Accessible Arts / arts + disability NSW

Riverside has more than a ten-year history of running workshops for people with disability. With the support of Arts NSW, that history turned a corner in 2011, with the appointment of Creative Director Alison Richardson alongside part time assistant and actor Gerard O’Dwyer, known to many people as the Best Male Actor at Tropfest short film festival 2009.

Drama, movement, video work, film making and the mainstage theatre production Invisibility was presented during the year, and the whole program was renamed Beyond the Square : creativity for people with disability. Community support for the project raised over $40,000 and professional artists engaged with and supported the project in a range of ways.

Creative Director, Alison Richardson said,

“2011 was a great year for inclusive arts at Riverside. Alongside our accessible performance programs, employment opportunities and well-supported fundraising project, the exhibition Artworks on paper by Digby Webster, provided an opportunity for a visual artist with a disability to show and sell his work to a new audience out here in Parramatta.”

A range of opportunities are available to foster skills development through the performing arts and provide artistic experiences for all members of the community this year at Beyond the Square.

Visit the website or contact Alison Richardson on 8839 3359 or beyond_riverside@parracity.nsw.gov.au for more info.