Accessible Arts is the peak arts and disability organisation across New South Wales. Accessible Arts promotes full inclusion, access and cultural opportunities in the arts for people with disabilities through advocacy, education and the provision of information.
http://aarts.net.au
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 A practical workshop to impart valuable ‘tools’ and processes to creatively engage with communities. The workshop will be facilitated by Margie Breen, Accessible Arts and the Mixed Abilities Ensemble (PYT) featuring inclusive practice and techniques.
RSVP by 5pm Thursday 25th June
When: Monday 29th June 2009, 1:00 - 4:00pm
Where: Orchestral Room, Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, 597 High Street, Penrith
Who: Artists, community artists, community development workers, social workers, local cultural organisations, carers, students, volunteers.
Cost: FREE
Contact: For further information contact Cali Vandyk-Dunlevy, Cultural Development Officer Local, on tel: (02) 4732 8098 or email cvandyk-dunlevy@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au
Website: Download the Toolkit workshops series flyer from the website. http://www.penrithcity.nsw.gov.au/index.asp?id=5142
Access: Accessible venue and toilets. Accessible parking is available in the Penrith City Council parking adjacent to the centre. More access information here.
 Music and Drama Performance Workshops with Bankstown Youth Development Service and Roselands Sports & Aquatics Club (RSAC). Two exciting performance tutors will be offering a short series of workshops in drama and music, with a performance at the RSAC Presentation Day on 21 June 2009.
Bookings essential. Limited places available. ONLY 2 PLACES LEFT!!
When: Wednesday evenings 5- 6.30pm, 20 May – 17 June.
Where: Roselands Sports & Aquatics Club, Clubrooms, 11 Greenfield Parade Bankstown
Cost: $30 per participant for 6 week series.
Contact: Bookings to Janie on Mob: 0422 725 467
Access: Venue is not wheelchair accessible.
 On Wednesday 29 April, 20 participants took part in the Disability Awareness & the Arts workshop in Bankstown. The workshop was facilitated by Jane Pollard and Claudia Chambers from Accessible Arts, with guest speakers Roger from the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association, Community Voices program; Claudia Chidiac, Artistic Director at Powerhouse Youth Theatre and Jennifer Teo, Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, Accessible Arts Western Sydney.
The workshop aimed to increase awareness and understanding about ‘disability’ in a social context, including barriers to participation (physical, attitudinal and systemic barriers) for people with disabilities. Practical group activities assisted participants to develop useful strategies when working with the disability sector and in developing inclusive and accessible programs and practices, within an arts context.
The workshop was attended by local artists, arts workers, members of local arts & cultural societies, students, disability and community workers interested in arts programs for people with a disability. The workshop also provided a cross-sector networking opportunity for people working in the arts and disability sectors in South West Sydney.
Bankstown City Council acknolwedges the benefits of inclusive and accessible arts and cultural programs. Vandana Ram, Cultural Development Co-ordinator said, “We have a responsibility to create increased opportunities for this to happen, and also to increase interaction between people with disability and the broader community - to make projects more inclusive. The arts allow different ways for people to communicate with each other - through different mediums.”
“The training organised by Council was for local artists and community workers who wish to work with people with disabilities and a way to increase their awareness in this context. Accessible Arts who facilitated the training are the peak body in NSW to provide advice and support for people interested in these issues. Bankstown Council is interested in supporting the development of arts and cultural projects that involve inclusive practice involving people with disability. We have an annual Arts and Cultural Grants program which encourages projects of this nature.”
The workshop was financially supported by Bankstown City Council and offered free of charge to people living and working in the South West Sydney region.
The Q Theatre Company are again conducting the popular Shadow Puppetry workshop series with local puppeteer Stephen Carr.
Book now as places are limited!
When: Friday 1 May - Friday 10 July 2009.
Where: Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, 597 High Street Penrith
Contact: James Fischer, Education and Audience Development Manager, JSPAC tel: (02) 4723 7613
Access: Accessible venue and toilets. Accessible parking is available in the Penrith City Council parking adjacent to the centre. More access information here.
Hard Daze, a Powerhouse Youth Theatre production, opened on 23 April 2009 to a sell out crowd. The production was devised and performed by the Mixed Abilities Ensemble cast which included Georgia Cranko, Janet Diane, William Erimya, Collin Gosper, Ana Nguyen, Andrew Pall, Ramak Razy, Tracie Sammut and Omeima Sukkarieh.
Directed by Craig Anderson, Hard Daze addressed topics of love, betrayal and workplace relations, the stories of young people living & working in Australia today, who face the challenges of finding a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. The production took place in a large warehouse in Clyde which made for a realistic setting. The PYT production team made fantastic use of the space including lighting and set design, and ensured wheelchair accessibility for their cast and audience. Monologues were performed by each of the cast members which really made the production. Congratulations to all the cast and crew, a very enjoyable production.
 
 Accessible Arts, National Disability Services and Sydney Opera House will host an information session relating to implementation of the Companion Card in NSW for Affiliates and potential Affiliates of the program.
The Companion Card was launched in NSW by the Minister for Disability Services, Paul Lynch MP on 28 March 2008. It will enable fair ticketing for people with severe or profound disabilities who require carer support to attend events and venues.
Currently, three quarters of the 240 businesses registered to accept the Companion Card are arts organisations. This information session will inform these affiliates about implementation of the Card. It will also inform arts organisations yet to affiliate with the program, why it makes sense to accept the Companion Card at their events and venues.
Sancha Donald, CEO Accessible Arts commented, “It is pleasing to note that the Arts sector is leading the way in signing up to the scheme and demonstrating their commitment to improving access for people with disability in the community.”
 Jeff Tonge, Affiliate Manager of the Companion Card from National Disability Services will deliver a presentation about the program at the information session and be available to answer questions.
When: 2:00pm, Thursday 28 May 2009
Where: The Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House.
Who: Affiliates and potential Affiliates of the Companion Card from the Arts
Contact: For more information and to book a place at the Information session contact Sancha Donald, Chief Executive Officer tel: 02 9251 6499 ext 8 or sdonald@aarts.net.au.
Access: Accessible toilets and car parking available. For further access details visit www.sydneyoperahouse.com/Visit/Accessibility_Info.aspx
 Open Program workshops at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery A 10 week drama workshop series including skills development in voice, movement, improvisation and character work. Participants must be able to commit to the full ten weeks.
Places are limited, booking essential.
When: Tuesday 5 May - Tuesday 7 July (10 weeks). Time: 10:00am - 12 noon.
Where: Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, 300 George Street, Windsor 2756 (vehicle entry via Christie Street).
Who: Suitable for all abilities.
Contact: To register contact Hawkesbury Regional Gallery on tel: (02) 4560 4440.
Cost: $10/ participant per week. Can pay week by week and a receipt will be issued.
Website: Hawkesbury Regional Gallery www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/community/19280.html
Access: Accessible venue & toilets. There is a ramp from the Christie Street entrance and a lift to the gallery level from the basement carpark, George Street entrance and from the Ground Floor of the Library. Groups involving more than one wheelchair please contact the gallery on 4560 4441 for access via the service lane and lift.
 On 23 April, Powerhouse Youth Theatre premieres Hard Daze with the Mixed Abilities Ensemble.
Hard Daze looks at the exploitation and inequitable conditions faced by young people with and without disabilities in the workplace. It explores mundanity and mechanization, romance and revolution. Against a gritty, industrial, urban design by Kate Shanahan, the mixed-ability ensemble exposes the private underbelly of the modern workplace. Hard Daze is accompanied by ominous sound scapes, designed by Peter Condello, that are punctuated by revolutionary pop track interruptions. Hard Daze takes place in an urban warehouse space in Clyde, Western Sydney.
Hard Daze represents the culmination of six months of work for the mixed abilities ensemble, who began performance training 12 months ago. Director Craig Anderson describes his experience with the show.
“My relationship with the group began last year when I was astounded by the performance training show. My excitement in directing this show is only matched by my disappointment that I can’t be on stage.”
Producer and Powerhouse Youth Theatre Artistic Director Claudia Chidiac has been researching the material for the show over eighteen months.
“Equitable working rights and access to employment is a huge issue for youth, whether they’re living with disabilities or not,” says Chidiac. “Here in Western Sydney, youth unemployment is almost 30%. Against that background, there are an overwhelming number of experiences that have gone unnoticed, and individual experiences of exploitation and hardship are washed over and silenced. Hard Daze is about young people, with and without disabilities, breaking that silence.”
When: Opens 23 April 2009, 7.30pm / 24 April: 11am and 7.30pm / 25 April: 2pm and 7.30pm.
Where: 2 Factory St, Clyde NSW
Cost: Tickets are $10/15, with carers receiving free entry. Bookings through www.moshtix.com.au
Access: Accessible venue & toilets.
Accessible Arts Western Sydney & Powerhouse Youth Theatre (PYT) have partnered up on the Hip Hop Project. The beginnings of this project took place last year with Club Wild which led the group to perform at The Beach Rd Hotel in Bondi. This year most of those hip hoppers have returned, along with a few newbies, to take part in a two day song creation workshop at PYT with Aussie B-boy Morganics. They created an original song called Funky Guitar Style Noises which they performed over the week end at two of Western Sydney’s biggest Youth Week events, The ‘Burbs in Blacktown & Bring It On! in Fairfield.
Keep an eye out for these guys as there will be more to come! For any further information on the hip hop crew contact Alison at arichardson@aarts.net.au or 9251 6499 (ext 5) or Claudia at claudia@pyt.com.au or 9724 6077.
 
 A fabulous end of term workshop performance took place at The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre on 2 April, as part of the Accessible Arts Open Program. The Open Program is a skills development workshop series that will aim to operate out of all major arts centres across Western Sydney. The Open Program currently exists at the Hawkesbury Regional Gallery and the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre in Penrith.
The latest workshop series to take place was in Shadow Puppetry at The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre with local puppeteer Stephen Carr. Stephen and the participants from two services in the region, AFFORD Windsor & NADO (Lawson), spent the first 4 weeks constructing the puppets and the following 4 weeks rehearsing the show, which was based on two fables taken from Pacific Island folklore.
Accessible Arts Creative Program Coordinator, Alison Richardson, attended the performance and said, “It was great to see how everyone could be involved in the performance by either manipulating and/ or being the voice for the puppet. And really great for those that are a little shy as they are behind a screen, so no one need know who they are but they are still involved.”
For more information on the Open Program contact Alison Richardson on email: arichardson@aarts.net.au or tel: (02) 9251 6499 (ext 5).
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