IT started in a Girlington attic as a small, cutting-edge theatre group. Three decades later Mind the Gap is one of Europe’s leading theatre companies for learning disabled actors, internationally renowned for the work it creates and tours.

The company - which celebrates its 30th anniversary today - delivers a bold programme of theatre and has an academy offering courses in acting, dance, music and multi-art forms for varying levels, from beginners to professional. The academy is currently full, and satellite branches are being considered. Several artists have landed TV and film roles, including Liam Bairstow, who plays Alex Warner in Coronation Street.

Globally renowned as a leading light in disability arts, the company works with theatre companies worldwide. A party of Korean visitors is to visit its Manningham premises. This month Mind the Gap heads to the Great Exhibition of the North with a programme that includes Mia, a play based on real-life accounts of learning disabled parents, which toured the UK, and a workshop exploring the complex subject of disability and parenthood, led by learning-disabled performers. A 12-month celebration of Mind the Gap’s artists includes a large-scale outdoor show based on Mia at the Imperial War Museum in London and Piece Hall, Halifax in spring, 2019.

For the past 10 years Mind the Gap has been at Lister Mill’s Silk Warehouse; offering access, in all senses, for artists. The venue, which includes a 122-seat theatre, rehearsal space and a dance studio, brought all facilities under one roof. In previous years it was at the former Queens Road police station in Manningham, with rehearsal space in other venues.

“This facility is exceptional,” says senior producer Lisa Mallaghan. “The day we opened this building was when I started. I’ve seen the impact it has had. We’re a theatre company first and foremost and there are similar company across Europe - but in terms of digital technology, multi-artform use, the scale of people we reach and the work we do, there’s nothing else like us.”

The company delivers taster sessions in schools. “Skills development in the arts is extremely limited for learning disabled students in schools,” says Lisa. “We show they can have a career in performance and music-making.”

Mind the Gap also works with other arts organisations and venues, including West Yorkshire Playhouse and Halifax’s Square Chapel Arts Centre, and is exploring opportunities in ‘mainstream’ theatre.

This week is Learning Disability Awareness Week. Last month two people with disabilities were winner and runner-up on Britain’s Got Talent. When it comes to equal arts sector opportunities, attitudes are changing. But, says executive director Julia Skelton, there’s no room for complacency: “We’re seeing more recognition of the contribution of learning disabled artists. But it’s a difficult financial climate; public sector cuts impact on arts provision, and the wider impact of austerity affects choices of learning disabled people. We work hard on short-term projects and long-term ambitions. We’re committed to growing homegrown talent and developing national and international partnerships. We never sit still.”

Actor and musician Jez Colborne has created acclaimed productions; performing in Brazil, Canada and China. He leads the Mind the Gap band, soon to release its debut EP, and is working on an end-of-year showcase, Survival Kit, on at the Alhambra Studio on July 19. In 2012 Jez was commissioned to compose a production for the London Paralympics. Irresistible - Call Of The Sirens, fusing blues, country, hip-hop, theatre and film, was performed in London and Ilkley’s Cow and Calf rocks. “I cry with joy when I think of it,” says Jez. “It toured for four years. The facilities here have made a big difference to me. I’ve grown in confidence and self-discipline. We work with other organisations - make friends, share skills, and use what we’ve learned.” Other highlights for Jez include winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Disabled People in 2004, and devising On the Verge, a one-man-show inspired by his Route 66 motorcycle trip, which he took to Beijing.

Zara Mallinson has been in productions including Mirror Mirror. “I’ve been here 15 years, my confidence has grown,” she says. “ I didn’t know I had rhythm talent; it was spotted here, now I drum in our band. This is a great place to develop. We’re working on exciting projects.”