Lewis Beaver

 Access. It is something that should be thought about more. Now, access can mean different things, my work focuses on two aspects. First, it is making theatre accessible to those who typically cannot make it to theatre. Recently, I worked on a TYA project that the whole point was to take the show to schools and a children’s behavioral hospital. My job was to make the set show the story while also making it so it could easily travel, the same with the props. This provided children a way to see theatre without having to go to a theatre it was brought to them, it was accessible to them. Another aspect of accessibility that I am passionate about is providing access to those with disabilities. As an ASL interpreter myself I have a unique perspective to provide on the staging of interpreters so that they can be a part of the story while providing access for Deaf audience members. I also have been working on a theoretical project that involves ramps in the set so that actors in wheelchairs, crutches, and everyone can play with levels on stage. This same project also holds lots of texture in the walls which pulls the audience into the story but also provides an opportunity to give a touch-tour for those who are blind or low-vision. Access for disabilities doesn't just affect those who have disabilities but it can make the world of the play more enticing to audience members. 

          My work as a designer and technician is to bring the world I see in my head when I read a play or other designers’ vision to fruition. Theatre is a collaborative art form that makes it so all the worlds we see in our head can come together to build one that we then give the audience to experience.