SESSION 8
DEMENTIA FRIENDLY EVENTS
Friday 20th August, 11.30am - 1.30pm - Online
Access Coventry is a series of online training sessions targeted at professional artists and the small-scale independent arts sector based in Coventry and Warwickshire.
These training sessions are aimed at equipping artists with knowledge and practical strategies to provide for different audiences with different access needs.
This eighth session in our series focuses on how audiences can create and present dementia friendly events.
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They believe in the creative power of the individual, and that everyone should have the opportunity to contribute to the creative life of their local community.
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They produce vibrant and important cultural programmes, created by and for the communities they work with, namely isolated older people, those living with profound and multiple disabilities, and those living in care home environments, enabling them to play an active and visible role in the creative life of their community.
Their programmes are often developed in partnership with organisations from across the arts, health and care industries on a local and national level.
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Entelechy Arts work with a pioneering and diverse range of artists across all art forms, who collaborate with our communities to meet, celebrate, and experience each other and the world.
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In 2021, Entelechy Arts' are creating Theatre of Wandering which explores care, dementia and community through performance, sound installations and conversations across the city of Coventry. A co-production with Coventry City of Culture, and international collaboration with the Belgrade Theatre and Japanese company OiBokkeShi, Theatre of Wandering is being innovatively created and experienced on the streets of Coventry with healthcare teams, shopkeepers, artists and people of all ages.
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Our Speakers Include:
Christine Lee
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Christine has been Entelechy Arts' General Manager for nearly 3 years and is Producer for Theatre of Wandering. Working across Entelechy's programmes, she supports staff, artists and volunteers to co-create and deliver programmes that are accessible for everyone, especially older members of local communties. As a theatre producer, she's always enabling community casts and people who don't normally consider themselves performers to shape the story.
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David Slater
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David founded Entelechy Arts in 1989, when he was asked by Lewisham and North Southwark Health Authority, to support the resettlement of people with learning disabilities from old asylums to local communities in South East London. He led Entelechy Arts as Artistic Director until 2020, building a practice that uses theatre, dance and cross-art forms to devise and innovate ways of listening to people whose voices are not heard. In 2013, David led with partner organisations at the Albany (Deptford) and Lewisham Council to found Meet Me at the Albany, an innovative all-day arts centre for isolated older people that's now a thriving programme in-person and remote.
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Lisa Franklin - is an artist, poet and producer based in Coventry. Her practice explores the natural world, the language of growing, connection and the everyday ordinary. Lisa works with Theatre Absolute as Digital Producer and Projects Coordinator, part of which involves running the Shop Front Theatre in an old fish and chip shop and is currently working with Entelechy Arts on the Theatre of Wandering, a performance that draws upon a community’s experiences and reflections about what it is to live with dementia. Lisa co-facilitates the Belgrade Theatre’s weekly Arts Gymnasium sessions for over 50s, promoting positive well-being through imagination and movement. Lisa feels passionately about working towards a more diverse, inclusive, accessible & democratic arts sector.
Our speakers will be sharing their knowledge and experiences of common barriers audiences from lower economic backgrounds may encounter and how they are working towards overcoming these. At the end of the session, you will gain an understanding of good practice and identify some simple steps to take to make your events more accessible.
Each training session is designed to help you up-skill and increase your understanding of the experiences or access needs of audiences. To get the most out of this course we encourage you to attend as many of the events as you can.
Access Coventry is the first step of many on our citywide journey of creating a manifesto aimed at making Coventry a more accessible place to experience culture.