PERFORMING ASL/ENGLISH THEATRE

Citadel Theatre and SOUND OFF: A Deaf Theatre Festival are excited to welcome DJ Kurs, Artistic Director of Deaf West Theatre (Los Angeles), to Edmonton for a one-day theatre workshop on producing and performing integrated ASL/English Theatre with Deaf and hearing creators/performers for Deaf and hearing audiences.

FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2019

Citadel Theatre (9828 101A Avenue, Edmonton) 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Lunch Provided ASL Interpretation will be provided.

$ 125.00 (plus GST) or $ 99.00 (plus GST) CAEA & Deaf Community Members

To register: http://bit.ly/ASLEnglishTheatre

The group will discuss:

- How to go about creating a new piece of ASL/English theatre, including script adaptation, best practices and methodology; - Working together in the rehearsal room and backstage; - Preparing staff and building; - Challenges & successes in creating ASL/English theatre; - The way forward for Deaf Theatre practice in Canada and beyond.

This workshop will be a great tool for professional hearing actors and creators who are curious about the Deaf arts and who want to learn more about producing ASL theatre, as well as professional Deaf actors and creators who want to explore creating integrated work and sharing practices.

The project is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Province of Alberta, and Edmonton Community Foundation. This workshop is sponsored by Theatre Alberta with funding from The Alberta Foundation for the Arts as part of the ‘Workshops by Request: Hometown Series.’

DJ KURS Artistic Director of Deaf West Theatre, a position he has served in since 2012. He shepherded the production of Spring Awakening from its beginnings in a 99-seat theatre in Los Angeles to its recent revival on Broadway. Prior to his current position, he served as an Artistic Associate and ASL Master at Deaf West Theatre. He is also a freelance producer and filmmaker.

CITADEL THEATRE

The Citadel Theatre is one of the largest not-for profit theatres in North America. In September 2016, Daryl Cloran became the Citadel’s new Artistic Director, bringing with him great enthusiasm and vision for the Citadel’s future. Daryl’s vision is for the Citadel to be: Inclusive, Innovative, and International in our programming and practices. The Citadel is the heart of Edmonton’s arts community. We are positioned at the centre of the city, and fill our building with exciting programming and partnerships with local companies and artists. The Citadel is an important contributor to the national theatre landscape, creating work and training artists seen on stages around the country and internationally. We produce or present up to 10 plays in our Mainstage season and another six productions in our Beyond The Stage Series. The five performance spaces of the Citadel Theatre complex are: the Shoctor Theatre (proscenium stage); the Maclab Theatre(thrust stage); The Club (a cabaret/black box theatre); Zeidler Hall, and the Tucker Amphitheatre. More than 250,000 people come into our space each season, with thousands more following along on our social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

SOUND OFF FESTIVAL

SOUND OFF is Canada’s national Deaf theatre festival and is dedicated to bringing Deaf talent from across the country to celebrate their unique talents, their stories and the beauty of American Sign Language. SOUND OFF is also North America’s largest and only ongoing festival dedicated to the Deaf performing arts. Taking place each winter in Edmonton, SOUND OFF is currently in its third year and is a collaboration between Edmonton’s Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre and SOUND OFF’s Deaf Artistic Director, Chris Dodd. The festival occurs alongside the Chinook Series Festival at the ATB Financial Arts Barns in the heart of historic Old Strathcona. The Chinook Series is collaboratively curated performance experience, bringing artists and communities together to share and celebrate through live art and is a partnership between Azimuth Theatre, Edmonton Fringe Theatre, Workshop West Playwrights’ Theatre, Singeria and Black Arts Matter. SOUND OFF’s mandate is to bridge the gap between hearing and Deaf audiences by making its shows and events accessible to both groups, allowing everyone attending to equally enjoy and participate. To see more, visit: www.soundofffestival.com