William Shakespeare wrote, in one of his most popular monologues “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. "

Inclusion is imperative for the quality of life of people – nevertheless, they have or do have not a disability condition – and it is strongly related to their opportunities to participate in society (Nijkamp & Cardol, 2020). The UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD; United Nations, 2006) can be seen as a cornerstone for implementing the indisputable principle of inclusion in all areas of society. In particular, Article 30.º committed the States Parties to adopt appropriate measures to enable persons with disabilities to have the opportunity to develop and utilize their creative, artistic and intellectual potential, not only for their own benefit but also for the enrichment of society. However, it is known that this right is not universally guaranteed (Hall, 2010), although inclusive cultural policies try to counteract this reality through formal statements on the right to artistic creation as a way to correct the asymmetries in access to enjoyment and cultural participation (Hall, 2005; Vlachou, 2020).

Thus, as a result of inclusive cultural policies, implemented by cultural institutions, significant activities in the community promoted by social service institutions, others by pure self-determination of individuals with disabilities/incapacity, or even in various forms of partnership, this problem has become more evident (Vlachou, 2020). This places the artistic milieu and culture professionals in general in a position where they need to respond to a population with functional diversity, often not being prepared to do so (Baltà & Floch, 2021). Based on international research in 42 countries, the Time to Act report demonstrates that cultural professionals in the performing arts lack the knowledge and experience to support equal access to the cultural sector for disabled artists, practitioners and audiences (Baltà & Floch, 2021). Perhaps this explains, in part, why art that has people with disabilities as protagonists, still does not have the due recognition, with the expectation about the artistic potential of this population being far below reality (Gjaerum & Rasmussen, 2010).

Art is a powerful tool for social transformation, as the sharing provided by the presentation of any form of art has the potential to trigger a change in each individual who absorbs the content of the work and also to intervene in the collective mentality, essential to the creation of an inclusive society predisposed to listen to functional diversity through its representatives in the world of art (Allan, 2014).

This study is part of an inclusive theatre project, which organizes several public events, integrating the cultural program of the city. In particular, this study aimed at understanding the multiple dimensions of the impact of this specific artistic project by describing the experience of the audience, the main actors – people with intellectual disability and the professionals who are involved in this event.

We will present the results of an exploratory study, based on the analysis of an event in which a group of 15 adult artists with moderate and severe intellectual disability and 4 actors without disabilities presented an interpretation of the Essay About Blindness and Essay on Lucidity by José Saramago, in a municipal auditorium, publicized in the local cultural agenda. Data was collected after the event through interviews developed to understand – from the perspective of the audience, actors and professionals – their expectations about the event; motivation to attend/participate/organize the event; the value of the event; willingness to repeat the experience. Participants included 42 members of the audience; 10 actors with intellectual disability and 4 actors without disabilities. Interviews occurred a few days after the event, after the first contact during the event. Interviews took an average of 15 minutes, and the discourse was transcribed for subsequent thematic analysis. In the case of actors with intellectual disabilities, interviews were carried out using photos of the event to elicit the expression of their emotions.

Results revealed that most people who attended the event were family members or friends of actors. This indicates that their closest community witnesses public evidence of their artistic value and human potential, which can promote an increase in the expectations placed on them by people close to their daily lives, who praise them, which contributes to their self-esteem and self-image. In turn, it indicates that knowledge of the artistic value of people with disabilities works could be better disseminated in society, the inclusive message cannot be limited to his closest community, it implies an integrated approach in all sectors of society. Through the responses given by the public, it can be seen that these moments promote reflection on human rights and that they bring to mind slogans such as “All different, all equal” The artists unanimously expressed the same desire to continue the inclusive theatre project. When viewing the video of the audience standing up to applaud the work they had just presented, they all related the moment to feelings of happiness, personal fulfilment and public recognition. Some, even acknowledging its importance, confessed that they did not like certain parts of the process, certain exercises of a more formative nature did not trigger much interest, memorizing the texts was difficult, there was a constant latent nervousness, it was tiring, etc. All the professionals consider this a propitious moment to disseminate an inclusive message, recognizing here as a privileged place to reach the community. They also consider the various therapeutic effects that the activity provides fruitful, the fact that they have to overcome a series of challenges, it works as a source of motivation to work on some aspects related to mobility, communication, socialization, execution of tasks, among other learning that can have an impact on your quality of life

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