Rehearsing inclusion: Relaxed performances as models of inclusive society – Ethnographic insights from Scotland and Estonia

This article examines relaxed performances as transnational sites where theatre actively rehearses alternative social relations. Drawing on ethnographic research with Barrowland Ballet’s Poggle and Me in Scotland and the Estonian National Opera’s Tajuleebe tantsulugu , it explores how accessibility designed from the outset reshapes spatial arrangements and modes of participation. Rather than treating relaxed performance as a compensatory or niche practice, the article argues that such work can function as a model of how inclusion can be practised and negotiated in specific cultural contexts. By attending to interactions among performers, neurodivergent audiences, carers and front-of-house staff, the analysis foregrounds embodied negotiations of consent, agency and belonging. In doing so, the article contributes to theatre debates on access, cultural rights and the ethics of participation across diverse social landscapes.