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BBC News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Edinburgh Fringe shows that put accessibility centre stage
The Edinburgh Fringe can be a maze for blind and visually-impaired pop-up venues, jam-packed schedules and minimal thought given to access, it often feels like an afterthought, if it's considered at year, though, one venue is trying something Playground has teamed up with Extant, the UK's leading professional company of visually impaired artists, to put accessibility centre stage. What is the mission? The Fringe can overwhelm me. It's loud, crowded, and I'm left wondering: will the venue work for me and my guide dog, Major? These thoughts hit me before I even book a year, three shows at ZOO Playground were marked as among the most accessible. I tried one.I picked Big Little Sister, a solo show by Holly Gifford. Before the 10:35 morning performance, Holly herself took me and other audience members on a touch tour, guiding us around the stage, letting us handle props, feel the layout and even try a prop from the the time she stepped out to perform, I already had a clear picture of the space, her actions, and captions she uses on a screen. Because the show was built to be accessible, I didn't need audio description. It flowed without visual reliance. Making it part of the show Usually, I'd use a headset for live description. I do welcome it, but it splits your focus, one ear on the live performance, the other on a describer. This was different. Holly had done the groundwork in advance, so I didn't need that extra at ZOO had genuinely thought things through. From arrival to departure, I felt looked after as they clearly had training in how to guide visually-impaired audiences. That's rare. ZOO Playground, known for emerging artists and smaller productions, took on a challenge this year. They worked with Extant, the UK's leading professional company of visually impaired artists, to rethink access. Extant is led by Maria Oshodi, a blind theatre director and says the aim is long-term change: "We're showing that accessibility can be built in from the start, not tacked on at the end. Once you work this way, you don't go back."Three headline shows, Big Little Sister, Small Town Boys, and I Think It Could Work, are part of Extant's Enhance includes a touch tour, live programme notes, and visual awareness training for staff and creators. Other shows were encouraged to include audio introductions or describe their stage setting at the start where possible."This is about breaking down barriers," says James Mackenzie, ZOO's artistic director."We can't alter buildings or knock down walls, most spaces are temporary, but we can change attitudes and the way we operate." 'It's just a different way to tell the story' Holly Gifford's show, Big Little Sister, is based on her relationship with her older brother Patrick, who is deafblind, has cerebral palsy, and severe learning disabilities."He's my big brother, but in a lot of ways I've had to be the one taking responsibility," she says. "That's where the title comes from."She wanted the show to speak to people who actually live with disability, not just those watching from the outside."I didn't want to make something that makes non-disabled audiences feel moved or uplifted, but doesn't change anything. This show is about telling the truth of our story."Working with Extant helped her shape the experience for blind audiences."We looked at what parts needed describing and how to do it in a way that felt like storytelling, not a bolt-on. It wasn't a chore. It made the show better."The performance includes pre-recorded lines from Patrick's communication aid, and Holly plays both herself and her dad, complete with a full drag beard, one of the props she includes in her touch says making her show accessible didn't cost a fortune or require a technical overhaul."People assume it's going to be expensive or really difficult. It's not. It just takes a bit of effort and a willingness to try." 'It shouldn't be the exception' As a blind audience member, this felt different, not just because I could follow the show without strain, but because someone had thought about what I might need. It's rare at the Fringe to feel that happening at ZOO Playground shouldn't be a one-off. If a small venue can pull this off at the busiest arts festival in the world, there's no reason others can't do the same.
Scotsman
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
The first 'fully accessible' Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue to be launched this summer
The fully accessible venues for people with visual impairment (VI) are the first of their kind at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The first fully accessible Fringe venue for people with visual impairment is to be created this summer. Some shows at Zoo, which runs three city venues during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, will have audio description, as well as providing live programme notes and tactile touch tours before performances of three shows due to be held at the site. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The accessibility has been pioneered by Extant, a professional performing arts company of blind and visually impaired artists, in partnership with Sight Scotland and Visually Impaired Creators Scotland (VICS). Big Little Sister is one of the shows which will be fully accessible to people with visual impairment. | Big Little Sister Last year, there were about only 40 shows across the whole of the Edinburgh Fringe with audio description. The three shows set to take part in the trial are Holly Gifford's Big Little Sister, Shaper/Caper's Small Town Boys and Full Out Formula/Almanac Projects' I Think It Could Work. Ms Gifford said: 'We're so excited to be working with Extant to provide access performances of our show. The story we're telling is one that needs to reach the right audiences, and being part of Enhance not only makes that possible, it expands what storytelling means to us.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Extant approach is designed to cater to a range of productions and budgets. Options offered to participating shows include simple self-descriptions for solo performers, pre-recorded audio introductions that describe key visual elements of a show, and headset-based live audio description written and delivered by trained professionals. Extant, which was formed in 1997 by founder Maria Oshodi and a group of professional visually impaired artists, also has expertise in working directly with creative teams to embed inclusive practices into the fabric of the work through integrated or creative audio description. The company aims to redress invisibility of blind and partially sighted artists, explore new creative territories and become a dynamic, political space to articulate and celebrate what visual impairment brings to the performing arts. Zoo venues staff will receive visual impairment awareness training led by Extant's experienced facilitators, with the goal of making sure accessible practice is properly understood. Touch tour training will also be provided to the creative teams for the three shows. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The programme will include the return of Extant's annual Open House on Access, creating space for conversation, inspiration and practical advice on making the arts more inclusive. Tam Gilbert, Extant's trainee artistic director, said: 'Extant are thrilled to be partnering with Zoo this year to increase accessibility for visually impaired audiences at Edinburgh Fringe.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Obama's daughter accused of copying indie creator's short film: 'I was disappointed and hurt'
An indie creator accused Malia Obama of stealing her work for a big brand commercial that Malia recently made. Indie filmmaker Natalie Jasmine Harris has accused former president Barack Obama's daughter Malia of copying her short film Grace in her Nike advertisement. Harris said she met Malia at Sundance in 2024 when her 'Grace' and Malia Obama's 'The Heart' were both in competition. Harris made a post on X earlier this month about the shocking similaries and the exact scene which she felt was copied from her film. Harris told Business Insider that two people playing pat-a-cake was the scene that was similar and to this accusation many people told her that she didn't invent pat-a-cake. "And that's very true. But it's not about the game. It's about the cinematic tools used to depict it," Harris said. "Initially, I was disappointed and hurt — not just for myself but for my entire team. I sent the commercial to friends who had the same reaction I did. One put together a shot-by-shot photo comparison," she said. "My cinematographer, Tehillah De Castro, noted a lot of similarities from a technical perspective, from the camera angles to the shots to the framing composition and the color palette." "It speaks to a larger issue of brands not supporting independent artists and opting for folks who already have name recognition, which doesn't breed innovative films or original storytelling. If they wanted these shots that were similar to my shots, why not hire me to direct?" 'I was hesitant since it involves former president's daughter' Harris said she would like some acknowledgement from Nike or Malia Obama. "I was initially hesitant to speak out, since it involves a former president's daughter and a beloved brand like I've poured too much into my work to just sit by and watch," she said. Who is Malia Obama? Barack and Michelle's eldest daughter Malia Obama is a writer, director. In 2021, Malia graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. But film was her key interest and she many prestigious internships. In 2014 she was a production assistant on the set of 'Extant' and even worked in the writer's room for HBO's 'Girls' in 2015. In 2017, Malia had a quick stint at The Weinstein Company in 2017. By the time, she ended college, she was fully working in the entertainment industry, In 2023, she doubted as a writer on Donald Glover's viral Amazon Prime Video limited series 'Swarm". In 2024, Malia chose to stop using her last name to come out of her parents' shadow and refeashjioned her name as Malia Ann.
