Papertrail Theatre announces new co-leadership model

Papertrail Theatre has unveiled a new co-leadership model with JONNY COTSEN appointed as co-creative director to work alongside founding artistic director and co-creative director BRIDGET KEEHAN.

The company said that the new model, as well as a future expansion of the number of roles at the company, was possible thanks to Arts Council Wales’ Creative Steps funding programme.

A qualified art teacher, Cotsen left his teaching career to develop as a performance artist and creative consultant for inclusion in the arts. He has written and directed for theatre and screen, as well as being the author of a children’s book.

Cotsen is an Agent for Change with Craidd and a trustee with Theatre Iolo.

“As someone who is Deaf, and has faced barriers, especially in the arts, I feel this is an exciting time to develop creative access in the arts,” said Cotsen.

“We want to reach out to other artists who have experienced barriers, such as Deaf, Disabled, Neurodivergent artists who have this incredible voice but haven’t had the chance to use it.

“We want to be at the forefront of developing creative access and for access to be integrated to the degree that it’s almost invisible and done in a beautiful way. We want to inspire other organisations and artists to be excited about the aesthetics of access.”

Keehan added: “I originally set up Papertrail to stage unheard stories and to work alongside marginalised individuals and communities in the creation of new scripts.

“Jonny joined Papertrail as associate artist in 2021, and we began creating a new show together.

“Over the last year, we’ve been working hard on a joint artistic plan, and thanks to the support of Arts Council Wales, we can now begin the exciting process of offering new opportunities to artists in Wales, particularly those who have experienced barriers due to factors such as class background, ethnicity, disability and/or economic hardship.”