Diversity in the theater

“Will have to change viewing habits”

Leonard Grobien and Florentine Krafft in the play "The Many Voices of My Brother", which will make a guest appearance at the Graz Playwrights' Festival on 25 May

(Bild: Heike Mondschein)

Which bodies fit into the theater? This question will be discussed by experts in Graz on Monday. More diversity will change art and culture both on and off the stage, says Lina Hölscher from the inclusive InTakt Festival.

What do actors look like? They are usually people without disabilities, with white skin, without dialects or speech impediments, young and more often male than female. "Which bodies fit into the theater?" is the provocative question posed by InTakt in cooperation with the Dramatiker*innenfestival on Monday (6 pm, Theater am Lend, free admission). Edith Draxl (uniT), Martina Kolbinger-Reiner (Mezzanin Theater), performance artist Elisabeth Löffler and cultural consultant Heidrun Primas will be looking for answers.

Lina Hölscher, the artistic director of the inclusive InTakt festival, will also be taking part. "The eye is used to a certain norm. But we will have to change viewing habits in order to sensitize people," says Hölscher. How can this be achieved? "Many roles are stereotypical. But there are ways of creating new dramaturgical settings: Woyzeck could be played by a deaf person because he is not understood. That way, the repertoire can be expanded."

Lina Hölscher and Christoph Kreinbucher-Bekerle, InTakt Festival

(Bild: InTakt Festival)

Hölscher is certain that inclusion has added value. "The way some people express themselves has its own quality. The language is different, not so uniform. That's good for the art bubble."

Barriers on the way to the stage
At the moment, good intentions are often thwarted by spatial barriers. For example, not all dressing rooms are connected to the stage without barriers - a prerequisite for actors with disabilities to be able to perform. The rehearsal process needs to be rethought. "That also costs money."

Standing tables, extra entrances, leporellos that are difficult to understand: it's also about sending out signals to the outside world. Everyone is entitled to art and culture.

Lina Hölscher

But it pays off, because when people with disabilities are on stage, more people come to watch. "Two thirds of people with disabilities in Graz have never been to the theater or opera," says Hölscher. In order to attract new audiences, however, some barriers need to be removed: "In some theaters, for example, there are only two wheelchair spaces, and they are not next to each other - so you can't have a 'date' there. At premiere parties, there are only bar tables. Audio description or a sign language interpreter is not always available."

So there are a lot of construction sites, but things are slowly starting to happen: for example, an inclusive play is on the program for the first time at the Dramatists' Festival, which takes place at Schauspielhaus Graz.