BEYOND SIGNS (Italy, Croatia, Portugal)
For equal access, professionalization and engagement of native signer artists for mixed audiences
* here beside the IS translation of the following text
Beyond Signs is a 2 years project intending to improve the social integration of deaf people through artistic cooperation, by involving them actively in the performing sector, from the creation to the staging, circulating in the EU countries involved and meeting different mixed audiences.
Through the activities implemented in the project, the skills of native signer artists, cultural operators and sign language interpreters are enhanced, while the audience is sensitized about the potentiality of theatre played by deaf artists.
Beyond Signs imagines 3 parallel paths which equally contribute to the process of integration between different languages, cultures and communities, in a good shared and shareable practice.
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IS – International Sign translation of the text here beside, by Angel Naumakovski
First path: performance production
A call for deaf/native signer artists is released by the end of 2020 in order to select 5 participants who will be part of the process to produce a new theatre opera.
During training activities and three creative residences, Beyond Signs will define new expressive codes and languages that can be fully understood by deaf and hearing people, signers and non signers, such as Signed Poetry, Visual Vernacular, physical theatre, body language and contemporary dance.
The performance will debut in May 2022 in Milan (IT) during Festival del Silenzio, and in Edinburgh (UK) Fringe Festival in July 2022 where it will target an audience of performing arts professionals (festival and theatre Directors, cultural operators…) and thanks to its accessibility, it could be distributed worldwide.
Second path: training for deaf and hearing interpreters, artistic operators and native signer performing arts professionals
Parallel to the artistic path, the training section of Beyond Signs promotes journeys and transnational and national masterclasses involving native signer artists and cultural operators who, through a “learning and practice” approach, will improve their skills in performing arts field by taking part in the project activities.
The same approach is applied to the classes for deaf and hearing sign language interpreters, in order to offer them a specialization in interpreting for the stage and immediately experience the skills acquired by testing themselves in an international context.
Third path: audience development
Beyond Signs also includes activities involving the public, especially children, youngsters and students, through cooperation with schools and engaging awareness activities.
People involved in these activities will be able to come into contact with sign languages and their expressive and artistic forms, while being sensitized on deaf culture and its demands.
Partners
Beyond Signs is conceived by Fattoria Vittadini (IT), with 2 partner organizations, Dlan (HR) and Voarte (PT).
The project is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, GA n°: 616771-CREA-1-2020-1-IT-CULT-COOP1.
The Artistic Direction of the project is lead by a team of deaf/native signer artists: Rita Mazza (IT) and Diana Anselmo (IT), Angel Naumovski (HR), Tony Weaver (PT)
