Download Extant Spring 2005 Newsletter

EXTANT QUARTERLY UP-DATE – spring 05.
Extant is the first performing arts organisation in the UK run for and by
visually impaired people.
It is our intention to provide an extant update every quarter to
keep those on our contact list informed about our developing activities.
We will also have this up date available to read on our web site, for anyone
who isn't on our contact list.
Contents;
* Hello *reviews, *Coming up.
*Hello!
Bumper issue this season folks, now the grease paint has finally been put away, and
the curtain has temproarily fallen on our first production and it’s national tour. It’s
time to kick back with a G and T, get some R and R, and share with you some of our
reflections on the recent past, and highlight plans for the near future. We'd like to
thank those of you who came to see Resistance. Particular thanks also for the 200
plus, completed evaluation forms. We've had a lot of good feedback. To those of you
who didn't manage to experience the show this time, don't despair, there maybe
another opportunity soon, read on.
*Reviews.
1. Resistance. 2. RADA . 3. Visually Impaired Working Group. 4. Charity
registration.
1. Extant’s production of ‘Resistance’ written by Maria Oshodi, played 29
performances at 19 venues across the country this spring. We have received
an incredible overwhelming response from the visually impaired and sighted
audience to the content, access and high quality touch tours of the set that we
provided before each show. Scores of evaluation forms from our audience
have re-enforced the importance and relevance of our work.
In Resistance a cast of six visually impaired actors explored the extraordinary
true story of Jacques Lusseyran, a blind, teenage leader within the resistance
movement of occupied Paris. The drama used an abstract set designed by
Andrea Carr and used different theatrical genres, including story-telling,
physical theatre and dance, challenging areas for the visually impaired
performers to work in.
The production also built in live access of the visual elements of the play, for
visually impaired audiences, creatively interwoven into the production through
live description and sound created by partially sighted composer Adrian Lee.
During the 8-week rehearsal process we consulted with a group of visually
impaired people external to the creative process and in this show attempted to
create an accessible piece of theatre for visually impaired audiences so that
they did not have to wear headsets.
This was a challenging, ambitious and completely unique project that took the
whole production team on a rigorous personal and professional journey of
huge discovery, that was both painful and inspirational at times. We went
from Peter Brook visiting us during one of our rehearsals in january,great
reviews in the Guardian and audience members so moved that they came
out of the theatre crying, to arriving at venues to find the set not fitting on
the stage, actors tantrums and tears from our production staff… but I guess
that’s theatre!
Here are some quotes from some of our evaluation forms:
“I was extremely moved and almost in tears at a few points - mainly because
of the power of the story itself, but also because of the juxtaposition created
between this true story, the experience of the actors and my own perceptions
and experience of living with a visual impairment - the liberation portrayed
was not simply limited to a particular period in history but of crucial relevance
to all those of us who believe that visual impairment is about living
rather than coping.” Mike Holroyd
“i loved resistance, it was amazing, it has me trawling the internet to get more
information on Jacques Lusseyran and his books.”
alison knotts
“There were times when I couldn't follow the story. (I only got to read the
programme later, when I realised that it was a deliberate choice.) I thought
I was being slow and stupid in my need for something more linear. I can
usually keep up with things. I was worrying about what I might be missing.
Then
a strange thing happened. Just as I stopped worrying baout actors bashing
into things, I also stopped worrying about getting hold of information.
Somehow,
then, i was able to let the play happen. I relaxed. And then i began to
experience the thing in a more impressionistic way, perhaps like a collage. I
stopped
trying to control the experience I was happening. This was odd, because this
shift was followed by the (very beautiful)section in which the older Jacques
describes the loss of sight and what he gained as a result. It somehow felt like
a rather similar process, a sort of letting go, and a having to find some
humility in the face of things.” Emma Spurgin Hussey
As part of the tour we also ran a series of drama and writing workshops in
Worcester Red Hill, Loughborough, Birmingham Truro and Wellingborough.
These
were delivered to a range of groups, including, young people, visually
impaired people, learning disabled people and drama and dance students.
Each workshop was carefully tailored for the specific group and we received
an excellent reception to the workshops as a result.
2. Eileen Dillon, the director of Resistance, and Maria, led a full day practical
workshop in mid may for 20 current Rada students and graduates from the
drama school, who attended the workshop because of their interest in
inclusive work practise. The day involved an introduction to some of the
work methods that Extant has built up, which access visually impaired actors
to physical theatre in an accessible way. The day was a great success and
was attended by RADA’s first visually impaired student, who had come to see
resistance at Riverside with a group from the school. There are plans for
Extant to work more closely with RADA on workshops, training and possibly
productions in the future.
3. Through the Arts Council London regional office’s visually impaired
working group, a grant has been awarded to Extant to manage 3 seminars on
web site accessibility. The seminars will initially be for Arts Council revenue
funded organisations, but hopes are to scope this out if successful. Extant
has contracted in JBC London and Apart Consultancy to deliver content, coordinate and evaluate the first three seminars, due to take place in
October/November of this year.
4. Extant became a Company limited by guarantee in 2004 to give it an official
status. We are pleased to announce that it is now also a Charity. This dual status will
assist it to develop its work and to be in a better position to obtain funding for its
work. It is hoped to develop a long-term strategy to give Extant a higher profile and
scope to develop its sphere of influence and ability to assist those it represents.
Maria and Damien now have dual roles as Directors of the Company and Trustees of
the Charity and June Bretherton is the Secretary. Plans are afoot to increase the
number of Board members as other expertise becomes needed.
1. Resistance re-tour. 2.Tour of Weights . 3. Letter from Lynn 4. Sports shorts drama
writing competition. 5. Dance course for visually impaired adults. 6. Scope research
article.7. Holiday information. 8. Website.
1. Extant has been invited to present the production of Resistance in France,
Croatia and other venues in england later this year, and we intend to
capitalise on the themes of the play during this 60th anaversary year of the
end of the 2WW. We are at present working towards raising funds to mount
a re-tour of Resistance this autumn. This will give us the chance to bring in
changes to the production which we became increasingly aware were needed
but were reluctant to introduce
in an already extremely challenging
process for everyone in the company.
2. Our national tour of the Los Angeles based Lynn Manning in his production of
Weights has been confirmed and will be taking place from 19 November to 10
december 2005. We will be touring the powerful blind African American
writer/performer to Croydon, Brighton, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and
London. More details in our next newsletter and on our web site nearer the time. We
are also proud to announce that Gary Burgman a talented blind actor and musician
from the New York Company theatre By the Blind, will be joining Lynn as part of
the production of Weights.
3. To the Editor of The New York Times:
From:
Lynn Manning
Los Angeles –May 2005.
Someone forwarded to me the NY Times’ May 8 article about the current production
of Maeterlinck's The Blind. Both as a blind man, and a blind actor on stage and
screen, I must respond.
Back in 1995, I belonged to The Wilton Project theater ensemble, here in Hollywood.
One of the producing directors was enamored of Maeterlinck's The Blind. He thought
it would be a very cool thing for me, the only blind actor in the company, to portray
the most active of the play's all blind characters. After reading the play, I passed and
even protested the company doing the piece. In consideration of mounting a
production, Wilton Project held a staged reading followed by an open discussion with
the audience. Everyone agreed with the producer that this depiction of nearly a dozen
blind people stranded in the woods after the death of their caretaker (unbeknownst to
them) was a powerful metaphor for the rudderless, directionless, state of human
societies after the collapse of the "old world order." I, the only blind person at the
reading, was the only one that thought the play was highly offensive to blind people
and perpetuated long entrenched stereotypes of blind helplessness, mental deficiency,
lack of self motivation, and ultimate inability to even come in out of the cold without
sighted assistance. Of course, many of the actors and audience members thought that
I was being "way too sensitive." When I suggested they replace the blind characters
with a collection of fair-haired women and call it "The Blondes," attitudes shifted
dramatically. Suddenly, the metaphor wasn't so benign. Wilton Project decided not to
produce the play.
Too late for this production and, since the writer doesn't take on the merits of the
original play or this adaptation, what's truly troubling to this blind actor, is the article's
emphasis on the incredible bravery of the sighted cast to attempt performing this play,
blind! The actors walked a few blocks, blindfolded; shed tears of empathy when
wearing opaque contact lenses for the first time; and amazed audiences with the fact
that they truly couldn't see while performing on stage. What amazes me is that any of
this is considered exceptional at all. Exceptional would be blind and visually
impaired actors taking on sighted roles, or blind roles, or any roles at all on stage or
screen. They/we do exist. There are theatre companies around the world whose
majority ensemble members are blind and visually impaired. Many of them will be
attending The 4th International Blind And Visually Impaired Theatre Festival in
Zagreb, Croatia, later this year. People need to hear about that. New York City has a
company called Theatre By The Blind (TBTB) that actually employs professional
blind and visually impaired actors in Off Broadway productions. Right now, the
company is in rehearsals for its June production of Oedipus. How about an article on
"real" blind actors doing real good theatre and the intestinal fortitude that that
requires? I'm certain the anecdotes shared would prove far more entertaining and
enlightening than walking a few blocks blindfolded and nearly stepping in dog poop.
Lynn Manning/Co-founder
Watts Village Theatre Company
www.wattsvillagetheatercompany.orggg
----------------------------… and here’s a copy of the article below…)
New York Times
Sunday, May 08, 2005
On the Stage of the Blind
By ZACHARY PINCUS-ROTH
Extreme method acting alert: in the Vortex Theatre Company's production
of "The Blind," Maurice Maeterlinck's 1890 play about sightless people
in a forest waiting for their caretaker to return, the three actors wear
opaque contact lenses that make them unable to see. Newly adapted by
Bathsheba Doran, the play runs at the Classic Stage Company from
Wednesday to next Sunday. Zachary Pincus-Roth talked to the company
about learning to walk, talk and act blind.
THE BLINDFOLDS For about three weeks the actors wore blindfolds during
rehearsal and practiced listening to one another to orient themselves on
the mostly empty stage. They also had to lose habits blind people don't
have, like pointing and turning to look at a sound source.
THE CONTACTS When Libby King first put them in, she started to cry. "It
was an empathy thing," she said. "It was just a really jarring,
upsetting thing." The lenses, made by Vision Direct and called Blind Eye
(they're usually sold for Halloween use), make the eyes look completely
white. The actors see a whiteness but can detect light and dark
somewhat. For the first rehearsal with contacts, the director, Kristjan
Thorgeirsson, made the actors walk from 11th Avenue and 23rd Street to
Ninth Avenue and 22nd Street. It took an hour. "We'd say, 'Are we on
23rd Street?' and no one would answer," Hannah Kenah said. A homeless
man finally told them when to cross the street. Joshua Randall, the
artistic director, intervened only when Robert M. Johanson was about to
step in dog faeces. The excursion also drummed up publicity, as Mr.
Randall passed out fliers to bemused onlookers.
THE PERFORMANCES In an earlier run at the Frying Pan, the former
lightship moored near Chelsea Piers, the actors performed on a metal
floor among planks, pits and other obstacles while distracted by creaks,
construction noise and helicopters. It was still better than the Classic
Stage Company's smooth indoor stage. "The floor of the boat acted like
Braille, because there were so many beams and bumps and indicators," Ms.
Kenah said. Mr. Thorgeirsson noticed that many audience members did not
appear to know that the actors could not see until the curtain call,
when they grabbed for one another's hands. Late in the run, the contacts
were lost and the actors performed with sight. "It was awful," Mr.
Johanson said. Ms. Kenah, who at one point has to run into audience
members, had to watch them cringe. "I've kind of fallen in love with
performing blind," she said. "It strips away a layer of
self-consciousness."
4. Sports Shorts is a drama writing competition run by BBC Radio 5 Live in
conjunction with the BBC writer's room.
Entrants will be asked to write a script for a short drama of up to 10 minutes based on
their best sporting moment, whether real or imaginary, comical or poignant. The best
stories will again be made into radio dramas to be aired on Sport on Five with the
potential also to be broadcast on BBC London.
Bob Shennan said of last year's competition, "This is one of the most innovative and
adventurous projects Five Live has ever undertaken. It gives listeners with a passion
for sport and a flare for writing an
> opportunity to really get involved with the station's output."
To help budding writers craft their stories Five Live will be setting up a series of
inspiring workshops around the UK offering advice and support. The closing date for
the competition is the 31st July 2005
> with winning entries being broadcast in Autumn 2005.
The London workshop will take place on Wednesday 8th June at 6.15pm at Oxford
House, Derbyshire St, London E2 6HG, It's a short walk from Bethnal Green station.
The session should end by 7.45 and the bar will be open for refreshments. There will
also be a guest writer in attendance providing tips on developing characters etc. For
more information, contact Sue Caro at [email protected]
Sadler’s Wells is holding a summer dance course for
visually impaired adults who have never danced before.
The course will run over 8 weeks and during that time
the participants will learn simple dance steps and with
the help of the workshop leader, learn a short dance.
5.
When:
The 8 week course starts on Thursday 7th July and then
every Thursday until 25th August from 6.00 – 8.00pm.
There will be a final informal performance on Friday 26th
August in the Lillian Baylis Theatre.
Where:
The workshops will take place at
Central School of Ballet
10 Herbal Hill, Clerkenwell Road
London EC1R 5EG
Nearest tube:
Farringdon (Circle and Metropolitan Lines)
Chancery Lane (Central Line)
Buses: 19, 38, 45, 46, 55, 53, 171 and 171a
How Much: This course is Free
If you would like more information or to secure a place
please contact Sarah Baker on 020 78638096 or email
[email protected].
6. We received the following from VIP on Air the radio station for blind and partially
> sighted people supported by BBC Radio Scotland, the RNIB, Visibility,
> Guide Dogs and Glasgow City Council. Scope have just released some
> research concerning the publics attitudes to non disabled actors playing
> A person who has a disability.
Shock findings from a poll commissioned to celebrate the first
> Anniversary of Scope's Time to Get Equal campaign, will confirm the fears of many
disabled actors.
In response to the question: "Do you think it is acceptable or
> unacceptable for a non-disabled person to play the part of a disabled person in
drama or film", a staggering 78 per cent of respondents thought it was
> Acceptable. Only a third of respondents thought there were too few disabled people
on TV these days. The findings will come as a blow to disabled actors and should
send a strong warning to film-makers and casting directors to be aware of deeply held
prejudices. The statistics are a sobering reminder that there is still a long way to go for
genuine equality for all in the performing arts.
The Bill's Luke Hamill said "Although there are many budding disabled actors out
there looking for jobs, the opportunities are few, and the roles are frequently typecast
as medical or tokenistic. This survey highlights the desperate need for more creative
script writing and much more inclusive casting".
Recent Scope surveys have also shown that getting out to the cinema and theatre is a
real challenge for disabled people: 80% of leisure venues, including cinemas and
theatres are inaccessible to disabled people. Disabled people are portrayed as objects
of pity in the media. The current transport network is entirely unsuitable for disabled
people.
Maria has been invited to talk live on the radio about the profile of disabled
> Actors, problems with visibility, training, recruitment etc. The interview will take
place on Wednesday the
> First of June at 3.30 until 3.45 p.m. For further information contact Simon Walsh,
020 7619 7203 or email: [email protected]
7. After an exhausting first half of this year, we don’t know about you, but our
thoughts are certainly turning to sun, sea and… sand? One of our readers who
responded to an item in our last newsletter about the BBC recruiting for a group of
disabled people to make a programme traveling around Nikoragua, was successful in
the selection and joined the team as the only blind member. He finished filming
recently and as a result has set up the following travel company.
OPEN SKIES…WITH TRAVELEYES
Traveleyes is a revolutionary service, arranging independent world travel for visually
impaired and sighted travellers.
This is the first travel company in the U.K to be specifically designed to facilitate
independent WORLD travel for blind people. Traveleyes (www.traveleyes.co.uk) was
launched earlier this year. Its founder, Amar Latif is blind and is a seasoned world
traveller with a passion for exploration. He sees no reason why visually impaired
travellers should accept restrictions on their travel aspirations and achievements.
Amar has just returned from the Nicaraguan jungle of Central America where he has
been appearing in a BBC2 documentary series called “Beyond Boundaries”. The
programme explores the levels of endurance attainable by travellers of various
disabilities when they find themselves at the sharp end of ‘roughing it’ through dense
jungle. The series, to be aired in autumn of this year, documents the journey of eleven
disabled people trekking all the way from the ‘Mosquito coast’ on Nicaragua’s
Atlantic side, across the rainforest interior for two hundred miles to the Pacific coast.
In contrast to this, Amar’s next trip is to a stunningly beautiful part of Andalucia
where his clients / fellow travellers are invited to sample the sensory richness and
cultural diversity of the ‘real Spain’, in June 2005.
Before the emergence of Traveleyes there were very few customised holidays
available for visually impaired people. Those that did exist were generally restrictive
in terms of destinations, and often tended to be inflexible and very expensive.
Traveleyes has changed all of that. It seeks to introduce vision and imagination into
the travel possibilities open to the visually impaired, as well as helping to make
lighter work of the necessary practical, planning and technical matters. Travellers
with Traveleyes are no longer patronized, nor are they placed in the ignominious
position of having to plead for ‘special case’ consideration or argue with the
inflexibilities of mass-market companies dominated by the demands of the sighted
general public. With Traveleyes the visually impaired world traveller is no longer
required to ‘tag along’ as either a welcome or tolerated appendage to the peer-group
holiday. With Traveleyes, the needs, desires and fulfilment of the blind traveller are at
centre stage. With this company, cohesive groups of blind and sighted travellers
explore together the holiday destinations on equal footing as new friendships are
formed and sealed by shared experience in foreign climes.
Traveleyes offers holidays to many destinations including America, Africa and
Europe, all with quality of experience as the central ingredient and at affordable
prices. It has been developed from the valuable experience of many blind travellers
including the founder, Amar Latif.
Traveleyes has a fully accessible website which includes up-to-date destination
details, useful travel information, news, and an interactive area which allows
travellers to share their experiences. There are plans for Traveleyes to expand into
expedition travel.
The Traveleyes customer-base consists of blind and sighted people aged 18 and over.
They include people who want to live life to the maximum, and also those who
merely want to ‘chill out’ in exotic locations. Either way this is the holiday route for
those seeking to meet interesting people and share a common taste for adventure.
Whether travellers wish to come with a group of friends or as individuals, Traveleyes
empowers the visually impaired and the sighted traveller to work together. On a
Traveleyes holiday, much of the content of the activity is driven by the mutual ideas,
plans and wishes of the blind and sighted travellers.
The sighted travellers come from all walks of life. They include workers from
corporate environments, retail work, students, and older people. By opting to go with
Traveleyes the sighted travellers have the opportunity to explore the world at
subsidised rates.
As well as the obvious advantages and breadth of experience that travel brings, the
Traveleyes system builds confidence and provides new scope for all involved.
Our blind and sighted travellers, are together empowered to venture beyond
boundaries, defy restrictions and grasp a real sense of independence and fulfilment.
There are fourteen places now available to explore the memorable beauty and cultural
highlights of the Andalucian countryside, accompanied by the wonderful local food
and wine of the ‘real Spain’. Seven places are for blind travellers, and seven are for
sighted travellers.
Anyone requiring further information about this or any of the future destinations can
call Traveleyes direct on 08709 220 221 or visit www.traveleyes.co.uk.
8. Due to recent technical problems, we have been unable to up-date the Extant
website. However, these issues have now been resolved and the site will be updated
over the next few days with reviews, comments and images from the Resistance tour
along with details of up and coming events. We are always keen to gain feedback on
the accessibility of the Extant site. You can access the site at www.extant.org.uk
and go to the accessibility link. From there you will be
given a choice of either "accessible" or "Inaccessible" Choose one of these
links and your email client will be automatically opened with the "to" and
"subject" fields already completed. Just insert your comments into the edit
field and send.
Any queries or comments, please contact us at
[email protected]
That's all for this quarter. The next Extant news letter will be produced at the end of
August.
Maria Oshodi
Damien O'Connor
Extant Directors.