Active Access Design
Accessibility as a springboard towards new forms of communication.
About Active Access Design
“…explores with great insight thematic territory I’ve never seen covered before…”
Colin Thomas, colinthomas.ca (Canada, 2021)
Seniors’ “Active Access Design” refers to the application and integration of inclusivity and access tools spessifcly addressing the barriers Senior artists and audiences face in the creation, production and performance processes, weaving access into every aspect of the very fabric of a work.
Working closely with stakeholders in the community, we ask how we can build practices and techniques to overcome age-related (and other) access barriers in process and performance by examining integrating memory tools and triggers, access tools (such as audio description, captioning), support structures including relational supports, and other best practices in creation.
This unique artist centric approach was first tested on the multi award nominated The Ballad of Georges Boivin (Western Gold Theatre, 2021).
“Accessibility as a springboard towards new forms of communication. Accessibility not simply as a practice for otherwise excluded audiences, but as added value. Accessibility as a creative challenge and experimentation with new languages.”
Redattore Sociale (Italy 2022)
Creating Access: The Ballad of Georges Boivin
PAL Vancouver Studio Theatre (2021)
Ivani Ca & Golda Dahan in PALAZZO DEL MONDO | Palazzo Farnese 2022 (Piacenza, Italy)
MEDUSA USA | Steppenwolf Theatre &
En Las Tablas 2019 (Chicago, USA)
“…smashing nationality and accessibility borders in a fascinating Total theatre…”
IMA Magazine (Italy, 2020)
Active Access Design was pioneered by Global Hive Labs., an international network of artists and companies, co-founded by Jack Paterson (Canada), Denise Yvette Serna (USA), Katie Merrit (UK), and Carolina Migli (EU) working together in devised creation. With collective members across multiple countries, we identified access as a priority.
International projects applying Active Access Design include Medusa USA at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre (USA, 2019), Medusa UK at London’s The Pleasance Theatre (UK, 2019) & The Cockpit Theatre (UK, 2020), Atlantide at Piacenza’s Teatro Trieste 34 (Italy, 2020), and Palazzo del Mondo at Piacenza’s famed Palazzo Farnese (Italy, 2022).
“…proactively incorporate aspects of accessibility that can often go overlooked in more institutionalized arts …”
Chicago Reader (USA, 2019)
“A truly accessible production and an empowering contemporary perspective…“
Theatre T (UK, 2019)
Bouche Theatre Collective
(Vancouver, Canada)
ChezActors
(Piacenza, Italy)
La Comagnie Certes
(Paris, France)
Fusion Theatre Company
(London, UK)
Denise Yvette Serna
(Chicago, U.S.A.)