(The
cast and director of “Listen with your Eyes)
Catalina UnLtd proudly announces that
Catalina’s Deaf production Listen with
Your Eyes, a comedy play created and performed by Bo Tasker, Darren Rajbal
and Ismael Mansoor and directed by Alison Swannack, is going international.
Catalina UnLtd has decided to showcase Listen With Your Eyes by running the
play again from tonight (May 30) to June 1 2013 at the Catalina Theatre for
those who missed this incredible show last year.
Listen
with your Eyes took Catalina’s “Talking Hands”, the
first ever Deaf theatre Festival delivered in South Africa, by storm last year.
It has been selected for the Festival Clin d’Oeil (European Deaf Theatre
Festival) in Reims, France. While showcasing the richness of performance art
among the South African Deaf Community, the cast will be exposed to the
excitement of the international Deaf Theatre world at a time when this Deaf
Cultural Festival celebrates its 10th year.
Festival Clin d’Oeil was created in 2003
(European Year of Disabled Person) and this year will run from July 5 to 7.
This multidisciplinary arts festival is aimed at highlighting the richness of
the Deaf community. This unique festival has become a reference and an essential
event to the global Deaf community as it opens a space for artistic expression
and communication which is accessible to both Deaf and Hearing people. In addition
to the performance of Listen with your
Eyes, the festival has also requested the performance of Rainbow Magic for the street theatre
aspect of the Festival, as well as two workshops for children.
Message from Mr David de Keyzer, the
Festival director: ‘I always take great pleasure in meeting new artists and
that is why we have chosen to invite the cast from Catalina UnLtd. It is very
important for us to promote foreign artists in Europe, at Festival Clin d'Oeil.
We encourage the exchange of experiences and cultures in which results in
constant evolution of our art. I will be amazed by the South African culture
now, and the audience can also discover this culture so far from France … We
are very pleased with the arrival of these great artists. With more than 6,000
persons attending the Festival in 2011, Clin d’Oeil is today the international central
meeting event of Deaf culture.
“Diversity, protection and development of
languages are a central concern of the Festival,” de Keyzer continues. “Greater
diversity in the public audience is now fortunately possible thanks to the 15
interpreters present, the vélotypie, subtitling and the magnetic loop, which
allows meetings and exchanges between deaf and hearing people.”
The play Listen with your Eyes is a Deaf-only comedy based in a science lab.
The hearing scientist and his Deaf assistant find communication a big challenge
and they set about designing a robot to interpret for them. While designing the
robot, the hearing scientist learns a lot about Deaf people’s communication
needs but not without loads of humour!
This is the first time ever for a Deaf-led
and exclusive South African cast and director to perform on the international
stage, which makes history for Catalina UnLtd and South Africa!
The former Artistic Director of Catalina
UnLtd, Mr Themi Venturas, says, “We have embraced the Deaf community and deaf
artists at Catalina, and it is gratifying to see this international recognition
for their efforts. The play is sure to be well received in France, and we are
currently looking for funding and sponsors for our talented cast and director.”
The festival is paying 50% of the airfares
for four people, Ismael Mansoor, Darren Rajbal, Bo Tasker and Alison Swannack
and providing a small fee for the performances.
“All we need to showcase South African Deaf
theatre talent in Europe is to find the funders. A reasonable amount for these
amazing South Africans to showcase their work on behalf of the city, the
Province and the country,” notes Mr Venturas. ”Any assistance would be greatly
appreciated.”
Listen
With Your Ears runs tonight and tomorrow night (May
30 and 31) at 20h00 and on June 1 at 14h00 and 20h00. To book visit http://online.computicket.com/web/event/listen_with_your_eyes
or call the theatre for more information on 031 837 5999 (between 10h00 and
16h00).
For further information or to make a
contribution email Alison Swannack at listenwye@gmail.com
or contact Francis Doherty-Bigara at 072 795 5965. You can also visit http://listenwye.wix.com/about
or www.catalinatheatre.co.za
For more information on Festival d’Oeil, visit website www.clin-doeil.eu/2013
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