A partnership between Accessible Arts and Critical Stages, to support the NSW tour of UK modern classic A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, is educating performing arts venues about access and disability awareness.
A mentorship involving eight performers from the Ever After Theatre Company, working under the guidance of Back to Back Theatre will take place in April in partnership with the Australia Council for the Arts and Accessible Arts at Sydney Theatre Company.News
Back to Back mentorship program
Ever After Theatre Company spent a week at Sydney Theatre Company in April, undertaking intensive workshops as part of a mentorship presented by Back to Back Theatre from Geelong in Victoria and supported by Australia Council for the Arts and Accessible Arts.
The mentorship program was designed to inspire the creative and strategic development of Ever After Theatre Company led by the expertise of Back to Back Theatre.
Back to Back Theatre artistic director Bruce Gladwin, artistic associate Marcia Ferguson, and ensemble members Nikki Holland and Brian Tilley, presented and facilitated a range of creative processes informed by their work as a leading contemporary theatre company with a distinctive artistic voice.
“The mentorship also provided an opportunity for an exchange between Back to Back Theatre and Ever After Theatre Company.” Bruce Gladwin said. “It’s valuable to have the opportunity to work together with other contemporary theatre practitioners in arts and disability.”
Undertaken as a group process or by individuals participants, the framework offered for artistic and skills development engaged eight performers from Ever After Theatre Company, together with Susan Johnston, manager/producer and Caroline Downs, director. An open workshop during the week also engaged a number of performers from the community.
“What became apparent is that the fun and brilliance surfaced when the rules were broken or the exercise was interpreted in different ways,” said Alison Richardson, Creative Programs Coordinator, Accessible Arts Western Sydney, who also attended the workshops.
“An environment was shaped in the space that allowed everyone to be involved in the process of creating. Workshop participants voted for the scenes they wanted to have in the showing of work that was presented at the end of the weeklong mentorship.”
In its 22-year history, Back to Back Theatre has forged its own unique relationship to theatre, and has a working process that supports its ensemble of actors with intellectual disabilities as its creative core.
Ever After Theatre Company is a project of Rozelle Neighbourhood Centre, based in the Inner West of Sydney. Rozelle Neighbourhood Centre has been creating high quality arts programs with people with disability for over 15 years. Ever After Theatre have been in operation for more than 8 years and will shortly commence development for a new devised work.