Impetus for Inclusive Stage Practice

For the transition to inclusive working to be dynamic and lead to sustainable, inclusive practices in the long term, the management level of an institution should be committed to promoting it. It is helpful if department heads are involved in the processes from the outset, acting as multipliers of knowledge and attitudes. All other employees should also be informed and involved, for example through discussion groups and further training, in order to reduce uncertainties and clarify practical questions. Friends circles and the municipal or state cultural administration should be kept regularly informed and ideally won over as allies.
 

Existing materials, spaces or processes can often be made more inclusive with minor adjustments, for example by clearly agreeing on and setting up opportunities for retreat and breaks. This requires sensitivity and attention in everyday work, for example by regularly questioning routines: Where do they unintentionally exclude people? What small changes could make a big difference?

For change to be successful, the perspectives of people with disabilities must be considered, integrated and strengthened structurally from the outset – whether in the conception, planning and preparation processes or in the artistic implementation. This is the only way to create practical, realistic and accepted solutions. The prerequisite is an appreciative attitude that recognises the diversity of all those involved and sees it as an enrichment. When people are involved in decision-making processes, they are often more motivated and act more independently. This, in turn, frees up resources elsewhere.

Recurring experiences and work steps should be processed systematically and shared as knowledge, for example in the form of checklists, workshops or collegial discussion formats. Assistant directors who are sensitive to inclusive working practices have proven to be essential for inclusive work, as they have a keen awareness of both the challenges of day-to-day operations and the special needs of the individuals involved.

Based on their expertise in inclusive art practice, artistic project coordinators should drive forward the implementation of all inclusion efforts and be equipped with the appropriate resources to do so. They raise awareness of visible and invisible barriers and work with internal and external experts to examine architectural, technical, structural and communicative hurdles. They keep an eye on accessibility to events and raise awareness of the specific needs of participants.

There are often many different needs and requirements – both for individuals and institutions. Finding solutions to these different needs is best achieved through a cooperative process. On the one hand, this requires an appreciation of the expertise of disabled artists and employees, because they know what they need for their work. On the other hand, a fundamental understanding of inclusion within an institution is necessary. Conversely, it is helpful if artists or employees with disabilities have the opportunity to get to know the institutions and their working conditions, for example in the context of internships, so that they can later work in them and help shape them.

Often, small adjustments can have a big impact without requiring additional resources: for example, clearly structuring processes in a way that is accessible to everyone prevents misunderstandings and confusion, as does using language that is easy to understand overall. When institutions identify and tackle the most pressing barriers to working with disabled people step by step, a dynamic of change emerges despite the limited conditions.

An inclusive rehearsal process requires clear, jointly agreed arrangements. Providing retreat areas and more break times relieves the pressure on many of those involved. Regular and structured exchange between everyone involved is crucial. Especially in projects involving different institutions, working methods and target groups, this exchange should not only take place informally, but should also be firmly anchored within the process.

Those new to inclusive collaboration should start with a manageable project and exchange ideas with institutions that already have experience in this area. It is also advisable to focus on one or two projects and implement them effectively. When deciding on such projects, it can be helpful to build on existing contacts with audience and artist groups. Initial projects could include, for example, making the venue accessible both in front of and behind the stage, or using plain language for artistic forms of expression. It is advisable to schedule regular feedback sessions and opportunities for reflection from the outset in order to accompany this process (self-)critically.

New forms of stage art emerge from the exploration of different languages. Through inclusive authorship for world premieres or for the dramaturgical adaptation of theatrical material, these perspectives are incorporated into productions from the outset.

When municipal theatres with their very own logic encounter inclusive groups from the independent scene, friction is inevitable. Different ways of working must be learned and common workflows negotiated. This process can cause irritation among employees and be perceived as challenging. However, in most cases, these encounters have led to new approaches and original, emotional and clever aesthetic solutions.

Productions involving artists with disabilities should be planned well in advance. Directors, artists, production managers and coordinators, as well as the technical crew, should be involved in the process at an early stage. It can be helpful to involve the artists as early as the conception phase and invite them to the mock-up set rehearsal, for example. Accessibility features such as sign language interpretation and audio description must also be considered at an early stage and the relevant experts hired. The more clearly responsibilities, schedules and communication channels are defined, the easier it is to work together. The entire process requires a great deal of coordination, which should be managed by project leaders.

It is important to work with those involved at an early stage to determine which rehearsal structure and work processes meet the needs of the participants. For actors with cognitive impairments, for example, it has been shown that there needs to be a tendency towards more stage rehearsals, more time for learning texts together with the assistant directors, and opportunities for reflection on the joint work. It has also proven helpful not to rehearse any other plays on performance days.

When reorganising time at the theatre, an access rider – a document in which the needs of the individual artists involved are collected – can be helpful. The access rider provides information on what types of rehearsals are possible, for example. Time and resources must be allocated for the preparation of the document.

Working with artists with disabilities enriches the creative process and brings new perspectives to the stage. Some theatres deliberately avoid labels such as “inclusive” so as not to suggest anything special. Others opt for transparent presentation in order to raise awareness of barriers and accessibility. In general, the terms “inclusion” and “inclusive” are critically reflected upon and at the same time are often found difficult to replace.

To appeal to people with disabilities as an audience, it is important to provide target group-specific information about accessibility options (for example, audio description or sign language) and to openly communicate existing barriers. It is promising to invite specific groups via newsletters and networking within the communities. This exchange also helps to avoid developing offerings that do not meet the needs of the audience. When it comes to barrier-free communication with the audience, front-of-house staff should also receive regular training in multilingual communication with the audience.

The expertise of artists with disabilities should also be incorporated into the decision-making processes of juries and curatorial teams responsible for festival programmes and the allocation of financial resources. They can contribute perspectives and positions that are often overlooked. The increasing visibility of inclusive work among professionals also contributes to structural change. Festivals and panel discussions, as well as specialist articles and critical examinations of artistic results, help to anchor inclusive theatre work within the broader cultural landscape.

People with disabilities should have a permanent presence in all areas of the theatre, ideally also in dramaturgy, technology and the canteen. In addition, inclusive working practices should be integrated into everyday life and secured through clearly defined responsibilities. Once these new routines are in place, much of the extra effort involved in inclusive productions will be eliminated. Long-term processes, stable relationships, consistent teams and transparent knowledge transfer also facilitate institutional change towards an inclusive theatre.

An important prerequisite for the sustainable anchoring of inclusive working methods is the willingness of theatre management to work inclusively in the long term and to fill ensemble positions accordingly. Equally important is the political will to provide the necessary financial resources to expand accessibility, and to establish inclusion as an ongoing task that extends beyond the tenure of individual artistic directors. Associations and further cooperation between municipal and inclusive theatres can be helpful here.

Building and maintaining networks – with other inclusive theatres, groups, artists and audiences – plays a central a role in perpetuating inclusive work, as does exchanging and obtaining external expertise. Professional associations such as the Bundesverband Theaterpädagogik and specialised organisations such as Diversity Arts Culture, Making a Difference and Un-Label, or networks such as the one that has emerged within the framework of pik, can help here. Within institutions, expertise can be pooled and passed on through permanent positions, for example in the form of diversity officers, inclusion coordinators or artistic tandems.

It is a question of fairness, but also one of artistic spaces, that institutions entrust theatre professionals with disabilities with artistic management tasks. “Disabled lead” is one of the most important tasks that the theatre industry must tackle in the future. Initial examples demonstrate that this also transforms programme design and aesthetics.

Networks and individuals are playing a key role in filling the current structural void in the area of education and training. Committed actors who are themselves active in the scene are making talent visible, giving recommendations and creating informal access.

Graduates of the first inclusive training programmes are currently still underrepresented at graduate auditions. However, institutions and groups such as the RambaZamba Theater, the Theater Thikwa, Meine Damen und Herren and the Freie Bühne München have developed their own training structures, from which the collaborating municipal and state theatres, as well as the film and television industries, benefit.

Theatres will also have to train actors, authors, directors and dramaturgs with disabilities in practical operations. Some theatres already offer individual training opportunities to actors in their ensembles, such as vocal and speech training. The personal budget available to many artists with disabilities can help to finance further education measures tailored to their individual needs.

Training should not be a one-way street, as many artists with disabilities have valuable expertise to offer. Some artists with physical disabilities have long been active as lecturers and workshop leaders and are invited to give further training courses. For artists with cognitive impairments, tandem structures have proven effective, in which each position in a production is filled by one disabled and one non-disabled person. These structures create space for joint learning and bridge structural inequalities in access to artistic positions.

Work shadowing and practice-oriented formats can help artists with disabilities to familiarise themselves with working in municipal theatres and contribute their own perspectives. One possible format is regular inclusive professional training aimed at dancers with and without disabilities, providing opportunities for artistic encounters, professional exchange and continuous development. Inclusive theatre education workshops also enable first experiences with the stage, and the establishment of inclusive youth clubs gives young people with and without disabilities access to creative processes.