Bondar, Melissa ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6716-9017 (2022) When one size doesn’t fit all: Theatre first practices for disability initiatives. In: A Phenomenology of Misfits: Discrepancies Between Body and World 2022 International PhD Symposium. Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences, School of Stage and Screen, University of Greenwich - Technoculture, Art and Games (TAG) Research Centre of Concordia University, London, pp. 10-21. ISBN 978-0900822261

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Abstract

The unique and varied structure of immersive and participatory performance has made it difficult to create streamlined assessment systems for analyzing risks in performance. Not only do physical risks still have to be assessed, but some of the content explored via participation from the audience can raise ethical questions and require additional investigations into the audience-participants psychometric paradigms that should be considered as well.

This research aims to consider the potential of micro-event breakdowns as a framework for better assessing physical, emotional and aesthetic risk points in performance. I will note how these assessments have the potential to be applied to improve accessibility in participatory performance for audience-participants with disabilities. My research findings also indicate that one of the key micro-events of a performance may occur before the audience-participants even arrive at the performance space. Expectation setting begins at the company/ticketing website and continues from there.

I will also address the existing issues in disability theatre in which aesthetic is relegated to a secondary concern, if at all considered, when addressing accessibility needs. This research notes a possible system that brings aesthetic concerns to the forefront in tandem with access concerns, so that when one is being addressed, the other is also considered. I will discuss how these breakdowns could be utilized to acknowledge when a parallel micro-event may be needed due to competing accommodations, while still insuring key aesthetic moments are maintained and the quality of the performance is not degraded for audience-participants with disabilities.

In conclusion, this research indicates an emerging trend in mitigating risks for the participants is initial expectation setting. This can be addressed when creating micro-event breakdowns of the performance, with the initial micro-event encompassing information the participants receive before arrival. Company and ticketing websites are also one of the best places to make accommodation limitations clear and allow for accommodation requests from participants. By applying micro-event breakdowns to each segment of performance, a clearer view of how the access and aesthetic needs works together can be seen.

Item Type:	Conference Proceedings
Title of Proceedings:	A Phenomenology of Misfits: Discrepancies Between Body and World 2022 International PhD Symposium
Uncontrolled Keywords:	phenomenology, immersive theatre, parallel accommodations, micro-events
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BH Aesthetics N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The Theater
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences > School of Stage and Screen
Last Modified:	06 Mar 2025 10:28
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/49959

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