Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON – Theatre Passe Muraille (TPM) today announced a new Accessibility Campaign that will launch in the upcoming 2016 season thanks to the generous support of TD Bank Group who is TPM’s 2015-16 Season Accessibility Sponsor. This campaign supports and expands Theatre Passe Muraille’s mission to produce Canadian theatre that consistently pushes beyond barriers – both in content and in practice.
In addition to TD’s generous support as TPM’s 2015-16 Accessibility sponsor, TD has signed on as Production Sponsor for the 2016 premiere of Ultrasound, a Cahoots Theatre and Theatre Passe Muraille Co-production. A dramatic debut from award-winning Saskatoon writer, Adam Pottle, Ultrasound is a story about Deaf culture, identity and family that will run in the Mainspace from April 28 to May 15, 2016. It will be performed in English and ASL (American Sign Language) with surtitles.
“The use of ASL by one of the performers in Ultrasound was the springboard for us to reflect on the barriers to theatre that exist for some of our audience,” said Andy McKim, TPM’s Artistic Director. “We were inspired by the multi-layered elements of communicating in this production. This led us to explore other ways that we could help remove some of the barriers for our audience for more of our current season and for seasons to come. Because it will take extra resources to do this, we turned to TD Bank to join us in providing a range of barrier-lessening initiatives.”
For the TD Accessibility Campaign, TPM announced the addition of several ASL interpreted performances, for both of their Mainspace productions - ELLE and Ultrasound.
Other dimensions of this Accessibility Campaign focus on their website and theatre spaces. On their website, TPM will provide some ASL interpreted videos and have installed the Browsealoud technology that will make their online information more inviting to all. In their theatre spaces, they have added assistive hearing devices that will make all in-house performances accessible for hard of hearing audiences.
TPM has also announced the introduction of Relaxed Performances. Immediately, TPM will begin to provide Relaxed Performances for ELLE, Caught and Ultrasound in the 2016 season and for the seasons to follow. Relaxed Performances are designed to welcome audience members who will benefit from a more relaxed performance environment, including people with an Autism Spectrum Condition, sensory and communication disorder, or a learning disability. On their website, TPM will provide a “Visual Story” about attending the theatre – a detailed step-by-step guide to TPM’s theatre experience and location, that describes in words and photos what to expect when coming to Theatre Passe Muraille.
“Relaxed Performances are for those among us who want to feel more at ease when sharing our theatre space. There is a relaxed attitude to audience noise and movement. We want to provide more opportunities for our audience to feel welcome to get up in the middle of the play, to be themselves; especially if they have health conditions that might lead to noisiness or restlessness during the show,” explained TPM General Manager, Régine Cadet.
With the support of TD, TPM is now equipped with a range of assistive technologies. To begin, TPM has integrated Browsealoud, an innovative support software which provides a toolbar throughout their website that helps to reduce barriers and make the content more accessible for people with differing abilities, currently including, but not limited to, Dyslexia, Low Literacy, English as a Second Language, and those with mild visual impairments. The toolbar allows for the information presented on the website to be accessed through speech software, reading and translation, facilitating access and participation for a wider range of needs. Starting January 2016, TPM will also have eleven new assistive hearing device units – specifically RF receivers – nine steto and two neck loop varieties of headsets (available for the audience at their box office) that will work in conjunction with any and all shows in their two venues.
"We're delighted to support Theatre Passe Muraille as their Accessibility Sponsor, supporting their ongoing vision of making contemporary theatre available to more and more audiences," said Alan Convery, Director Community Relations, TD Bank Group. "We look forward to the high quality stage performances that Theatre Passe Muraille has a long history of mounting with the new added value of reducing audience experiential barriers."
Today, Theatre Passe Muraille re-iterated their commitment to excellence in serving all customers and they will be working over the next few years to explore more ways in which they can make their productions more accessible. This new Accessibility Campaign builds upon their current Accessibility Plan, where TPM welcomes all support persons with a free ticket to any of their regular season shows, provides reserved seating for patrons who request it for access (eg for mobility, use of RF receivers, ASL interpreting), and facilitates the use of service animals in the theatre. They also are working on their long-term plans for updating the building, in particular upgrading the main doors and accessibility ramp to the current building code. To read more about TPM’s Accessibility Plan, visit passemuraille.ca/archives/about-contact/accessibility/.
Theatre Passe Muraille is a leader amongst Canadian Theatres in consistently working to further break down barriers to the accessibility of theatre and expanding interpretation of what theatre can be. Their Accessibility Campaign will support these values to help make their work more available to a broader audience and artistic community, by pioneering these vital steps in theatre accessibility for Canada.
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Photo: Theatre Passe Muraille. ©2007 gbalogh.
2015-12-15
Toronto: Theatre Passe Muraille launches accessibility campaign