers and learners have shown that tailored, high-quality learning can occur in many different formats across many different facets of life.”

Berni Brady of the adult education group, AONTAS explained that this was the eight year the group had organised the awards.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.