• Date and time: Tuesday 5 December 2023, 7pm
  • Location: Black Box Theatre TFTV/046, School of Arts and Creative Technologies East, Campus East, University of York (Map)
  • Audience: Open to staff, students, the public
  • Admission: Free admission, booking required

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Event details

Before 2018, theatre director Amy Leach hadn’t given much thought to audio description, captioning, or sign language in her work. But a series of encounters, provocations and opportunities opened up a new creative pathway, leading to an explosion in her creative practice and the making of a variety of different theatre productions which integrated access as an integral creative layer.


This session will explore the journey of a director who has found her practice expanded and enriched in a thrilling new direction. She explores how, as theatre-makers, we can see sign language, audio description and captioning not purely as add-on access tools but as new creative possibilities. How might we go about exploring the creative opportunities of integrating access into our work? And who are the new collaborators with whom to make this happen?

About the speaker

Amy Leach

After working across the UK for 15 years as a freelance director and facilitator, Amy joined Leeds Playhouse in 2017 as Associate Director. Now Deputy Artistic Director at the theatre, she is a champion of creating accessible theatre.
 
Amy’s directing credits at Leeds Playhouse include Macbeth, Lord of the Flies, Don’t You Know It’s Going To Be Alright, Oliver Twist, There Are No Beginnings, Hamlet, Road, A Christmas Carol, Talking Heads, Queen of Chapeltown, Romeo and Juliet, Kes, The Night Before Christmas and Little Sure Shot. Amy has also directed work for Hull Truck Theatre, Sherman Theatre Cardiff, National Theatre Wales, National Theatre Studio, Gagglebabble, Wales Millennium Centre, Unicorn Theatre London, Library Theatre Manchester, The Egg Bath, Dukes Lancaster and Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester.

Between 2003 and 2011, Amy co-founded and ran en masse, an award-winning touring theatre company which created work for young people and their families.

Venue details

  • Wheelchair accessible

Contact

TFTI Events