Changing theatre perceptions with production of Come to the Edge
Artists with cerebral palsy ‘speak with their eyes’ during performance
Most shows, the audience is a passive observer.
“Come to the Edge” is most definitely not one of those shows, says co-creator Stephen Sillett. He hesitates even calling it a show. It’s more of an experience people participate in along with the performers, meant to illuminate the experience of artists with complex disabilities.
“We do say immersive theatre,” he says. “But people hear ‘immersive theatre’ and just hear ‘theatre.’”
Developed by the non-profit Aiding Dramatic Change in Development, the show orients and engages the audience for a performance in which artists with cerebral palsy ‘speak with their eyes.’
Patrons are met with fabric, sound and music before being led — or ‘danced’ — into another section of the theatre for storytelling that incorporates video, improv and wheelchair dance.
Each show is different, leading to unique feedback.
Two free performances will be held at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Aug. 24 and 25 at 12:30 p.m.
The artists are collectively known as Watchers of the Edge, communicating without words to share their physical boundaries. As cast member Elaine Drover says — pointing to letters on a board to spell it out — the audience will “learn what we go through daily.”
“They will be asked to think about things that will take them to the edge of what they know is possible,” says Sillett. “This is about challenging them to think about things differently.”
“It’s different each time, and each time we’re also developing it further,” says cocreator Jennifer Jimenez, whose sister Christine is in the show.
“Some people who come have experience with people with disabilities. But some people come and they don’t really in their lives see anybody with disabilities. It’s a way of relaxing any tensions and breaking down any power differences.”
The show took four years to come together, workshopped several times to find the right balance of performance and audience interaction.
“It’s not easy to do body work when you’re very physically challenged,” says Sillett. “This is actually the only group in the world where (people) with complex disabilities are working as an ensemble.”
The show premiered in 2017 in Toronto, later touring Belgium that same year. It returned to Toronto this year, and last month was part of the Hamilton Fringe Festival.
The Niagara show is a collaboration with March of Dimes Canada and the Brain Injury Community Re-Entry’s Personal Effectiveness Training program.
Sarah Fraser, program and audience coordinator for the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, says the show “builds a bridge to better understanding of cerebral palsy and engages our community in a larger discussion about accessibility in Niagara.”