Building bridges between deaf-artists across Europe

Only few in number, but deaf performing artists (using sing language) are active all over Europe. We want to bring several of them together in a European project. In Tampere, Finland the theatre TIRAKKOR GROUP created in the last 8 years 6 productions with deaf artists. All bilingual performances, spoken language and sign language, both as equal partners and actors on stage. The last production “Kukunor and Unikuu was showed in April last on the international festival ACCAC (Accessible Arts and Culture) in Tampere.

During this festival we plan to use this new performance to make a European project in the Creative Europe Programme by creating similar theatre plays in several countries and bringing them together as one group of inclusive performers, deaf and hearing artists from several countries rehearsing and meeting together. The performance will be in several languages, taking place at a Brussels festival late 2016 or spring 2017 as a statement promoting bilingual theatre, spoken and sign language. Each partner will then perform in the own country as many times as possible.

This is a call to find partners in Europe:
Theatre groups with deaf artists… Individual deaf artists… Theatre groups who would like to take the challenge to work with deaf artists…. To make the project realistic, we want to limit it to a maximum of 7 countries, so react when you are interested.

If you are not interested, please forward this message to any theatre group or deaf artist you know in your country….

Practical:
The project will be coordinated by De Zeyp in Brussels
Contact: Ivo Peeters – 0032 2 422 00 13 – 0032 476 91 67 34 ivo.peeters@dezeyp.be
ACCAC Finland (kirsi.mustalahti@hotmail.com ) and TIRAKKOR Group Tampere will bring in the concept and the (English) starting text of “Kukunor ja Unikuu”

A local team (theatre group or ad hoc group) to become partner consists of:
• 4 actors (2 deaf, 2 hearing)
• Arts director
• Sign language interpreter
• Local coordinator/promotor of the play
Timing
• Kick off meeting after receiving approval of European Commission, Creative Europe
• Two times international workshop meetings of one week for concept building and rehearsals (late spring and autumn 2016)
• Rehearsal period and try-out in own country (autumn 2016)
• First performance during festival in Brussels (late 2016 or spring 2017)
• Performing in own country (Spring 2017)

Expected costs to be covered by the project:
• Translation costs
• Fee artists, arts director and interpreter
• Travelling and accommodation for workshop weeks
• Premiére in Brussels
• Creative Europe covers 60 % of all eligible costs
When successful, the 40% have to be brought in by performing the play in the own country on one or more stages.
• Also ACCAC in Finland will cover part of the own resources by extra grant.

Deadline to express interests or to become partner: 15th of September 2015. Deadline Creative Europe: 7th of October 2015. Interested parties please contact: ivo.peeters@dezeyp.be