Dear visitors to Gessnerallee, dear artists
Since Kathrin Veser and Miriam Walther took over the direction of the theatre, our work has focused more intensively on accessibility. Because barriers are often difficult to dismantle, this focus requires a lot of work and perseverance on the one hand, but on the other hand it is also a lot of fun. And it can be incredibly beautiful. Today's weekly letter provides insights into the various levels involved in dismantling barriers.
One example is the work ‘Songs of the Wayfarer’ by Scottish artist Claire Cunningham, who will be our guest on Friday, 7 November, and Saturday, 8 November. Cunningham takes a poetic and humorous look at one of Switzerland's most popular sports, hiking, from the perspective of a person with a disability. She draws inspiration from Gustav Mahler's ‘Songs of a Wayfarer’. You can get a taste of the work in the trailer on YouTube and in Anna Miller's portrait (only in German).
Cunningham and her team offer a wide range of artistically designed accessibility means. Both evenings will feature German and English surtitles, which are creatively incorporated into the stage setting. In addition, there will be a recorded audio description in German or English, which will be available via headphones. The event will take the form of a relaxed performance, meaning that visitors can leave the room at any time and return later. Noises, movements and stimming are welcome.
The show on 7 November will be interpreted by a deaf interpreter* (Kristina Janković) together with a DSGS translator (Regula Bächler) in Swiss German Sign Language (DSGS). In addition, a quiet room with beanbags, ear protection and stim toys will be available before, during and after the show in the Nordflügel.
Accessibility is not only an important issue for us in terms of programme curation, but also in terms of the accessibility of the building. And there is still a lot to be done here – because the building is almost 150 years old and the office and rehearsal rooms on the first floor are not accessible without steps. This means that artists and team members with limited mobility cannot use these rooms, or can only do so to a limited extent. In her analysis ‘Der Handlungsbedarf sitzt im Erdgeschoss herum’ (The need for action is sitting on the ground floor), journalist Marguerite Meyer makes tangible in the Gessnerallee Zeitung the tension that exists between working on accessibility, the requirements of monument protection and the specific timing of administrative processes.
We are tackling these challenges with great energy and confidence in collaboration with the City of Zurich's property management department – and are making progress step by step.
Last season, our diversity agents Ramona Unterberg and Manuel Gerst, together with the consulting organisation ‘Sensability – Expertise für Inklusion’ (Sensability – Expertise for Inclusion), developed measures in a transformation project subsidised by the city and canton that are specifically aimed at dismantling barriers on the way to and inside Gessnerallee. Special attention is being paid to Stall6 as a social meeting place and foyer of the building, which is to be designed as a pleasant place for as many people as possible to stay and pass through.
We will continue to monitor the situation and welcome any feedback on barriers that still need to be removed, as well as on successful accessibility initiatives, at barrierefreiheit@gessnerallee.ch.
* Deaf interpreter is an established term that refers to a deaf or hard-of-hearing person who works as a sign language interpreter.
