Crann is a pioneering Irish charity located in Cork, which provides life-long, life-changing solutions for children, adults and families living with neuro-physical disabilities.

Crann has been running Breaking Barriers since 2018 as a fun, collaborative theatre group that supports children, teenagers and adults with neuro-physical disabilities to develop their confidence and communication skills through drama. Over the past five years almost 120 children, teenagers and adults with neuro-physical disability have had the chance of equal inclusion in the arts through participation in Breaking Barriers.

Here is participant Hannah O’Sullivan’s experience of Youth Theatre in her own words:

“Hello everyone! Today I would like to give you an insight into my experience of the Crann Centre’s Breaking Barriers Theatre Group. In this article my aim is to shine a light on how the weekly creative and fun-filled classes have had a positive impact on my life.

I first joined Breaking Barriers in mid-2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, we had classes twice a week, on a Tuesday and Thursday, and even though the classes had to be held online using the Zoom platform, I was over the moon to be given the opportunity to join the group on a regular basis. I had heard about the Breaking Barriers Theatre Group from fellow friends of whom were involved in the group and always wished I could be a part of the fun, to experience the joy of acting and creative expression but it was too difficult to source the time and commitment, due to living in a rural area and the long distance travelling involved.”

"The more I got involved in the drama classes, the more I felt motivated and optimistic to have fun and just ‘go for it’"

“The more I got involved in the drama classes, the more I felt motivated and optimistic to have fun and just ‘go for it’. Due to Covid restrictions we had to pre-record our Christmas shows for 2020 and 2021 on Zoom to watch back with family. It wasn’t the ideal situation, but let’s face it, the shows were still a massive success and the talent of each person still came across as nothing less than amazing.

In 2022 I was able to attend the drama group a lot more in person but the golden moment for me was my first opportunity to perform in person with the Breaking Barriers adult group on June 22^nd 2022 for our speed dating play. We had another performance recently in the Stack Theatre which was another surreal experience.

I’m so glad I joined Breaking Barriers. It has changed my life.”