As part of the Europe Beyod Access UK, the ZAMEK Culture Centre in Poznań has the pleasure of presenting performances by British artists with disabilities and D/deaf artists. The main focus in this collaboration is on Wales. The visiting artists also lead workshops for audience groups with varying levels of professional experience, as well as training for the staff of the Poznań City Hall.
Performance ‘Remarkable Rhythm’ by Krystal S. Lowe
15.10, 18:00
CK Zamek w Poznaniu, Sala Wielka
Tickets: 40 zł (normal), 30 zł (children), 31 zł (disability discount) / age: 7+
One bench, two people, and five days. Rhythm is spontaneous and experiences life as movement; and all sound as music. Glas loves life smooth and stable; preferring things remain the same. When Rhythm and Glas meet at Bellevue park they have the five days of half-term to see if their friendship is worth keeping, before they go back to their separate schools. Will they find a way to create something remarkable and discover a rhythm that is theirs alone. Through music, movement, and mishap, these two young people experience the difficulty and joy in connecting with those unlike themselves.
Remarkable Rhythm is a dance theatre show for young people 7+ and their families created by Krystal S. Lowe in association with Theatr Iolo. With integrated audio description by the two dancers, this show is accessible to audiences who are blind or partially sighted and the physical storyline is visually clear so allows Deaf audiences the ability to also experience every show fully. Audio Described performances are designed for children (or their adults) who are blind or partially sighted. Audience members using this service listen to live verbal commentary describing what is happening on stage. They can also hear descriptions of the set, costumes, facial expressions, and body language. For Remarkable Rhythm, our Audio Description is a central part of the show with the performers speaking the Audio Description live while they dance. A touch tour gives blind or partially sighted audience members a chance to familiarise themselves with the set, props and costumes before the show begins. For Remarkable Rhythm, our Touch Tour is a central part of the show with all audiences being welcomed into the stage space as they enter each performance to explore the set, props and costumes before each show begins.
Writer, director: Krystal S. Lowe
Cast: Rhythm - Krystal S. Lowe, Glas - Amber Howells
Set Designer: Simin Ma
Lighting Designer: Elanor Higgins
Composers:- Tumi Williams and Craig Yellen
Production Manager: Nick Allsop
Touch Tour Guide: Krystal S. Lowe and Amber Howells
„TheBench/ Ławka" - improvised performance by Krystal S. Lowe & Theatre Klucz
16.10, 12:30
Dziedziniec Otwarty, CK Zamek / free entry/ age: b.o.
An unpredictable performative action in public space! One bench, ten dancers! We invite you to a meeting between Krystal S. Lowe from Wales and artists from Poznań's Klucz Theatre! Together, they will create improvised choreography in, on, under, and around a single object – an oversized bench, so large it evokes childhood memories and unbridled frolics in the park. Each person approaches the bench with no a plan or choreography. Each draws on their individual skills and interests to seek out what is magical and marvellous in the mundanity of a massive park bench. One dancer begins and independently explores the object. Upside down, on top, or underneath—whatever they choose, the possibilities are endless. Then others join them, filling the bench and the surrounding public space with dance. The only rule here is collaboration—dancers support each other, allowing their bodies to connect and intertwine in complex movements and dynamic shapes.
In a case of bad weather, "The Bench" will be moved inside the Castle - we will meet in the Atrum on the first floor (hall located in front of the Great Hall, the Exhibition Hall and the Palace Cinema).
Choreography workshop with Krystal S. Lowe for people with different bodies, minds and conditions
16.10, 18:00
CK Zamek in Poznań, Sala Wielka
Tickets: 10 zł (n) / age: 16+
Krystal S. Lowe's workshops are for those who enjoy storytelling and love movement. We invite everyone interested in dance, regardless of their level of professionalism, and regardless of their mental and physical condition! Artist will share her work methods, focusing on exploring storytelling through movement. Krystal S. Lowe is a Bermuda-born, Wales-based dancer, choreographer, writer, and director performing and creating dance theatre works for stage, public space, and film that explore themes of intersectional identity, mental health and wellbeing, and empowerment to challenge herself and audiences toward introspection and social change. She is passionate about integrating access and exploring multilingual work with a specific focus on British Sign Language, Welsh, and English. She has had an extensive career performing and touring with Ballet Cymru, Citrus Arts circus company, Ransack Dance, Theatr Iolo, The Successors of the Mandingue, and Laku Neg. Currently, she is an Associate Artist for Ballet Cymru, Trustee for National Dance Company Wales, and a member of Theatre for Young Audiences Cymru.
Performance ‘Louder Is Not Always Clearer’ by Jonnie Cotsen
20.03., 19:00
CK Zamek in Poznań
Theatre workshop with Jonny Cotsen for D/deaf and hearing people
21.03., 18:00
CK Zamek in Poznań
All these events are an important part of the theatre program at CK ZAMEK, which has focused on the work of non-normative artists since 2016. Their efforts in this area represent an important voice in the Polish and European discourse about the presence of people with disabilities and Deaf individuals on stage. Together with creators from Poland and abroad, they are renegotiating socially entrenched understandings of normativity in theatre. The conventions in theatre regarding appearance, physical or mental condition too often exclude people with disabilities from actively participating in culture, preventing their full presence in the creative environment.
From 2024 to 2027, CK ZAMEK is carrying out its theatre program in collaboration with nine partner institutions from Europe, as part of the EUROPE BEYOND ACCESS (EBA) project. EBA is the largest and most influential international initiative focused on the active participation of artists with disabilities in mainstream dance and theatre. The participation of British performers in the program implemented by CK ZAMEK in Poznań is an important element of the presentation of the work of professional artists with disabilities from outside Poland