ACCESSIBLE THEATRE PROGRAM

Many do not have the privilege of being able to attend traditional theatre venues. 

Whether it is because of mental or physical health, age or geography, it is important to rethink access to the theatre in order to be able to include people who are bedridden, suffering from agoraphobia, who have specific conditions preventing movement or requesting specific accommodations, who must stay at home to take care of their loved ones or who are too far from urban centers, to name some of the most common realities.

With its Accessible Theatre program, Théâtre Déchaînés aspires to offer quality participatory theater that can be more easily accessible to the majority of the population. 

We believe that patrons of all abilities should be able to enjoy live theatre. Through our various projects related to the program, we want to continually push further accessibility to the performative arts. We intend to do so through four main axes:

Virtual and remote theatre

Development of new remote theatrical distribution platforms, exploration of the telephone as a tool for dramaturgical writing, reconfiguration of the possibilities of live recording; there are dozens of ways to adapt and to invent, allowing us to offer a theatrical experience accessible from practically anywhere, thus breaking down physical barriers that may keep audience members from attending theatre. 

Adapted versions and inclusive communication tools

Not only do we want to talk about human realities that are too little discussed, but we also want to adapt our shows to these realities. It is with this in mind that we choose to work with experts, consultants, and specialized mediators in order to be able to offer various shows that may be suitable for blind and partially sighted, D/deaf, deafened, or hard-of-hearing or people living with various physical or psychological conditions, without the shows necessarily discussing these conditions, which is too often the case. 

Moreover, we don't want to stop with our shows and we are also working at the development of communication tools that perpetuate our values ​​of inclusion, such as adapting our website to be fully accessible to blind and partially sighted people. 

Collaboration with marginalized artists

Accessibility to theatre should not only go to the public, but also to the artists. Too many performers and theatrical designers with disabilities are being pushed aside from positions in mainstream productions. We believe that everyone should have equal access to employment, as well as to our productions and programs and that our diverse community should be reflected in all that we do. We want to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace and give our employees access to a platform to make their talent shine beyond their physical or psychological situation. We believe in the importance of showcasing the vitality and creativity of people otherwise often denied involvement in mainstream cultural activities, therefore contributing to changing the cultural conversation about what disability art and disability artists look like. 

Democratization of the theatre through citizen involvement and affordable prices

Theatre is a tool of community.  It’ a way to amplify the people’s voices. This is why we want to include people from the community in various stages of our creations, whether through calls for testimonies, discussion meetings on topics explored, calls for participation, or any other means of reaching a non-elitist theatre. 

Because attendance at events is often limited not only by accessibility but also by affordability, we are also working diligently to keep ticket prices as low as possible while keeping employee compensation fair and consistent. Our goal is to give everyone who wants to participate a chance to be able to afford it.