Open Call for Visually Impaired Early-Career Creatives with an Interest in New Musical Theatre
We are thrilled to offer fully funded placements for two early-career creatives with visual impairments to shadow and participate in a Research and Development week for the new musical, ‘Otto Weidt’s Brush & Broom Workshop for the Blind’.
Application deadline: 11:59PM (BST) on Monday 2nd of October 2023.
R&D dates: 16th-20th of October 2023.
About ‘Otto Weidt’s Brush & Broom Workshop for the Blind’
Otto Weidt is a new musical by Amir Shoenfeld and Caitlyn Burt. The show is inspired by the true story of Otto Weidt – a blind German man who employed visually impaired Jewish people in his brush and broom workshop and shielded them from Nazi persecution. The show features integrated “stealth” audio description, weaving visual information into dialogue, lyrics and soundscapes to create an elevated experience for audiences with any level of sight.
About the Opportunity
Where: Leeds Playhouse.
When: 16th-20th of October 2023.
We will hold a Research and Development (R&D) week, hosted by Leeds Playhouse, where we will focus on creative access. During the week, we will share the latest draft of the libretto and score with a team of visually impaired creatives and experts in accessible theatre. We will explore and analyse the narrative and consult with our participants on how to make the piece’s integrated audio description effective, creative and entertaining.
If selected, you will –
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Have the opportunity to shadow, learn from and actively participate in the development of a new musical;
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Gain insight into the theory, techniques and language of musical theatre writing;
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Work alongside a team of established visually impaired creatives to provide valuable input to help us refine the representation of visual impairment in the musical and make the show more accessible.
Who Can Apply
The purpose of this opportunity is to provide creatives with access to, and practical experience in, the process of making new musical theatre. We are particularly interested in reducing and breaking down barriers into the industry for creatives who are disabled by inaccessible training or work opportunities. Due to the subject matter and the importance of authentic representation within the creative team, we encourage applications from visually impaired early-career creatives with an interest in musical theatre (prior experience in musical theatre is welcome, but not required). Applicants might have experience in playwriting, music composition, songwriting, performance or any other creative background. We welcome applications from creatives of any age, co-existing disability, gender identity, race, faith, sex and sexual orientation. We welcome applications from anywhere in the UK.
Fees
Each of the two early-career creatives will receive a fee of £416.80 and an additional accommodation & meal allowance of £311. Travel costs above £30 will be reimbursed up to £126 following ITC guidelines.
Access
Three Access Support Workers will be engaged and available throughout the R&D week. If you require support with travel to Leeds or booking accommodation, please specify this in your application. Information about access at Lees Playhouse can be found in the following link and on the Leeds Playhouse website.
https://leedsplayhouse.org.uk/visit-us/access-facilities/
How to Apply
We invite applicants to make submissions in text, audio or video. If submitting in text, please submit a PDF or text file no longer than one side of an A4 page. If submitting in audio or video, please submit a file no longer than 2 minutes. Applicants are welcome to attach a CV or links to a portfolio or website. Please contact us if you have any other submission preference.
Please provide a personal statement addressing the following:
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Your experience as a creative artist.
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Any experience in musical theatre (if applicable).
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Your future creative career ambitions.
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Why you are interested in this opportunity.
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Any access requirements you might have.
Submissions should be sent to OttoWeidtMusical@gmail.com by 11:59PM (BST) on Monday 2nd October 2023. Applicants will be informed whether they have been shortlisted by Tuesday 3rd October. Online interviews with shortlisted applicants will be held throughout the week commencing Monday 2nd October. Final decisions and offers will be sent by Friday 6 October.
We look forward to your submission. For any further questions, clarifications or request, our email address is OttoWeidtMusical@gmail.com