ZOOM STAR: Josh Ewen gets to grips with online rehearsals (photo: supplied)
AN INVERELL performance project that puts artists living with a disability centre stage has taken its platform online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the help of a micro grant from Arts North West, the group has found the virtual rehearsal room has expanded its horizons.
Stephanie Marshall is the creative director of Unstop-Ability, described as “a celebration of ability and inclusion”. She spoke with Arts North West about the collaborative nature of a venture that brings artists and audiences together, those who identify as living with a disability, and those who don’t.
“The restrictions brought about by Covid-19 have meant that I can’t meet with my participants in person,” she said. “I applied for a micro grant to roll out the Zoom app as a platform to allow my collaborating artists to still engage with each other and work towards our next performance”.
“I have been working with my participants now for around three months on the Zoom platform. Many live with a disability and are among the most economically challenged groups in our community.
“We have found that it is an effective tool to allow for collaboration and connection, but there have been technical challenges,” she said.
Overcoming hurdles
Featuring the performances of around 60 youth and adults of all abilities from the Inverell area, Unstop-Ability asks audiences and participants to focus on ability.
“On what we can do, not what we can’t,” the group’s Facebook description states. “It is inclusion turned on its head, because we invite people into somebody else’s world to widen our perspectives on creativity.”
The group has been thrilling audiences since 2018, with dance, sound and light, but according to Stephanie, having fast and reliable internet is the group’s “biggest concern” when faced with not being able to meet in person.
“Many of the participants need to access public Wi-Fi, which during the strictest Covid restrictions found places like McDonald’s restaurants and public libraries closed,” she said.
“However, despite the limitations, it’s been an overwhelmingly positive experience, with a lot of potential for continued use beyond Covid restrictions.
“Many of my participants are in remote rural communities, and it’s not always possible for them to get into Inverell to attend live rehearsals. Zoom allows them to still be connected and contributors despite the distance and their disability.
“It’s been a surprising thing to see how open the participants are to trying this new technology, and how easy the Zoom meeting lends itself to a rehearsal scenario.”
Find and follow Unstop-Ability on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unstopability/