| Frequently
Asked Questions
How many staff are permanent and how many are hired casually?
What are the roles of creative personal and administration staff?
We have three permanent office staff:
- General Manager – part time
· responsible for the marketing and management of the schools
program
· plans the yearly program of events with the Artistic Director
· maintains industry contacts
· submits funding applications
· communicates with the company board while ensuring the company
functions smoothly and effectively on a daily basis
- Artistic Director – full time
· creates the artistic program
· directs, writes and rehearses new work for the mainstage and
schools programs
· organises training for the actors
· selects actors
- Financial and
Office Administrator– part time
· manages the company accounts
· schedules the travel
and accommodation of the schools program
· general office duties
We also employ 3 deaf actors for 7 months per year for
the schools program. We employ up to 6 actors for periods of up to 3 months
for mainstage productions plus directors and technical staff. We also
contract interpreters to work at different times.
Who is the main audience of ATOD performances?
We have 3 main arms of the company and each has a different target audience,
although some do cross over; schools touring program, interpreted theatre
and mainstage theatre. The audience for our Schools Touring Program are
teachers and students. The teachers are our marketing target whereas our
students are the audience. The deaf community is our audience for Interpreted
Theatre. (We organise for major theatre productions to be interpreted
into Auslan, like Sydney Theatre Company or Belvoir.) Our mainstage theatre
audience consists of both deaf and hearing adult theatregoers. We are
currently trying to broaden our target audience for mainstage productions
by staging our next show at the Darlinghurst Theatre.
What makes ATOD performances appeal to deaf and
hearing impaired people? What techniques do you use?
Our performances appeal to deaf people because the majority
of our actors are deaf, often our directors are deaf and we use either
Auslan or a form of visual gesture/communication/mime in our productions.
This means they can relate and understand the content. Often our shows
are not about deafness and I think deaf people relate to this very well
as, although they are deaf they also enjoy and experience all other aspects
of life just the same as hearing people eg relationship, family and employment
issues.
Is it also beneficial to a hearing audience?
Absolutely. All our shows can be understood and enjoyed by a
hearing audience. In particular our school shows are targeted towards
hearing students. It helps them understand the importance of visual communication,
gesture and body language. At the same time we are exposing them to deafness,
most children very rarely meet a deaf person and can have preconceived
ideas, eg that the deaf are not as capable as the hearing. When our shows
are in Auslan there is a simultaneous interpretation into English.
Do you have a stated policy in regard to the
deaf community?
Yes. We are committed to the principle of accessibility and we consult
people from the deaf community. Hearing staff learn Auslan to facilitate
communication with deaf employees. We have a deaf telephone or TTY, which
the deaf and hearing can use. Our board consists of deaf and hearing people.
Do you believe that your company effectively
caters for deaf and hearing-impaired people better than mainstream Australian
theatre companies? What can you offer for these people that they can't?
Yes. We can offer the deaf community performances that they
can understand. In Sydney there are very few live shows interpreted into
Auslan.
Who was the main founder/establisher of ATOD?
As mentioned in Company History, ATOD was started by a group
of Deaf people interested in entertaining the deaf community and offering
the deaf an opportunity to express themselves creatively. In 1979, with
backing from the Australia Council and the Elizabethan Theatre Trust,
NSW Theatre of the Deaf was launched as a professional theatre company.
It later became Theatre of the Deaf and then Australian Theatre of the
Deaf.
What issues are dealt with in performances and
productions?
We deal with a range of issues. Currently our school shows cover
both political and social issues. Communication, history, relationships,
cultural difference, refugees and detention centres are current themes.
Would you refer to ATOD as being a company performing
for and by deaf people, or as a theatre company for everyone?
ATOD is a company for everyone, performed and created by the
deaf. As our name suggests we are Australian Theatre of the Deaf.
How do you believe ATOD has helped shape the
face of Australian theatre?
Although ATOD is a small company we have been operating for
25 years and during that time have produced many shows, which have been
seen by thousands of people. We have worked with other companies and influenced
and developed new methods and techniques. Our most profound impact is
on young people in schools.
Do you think the work you produce challenges
stereotypes? If so, how does it do this?
We definitely challenge stereotypes. When we visit schools and groups
that may not have a high level of exposure to the deaf community we are
being role models by producing theatre that is imaginative, instructive
and entertaining. For students the skill, creativity and leadership they
see in the deaf actors makes them reappraise their perceptions of deaf
people.
Have the attitudes of critics and audiences towards
the company's work changed over time?
We have always struggled to afford a regular mainstage program yet this
is the only time we can receive reviews or newspaper criticism. When we
do produce a mainstage and we can encourage reviewers to come along they
generally give us strong reviews.
How do you create your theatre?
Normally we start with a story or basic scenerio and experiment
in a workshop environment. We then discuss, discard and add until we develop
a final scenario. A typcial rehearsal of a schools show is 3 weeks. A
main stage is around 4-6 weeks.
How do you develop new plays? Is there particular
subject material you like to focus on?
School works focus on subjects that relate to the age group and current
school curriculum. Mainstage works come from a variety of sources, like
an external writer or poet or a theme that is relevant to the deaf community
or that the actors/director are particularly interested in. Sometimes
we commission a writer to create a new play and pay them a fee.
How is ATOD funded?
ATOD is funded by the Theatre Board of the Australia Council for the Arts
and the NSW Ministry for the Arts. The company is also sponsored by Printacall
and Toyota.
Please contact ATOD via email if you have any other
questions - info@atod.org.au
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