Jack Paterson Theatre

“This is the magic of theatre” – Jerry Wasserman, The Province

Towards an inclusive theatre

International
Active Access Design Research Lab.

SignDance Collective International (Uk), Bouche Theatre Collective (Canada), Chezactors (Italy), & Global Hive Labs present

“This project makes it very clear. It is our responsibility to ensure the availability of art to everyone. that it is not just about making shows for certain types of people but all the people. Art must be accessible on every level to everyone.”
– Jonathon Papa Marenghi, Minister of Culture, Comune di Piacenza

“Accessibility as a springboard towards new forms of communication. Accessibility not simply as a practice for otherwise excluded audiences, but as added value. Accessibility as a creative challenge and experimentation with new languages.”
– Antonella Patete, www.redattoresociale.it

Signdance Collective International (UK), BoucheWHACKED! Theatre Collective (Canada), Chezactors (Italy), & Global Hive Labs presente

PALAZZO DEL MONDO

LABORATORIO INCLUSIVITÀ & ACCESSIBILITÀ ININTERNATION
INTERNATIONAL INCLUSIVITY & ACCESSIBITY LABORATORY

Join us in an international conversation and exploration of accessibility in the performing arts

Wednesday, April 13, 2022 | 9 PM
Palazzo Farnese | Cittadella Square, 29 29121 Piacenza, Italy

Cross Sensory translation and live description: In front of a table, dancer Andrea Cownden inprovises movement. On the tablein the forground is a laptop.   On the laptop screen is an open zoom meeting with a view of the Post750 studio and Andrea Cownden, conceptual artist Collin Van Uchelen, and choreographer  Susan Gingrasso providing Collin a live audio description.

Ivani Ca & Golda Dahan (Signdance Collective) in PALAZZO DEL MONDO

Cross Sensory translation and live description: In front of a table, dancer Andrea Cownden inprovises movement. On the tablein the forground is a laptop.   On the laptop screen is an open zoom meeting with a view of the Post750 studio and Andrea Cownden, conceptual artist Collin Van Uchelen, and choreographer  Susan Gingrasso providing Collin a live audio description.

Carolina Migli (ChezActors) & Golda Dahan (Signdance Collective) combine BSL & shadow puppetry

Working closely with stakeholders in the community, our Active Access Design Labs. examine how to integrate Access tools and Cross Sensory Translation directly into the generative process of theatre weaving access into the very fabric of a work.  Almost 2 years later to the day after the Atlantide Project, we are thrilled to return to Italy and Teatro Trieste 34 with an international team from the remarkable Signdance Collective International (UK), and ChezActors (EU) for 2 weeks of Active Access Design research and exploration.

Bouche Theatre Collective Team (Canada):
Joel Grinke (Creative Technologist), Jack Paterson (Devisor, Director, Translator), Anika Vervecken (Sur-title Artist/ Access Co-Ordinator).

ChezActors (Italy):
Ricardo Arias Callejas (Architecture), Fabiola Filace (Dancer), Carolina Migli (Playwright, Performer, Director), Silvia Rastelli (Dancer), Alice Robbi (Dancer), Ranjana Siva (Traditional Dance).

Signdance Collective International (UK, Portugal, & Croatia): Isolte Avila (Coreographer), David Bower (Dancer, Actor), Ivani Ca (Performer), Robert Corcoran (Media), & Golda Dahan (Dancer)

We gratefully acknowledge the support of The Arts Council of England, The Canada Council for the Arts, The City of Piacenza, Teatro Trieste 34, ChezActors & SignDance Collective International.

About Us

SIGNDANCE COLLECTIVE INTERNATIONAL (UK)

“Hypnotic, poetic, and unruly. The Signdance Collective represents the ungovernable energy of art itself, railing and raging against tyrannical forces. Beautiful to behold” – Caridad Svich

Signdance Collective International is a UK & European-based dance theatre company. We are the pioneers of Signdance Theatre. A fusion of sign (language) theatre, dance, and live original music. The Company is led by a collective of Deaf, disabled, and diverse artist/producers. www.signdancecollectiveinternational.com

CHEZACTORS (Italy)

CHEZACTORS is a collective of professional artists working in a fusion of theatre, photography, activism, live music and electronic sessions, fashion, film, figurative, graphic and graffiti arts led by director, divisor, dancer Carolina Migli. With a focus on the now, the company revolutionizes the relationship between community and professional artists through new participation/ creation models.

PIACENZA KULTUR DOM & TEATRO TRIESTE 34 (Italy)

Founded in 1997, Piacenza Kultur Dom is a cultural association, cultural center and theatre that creates, produces, and presents live theater and the live performance arts in all its forms in Piacenza. Under the leadership of Filippo Arcelloni, we are the only independent producing theatre in the Piacenza region. For the last 20 years we have provided a home for independent music, contemporary dance, new works and creation, clown, and visual arts. Our productions are performed throughout Italy.

BOUCHE THEATRE COLLECTIVE (Canada)

Founded in 2012, Bouche has been bringing artists and audiences together separated by language, distance, and culture locally, nationally, and internationally. With a specific focus on the cross pollination between Canadian francophone and anglophone artists and the international community, Bouche reaches out through translation, multi-lingual work, and devised creation. www.bouchewhacked.com

On Active Access & Cross Sensory Translation

 

Active Access Design was born from my work with Global Hive Labs., an international network of artists and companies, co-founded with Denise Yvette Serna (USA), Katie Merrit (UK) and Carolina Migli (EU), working together in devised creation. With collective members across multiple countries, we identified access as a priority.

The 2019/20 Global Hive Labs. international collaborations Medusa USA (Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, Pop Magic Productions) and Medusa UK (London’s The Pleasance Theatre, The Cockpit Theatre, & Fusion Theatre), we focused on incorporating Audio Description and Touch Tours into Dramatic Narrative.

Spring 2020, we teamed up with Teatro Trieste 34 (Piacenza, Italy) and asked ourselves, how could we take this further? On the devised creation project Atlantide, we were able to test the early concept of Active Access Design (AAD) and Cross Sensory Translation. The potential was revealed.

“…a full house for Teatro Trieste 34 …a fusion of epic and contemporary, myth and poetry, in a fascinating total and inclusive theatre…” – Liberta

“…smashing nationality and accessibility borders in a Total theatre merging so many artistic languages in a complete emotional voyage…” – IMA Magazine

Atlantide (Italie’s Teatro Trieste 34 with Chez Art, Global Hive Labs. and Bouche Theatre Collective): 3 people in white are silueted against a background video of melting ice.

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