River Clyde Pageant aims for broader reach with new accessibility plan
P.E.I.’s River Clyde Pageant has developed a brand new plan to change into extra accessible each bodily and culturally.
Co-producer Ian McFarlane instructed Island Morning host Laura Chapin that the plan got here out of a bigger session with the group, as is suitable for a community-led occasion.
“By way of that course of we discovered that there are a whole lot of obstacles that folks face, each in watching the present but additionally in collaborating within the present,” mentioned McFarlane.
The pageant usually consists of 100 to 150 performers, and since it takes place in New Glasgow, a rural space, merely attending to the venue for rehearsals and performances is a barrier and one which has solely grown increased with growing fuel costs.
The pageant will manage carpooling this 12 months to decrease that barrier.
Additionally it is trying to enhance multicultural performances, and embrace refugees and immigrants within the firm.
‘We work in a panorama’
The very nature of the present may create challenges.
The efficiency isn’t just in a single location. The best way the present is designed the viewers strikes alongside the river with the performers.
“We work in a panorama, and we’re actually enthusiastic about bringing consideration to ecological challenges and discussions round local weather change and the way the humanities can illuminate these discussions. Creating theatre in a panorama, outdoor, is basically, actually inspiring,” mentioned McFarlane.
“However with that comes obstacles of uneven strolling floor.”
Final 12 months the pageant began providing golf carts to viewers members. And it discovered that making providers accessible is simply the first step. Letting individuals know these providers can be found is one other. Within the first week of performances, the golf carts have been typically empty, however they started to replenish as individuals heard about them.
The pageant can have captioning for people who find themselves deaf or exhausting of listening to this 12 months and is considering methods of aiding individuals with allergic reactions.
The River Clyde Pageant doesn’t think about the accessibility plan to be full, mentioned McFarlane. It is going to survey firm and viewers members this summer time because it continues to search out methods to enhance.
