Aviva Community Fund has provided £329 of match funding
Creating Diverse & Accessible Theatre
London, England, United Kingdom
Aim
To enable greater access to theatre across UK for people with disabilities, particularly D/deaf people, by using creative closed captions
Icarus creates theatre for everyone and is dedicated to ensuring equal access to all. We are a midscale theatre company touring to venues around the UK, many of which in very deprived areas where access to the theatre is a huge challenge. We are committed to expanding theatrical boundaries, exploring English culture, & relating to modern audiences. Our 17-year track record includes 22 productions at 200+ venues.
We are leaders in artistic & technological innovation, creating a revolutionary AV system for AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS (ACE-funded, 2016) & are experienced in using technology creatively to improve access, we are currently developing a novel virtual reality (VR) platform in partnership with technical developers Blue Tea & Integrated Technology Solutions Limited & theatre venues (The Union, Old Red Lion & The Elgiva). This VR platform will enable those who cannot attend in person performances due to physical disability or social factors to access high quality live performance as well as helping to rebuild the theatre industry in the wake of Covid-19. Funding from London Business Hub has already been secured to develop a Minimum Viable Product.
Money recieved from the Aviva Community Fund will support deaf & hard of hearing audiences to access theatre via a brand new creative captioning technology which uses projection integrated into the set and lighting design rather than through surtitle machines - ensuring all performances are accessible and that the captioning enhances the creative story of the piece as well as just widening access.
Working with deaf video designer Ben Glover as a lead artist on the project, this application is to support 3 weeks of R+D, followed by our national tour of THE LESSON scheduled for Autumn 2021-Spring 2022 as well as future Icarus productions.
As a Deaf video designer, our lead creative (Ben Glover) has seen the past year expose areas for improvement in accessibility. This project will allow him to explore how tools for accessibility purposes can enhance performances in a creative manner both on stage & through digital live-streams, & also include them in an integrated way on all performances rather than the single-show-per year that most major productions provide BSL interpretation or standard captioning.
He will utilise captions creatively while being integrated as part of the performance without taking away from the subject matter. Using a projector to display captions across multiple surfaces, captions can be more than just a functional aspect of a performance. For this particular production, the lead actors write on the walls in chalk across the entire set. Therefore, through this R&D we can match the font to their handwriting & use smart technology that allows the actor to rub out the captions like they rub out the chalk text. We want to use the captioning to not just convey the textual meaning of the play but to evoke the emotion & artistic choices behind the tone of delivery, providing a far richer experience for D/deaf audiences. These choices will also enhance the quality of the production for hearing audiences whilst simultaneously creating a world that is equally moving & accessible to D/deaf audiences.
Ben’s work can be integrated as part the drama & visual effect being presented creatively in a way never seen before on UK stages.
No longer will D/deaf audiences be limited to one or two captioned performance per year (as per West End), every show will now be accessible for them.
As well as Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people StageText also list that captioning will also be of benefit to the following groups:
- Anyone who has difficulty following strong accents
- Students who are studying the text of a play
- People whose first language is not English
This project successfully funded on 23rd March 2021