arts
By Carole Lander
Darebin leads the way
There ’ s always a festival happening somewhere in Melbourne . The city prides itself on this and Melbournians are often spoiled for choice with national and international festivals in the CBD . Link writer Carole Lander discovers some suburban councils are also getting in on the act .
One of those councils is Darebin City Council , where the Arts ’ Speakeasy is a year-round independent theatre program of contemporary performances by emerging and established artists .
But how many of these events are accessible to people with disability ? Theatre companies may advertise the fact that they have wheelchair access and Auslan-interpreted performances , but Darebin stands out from the crowd .
Samantha Butterworth ( pictured above ) is a producer in the Creative Culture and Events team at Darebin City Council , where they are dedicated to including people of all abilities in their events .
Samantha joined in November 2017 , straight after a secondment to the United Kingdom where she witnessed first-hand what was being achieved at places such as the Battersea Arts Centre in London and Quarantine in Manchester . These companies provide people with disability equal opportunities to attend and participate in a range of programs .
Like Battersea in London , audience members in Darebin who are prone to sensory overload can enjoy what are known as ‘ relaxed ’ performances where the rules of theatre are modified . The house lights remain on and people can move around . Chill-out areas away from the performance space are also provided . Relaxed performance packs prepare audience members by explaining what the theatre looks like and warning them about what might happen – for example , lighting effects or loud noises .
After completing a degree in acting and film production at Deakin University , Samantha went straight into the creative side of producing theatre . She looks forward to a time in the future when artists with disability can find themselves on a level playing field with those without disability .
“ But we ’ re not there yet , so I ’ m proud of a new initiative at Darebin this year called ‘ Your Platform ’,” she said . For ‘ Your Platform ’, a panel of highly respected artists was engaged to review applications from theatre groups and artists with disability who wanted to be part of the 2018 Melbourne Fringe Season at Darebin . The panel comprised Fiona Cook ( Arts Development Manager at Arts Access Victoria ), Kate Hood ( writerperformer ) and Emma Jane Hawkins ( performing artist featured in June 2018 edition of Link ).
Out of seven high-calibre applications , the panel selected two
34 arts linkonline . com . au
arts
By Carole Lander
opportunities to attend and participate
in a range of programs.
Like Battersea in London,
audience members in Darebin who
are prone to sensory overload can
enjoy what are known as ‘relaxed’
performances where the rules of
theatre are modified. The house
lights remain on and people can
move around. Chill-out areas away
from the performance space are
also provided. Relaxed performance
packs prepare audience members
by explaining what the theatre looks
Darebin
leads the way
like and warning them about what
might happen – for example, lighting
effects or loud noises.
After completing a degree in
acting and film production at Deakin
University, Samantha went straight
into the creative side of producing
There’s always a festival happening somewhere in Melbourne.
The city prides itself on this and Melbournians are often
spoiled for choice with national and international festivals in
the CBD. Link writer Carole Lander discovers some suburban
councils are also getting in on the act.
O
the future when artists with disability
can find themselves on a level playing
field with those without disability.
“But we’re not there yet, so I’m
proud of a new initiative at Darebin this
year called ‘Your Platform’,” she said.
ne of those councils is
Samantha Butterworth (pictured
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