Jack Paterson Theatre

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

Towards an inclusive theatre

Intergenerational
Directors & Designers Lab.

The Creatus Project (Vancouver, Canada)
In association with CSARN, PAL Vancouver, PHT Creative HUB,
& Western Gold Theatre

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.

Emrging Artists Karen Chiang & Joell Wyminga joining digitaly (Vancouver, 2023)

“The Creatus Project has changed my life!”
– Andrea Rabinovitch, theatre & dance maker

June, 2023
PAL Studio Theatre
(Vancouver, Canada)

With an intergenerational team of Vancouver artists, this labratory examined the role of Directors and Designers in access for elder artists and audiences and pathways to intergrate access into the rehearsal process and production.

Creative Research Team: Karen Chiang, Murray Price, Kathryn Shaw, Tanja Dixon Warren, & Joelle Wyminga. | Conceived of by Dr. Julia Henderson and Jack Paterson

We gratefully acknowledge the support of Canada Council for the Arts.

Gallery

On Active Access & Cross Sensory Translation

 

“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.” – Redattore Sociale (Piacenza, Italy 2022)

Active Access Design was born from work with Global Hive Labs., an international network of artists and companies, co-founded by Jack Paterson and Denise Yvette Serna, working together in devised creation.  With collective members across multiple countries, we identified access as a priority.

The 2019/20 International collaborations Medusa USA (Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre) and Medusa UK (London’s The Pleasance Theatre & The Cockpit), we focused on incorporating Audio Description and Touch Tours into Dramatic Narrative.

Feb. 2020, in collaboration with Global Hive Labs. (Int.) and Teatro Trieste 34 (Piacenza, Italy), we 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).  The potential was revealed.

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

“…smashing nationality and accesibility borders in a Total theatre that merges so many artistic languages in a full 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.

Special Thank you to Our Supporters