International Day for Persons with Disability at The Lyric Theatre
December 3rd 2026
Rogue Encounters, in association with Brain Injury Matters
Presents
Life Turned Upside Down
Stories of living with acquired brain injury
Performed by The Unusual Suspects
An Extraordinary Theatre Ensemble
The Unusual Suspects is a physical theatre ensemble that has been four years in the making; four years of theatre training and intimate sharing of life experiences, that have resulted in successful productions over the past 3 years, receiving widespread acclaim at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast.
This is an ensemble of storytellers that can stop you in your tracks with vivid depictions of lives that have encompassed more extremes of experience than most of us can even imagine. As well as members of the public, this new work seeks the of medical professionals and policy makers to provoke discussion about after-care following an acquired brain injury.
Life Upside Down will premiere at The Lyric Theatre, Belfast, on 3rd December to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The show will be followed immediately by a Q&A with the BIM cast.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) was established by the United Nations as an annual observance aiming to promote the rights, well-being, and inclusion of disabled people across all aspects of political, social, economic, and cultural life.
Belfast Stories
Early 2026 at the Lyric Theatre
An intergenerational project that brings to the stage stories of lives lived in Belfast by families and carers of young people from Rogue Encounters core projects, Physical Graffiti and All Doors Open, together with members of the Brain Injury Matters project.
Rogue Encounters will present a unique format of telling stories that combines digital screen footage with live performance. Working with local film maker, Michael McNulty, the Rogue Encounters team will assemble stories that tell of generational change in the lives of Belfast families and what still connects them to the city, with special reference to the annual showcase at the Lyric Theatre.
Marvellous Humans at The Lyric Theatre
The Lyric Creative Learning Department is supporting Rogue Encounters Artistic Director, David Calvert, to introduce physical theatre skills at Glengormley Integrated College, with a view to forming a core ensemble of students that will proceed in the New Year to devise a new work for performance in the Rogue Encounters annual residency at the Lyric Theatre.
Suicide Awareness and Support Group (SASG)
Following a successful 6-month pilot project, Rogue Encounters Artistic Director, David Calvert, will again be joined by multi-disciplinary artist, Soso Ni Cheallaigh, to deliver a script writing project with SASG members. The script, devised with 6 woman who have suffered the trauma of losing family members to suicide, will feature in a one-woman performance as part of the Rogue Encounters annual Lyric showcase in April next year.
LORAG Junior Dance
Rogue Encounters Outreach Manager, Jade Quinn, will deliver a taster module for junior dancers at LORAG (Lower Ormeau Residents’ Action Group), before the end of 2026, with a view to creating an ensemble to perform in the Marvellous Humans Exhibition at the Lyric in April 2027.
Brain Injury Matters (BIM)
The Rogue Encounters/ Brain Injury Matters partnership is breaking new ground with an exploratory programme to develop an arts project for young people with acquired brain injury. By the end of 2026, the partnership will produce a promotional video involving families who are part of the BIM family network. The forthcoming BIM Strategic Plan will include coverage of Rogue Encounters planned delivery of youth focussed theatre projects inspired by the success of The Unusual Suspects adult BIM ensemble that has emerged over the past 4 years.