Quick Bright Things Theatre Company rehearsing their production of Tempest! At the Project Art Centre Photo (c) Karl Burke

Since 2005 Arts & Disability Ireland has established several exceptional collaborations, enabling us to deliver high quality outcomes in new areas. Some highlights include:

Promoting Access

Audio Description & Captioning Services for Live Performance:

ADI is the sole provider of Audio Description and Captioning in the Republic of Ireland. Our Audio description service provides blind and visually impaired people with a simultaneous commentary of the visual elements of theatre, while Captioning is similar to television subtitling, and gives deaf and hard of hearing people access to live performance. Since 2006, ADI has worked with The Abbey Theatre and Dublin Theatre Festival to make live performance accessible to d/Deaf and Visually Impaired audiences. 

Disability Equality Training & Organisational Support:

ADI delivered a variety of Arts-Focused Disability Equality (DET) and Blind Awareness Training throughout 07/08/09, including in-service training for staff at The Arts Council, Theatre Forum (28 venue manager members), The Abbey Theatre, Dublin Theatre Festival, (Olympia & Gaiety Theatres) and the Irish Museum of Modern Art. We have also advised and supported numerous organisations on how they might make their venues more accessible to people with disabilities including Temple Bar Cultural Trust, The Ark, The Gate Theatre and Dublin Dance Festival.

Creative Production

Oska Bright Film Festival, Dublin:

Oska Bright is the first film festival anywhere in the world to be run by, and for, people with an intellectual (learning) disability. ADI hosted and supported the first international presentation of the biennale festival outside the U.K in December 2007, partnering with Filmbase and the National Institute for Intellectual Disability, Trinity College Dublin to present 40 films over 2 days as well as filmmaking masterclasses and Q&A sessions. ADI is pleased to be bringing Oska Bright back to Ireland again in 2009, this time with a national touring and workshop programme.

Counterbalance Integrated Dance Company:

Having begun its life as an ADI funded project under the artistic direction of choreographer Cathy O’Kennedy, the Counterbalance story enters a new phase in 2009 as it becomes an independent company. In 2008 ADI supported Counterbalance in the development and presentation of ‘Pieces of Elsewhere’ which premiered at the Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge in April '08.

Dublin Dance Festival:

ADI teamed up with the Dublin Dance Festival in 2008 to provide a professional development masterclass and post-show discussion featuring Girl Jonah at Dancehouse and Project Arts Centre. 

Quick Bright Things Theatre Co.

Quick Bright is an ensemble of 25 actors with intellectual disabilities under the direction of Declan Drohan based at St. John of God’s, Carmona Services, Glenageary, Dublin. The project promotes the mainstreaming of professional level theatre practise performed by adults with intellectual disabilities. Quick Bright Things presented Tempest! for 3 nights at the Project Arts Centre in December 07, offering an innovative deconstruction of Shakespeare's The Tempest.