Jack Paterson Theatre

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

Western Gold Theatre presents

Creative Access Research

Active Access Design + for Senior Artists

PAL Studio Theatre
349-581 Cardero St, Vancouver BC

Oct./ Dec. 2024

Creative Facilitators:
Michael Fera, Jane Heyman, Jack Paterson & Ingrid Turk

Creative Research Collaborators:
Peter Anderson, Barb Clayden, Ivy Charles, Itai Erdal, John Inness, Annabel Kershaw, Fraser Read, Harmanie Rose, Vanka Salim, Alvin Sanders, Hannah Siden, & Maki YI

Click image for Tales of the Theatre: Participation for Professionals of All Ages Infographic

It is no secret that older artists can face challenges related to physical and cognitive age-related changes. However, far greater impediments to their successful participation in the arts are the social stigmas of ageism and ableism.

Seniors’ “Active Access Design” refers to the application and integration of inclusivity and access tools spessifcly addressing the barriers Senior artists and audiences face in the creation, production and performance processes, weaving access into every aspect of the very fabric of a work.

Working closely with stakeholders in the community, we ask how we can build practices and techniques to overcome age-related (and other) access barriers in process and performance by examining integrating memory tools and triggers, access tools (such as audio description, captioning), support structures including relational supports, and other best practices in creation.

About Western Gold Theatre

Creativity has no expiry date! ™ Western Gold Theatre is the premier company in the country focused on sharing and celebrating the talents of senior professional theatre artists (age 55+). Western Gold also mentors emerging professional artists as they share the boards with us. We are a vibrant creative gathering place for artists and audiences, young and old. www.westerngoldtheatre.org