Accessibility Support

The Canadian Association for Theatre Research and the Société québécoise d'études théâtrales are pleased to provide accessibility support for the 2021 joint online conference.

We, the organizers of the 2021 online conference of of the Canadian Association for Theatre Research (CATR/ACRT) and the Société québécoise d'études théâtrales (SQET) want to offer this statement as a reflection upon the work we are doing to offer better accessibility to conference participants, and to also acknowledge that we are continuously learning.

This year we are working across four languages: French, English, American Sign Language (ASL), and la langue des signes québécoise (LSQ). We have also worked to integrate AI captioning into our meetings, as well as enhancing our website with additional accessibility features, such as a plain text schedule and clearer protocols for integrating access into our gathering.

As you navigate the multiple 'acts' of this conference, we encourage you to approach the conference environment and how you participate within it in ways that are most conducive to you and your needs at this time. We recognize and appreciate the difficulties that many of our members have faced over the last year and want this conference experience to be accessible and generative to all.

With that said, we recognize there are still elements of this online conference format that are inaccessible or less accessible to certain communities or individuals. Throughout the conference we aim to be transparent about what accessibility features are being offered at various events, and will continue working to improve each year. We thank you for your understanding and welcome any feedback on how we may improve and/or enhance your experience of the conference moving forward. If you have any specific additional accessibility requests, please reach out to Neil Silcox at info@theatreagora.ca to enquire about possible arrangements.

Closed Captioning

Closed captioning generated by Zoom will be available for all English-language sessions throughout the conference for anyone who would care to use it. Simply click the "CC" button at the bottom of the Zoom window and select "show subtitle". To adjust the size of the text click the "CC" button and select "Subtitle Settings" - you can then use the bar at the top of the pop-up window to set the text size that works for you. Sadly, the AI which does our captioning is far from perfect and cannot transcribe in French. Apologies for the inconvenience.

American Sign Language (ASL) / Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) Support

Keynotes and plenary roundtables will be supported by ASL or LSQ, corresponding with the dominant language of the event.

Access Papers

For sessions where access papers are available, you can download a PDF from the event page. They will be linked to text which says "Download the access paper by clicking here." Unfortunately access papers are only available for some events, though all keynotes will have access papers.

Screen Reader and Audio-Visual Description

We are using a screen reader plug-in by UserWay. It is located at the bottom right corner of your screen. This screen reader works much better for English text than for French. If you click on the blue circle button with a white stick figure, you will see many access options. Here are some options you might see:

The half-moon allows you to change the contrast (Black on White vs. White on Black).

The T sign with a double-sided arrow allows you to change the size of the font on the page.

The two "a"s, the first of which is in caps, means that you can change the font of the writing on the page.

The circle arrow allows you to reset to your default settings.

The white right-side pointing arrow is a Text-to-Speech converter that will read the text on the page aloud.

The right hovering arrow allows you to click anywhere on the page to have the text read aloud.

Clicking the white wheel on the right-hand side allows you to sign up for an online account to keep your accessibility options across several devices, as well as to further customize your accessibility options.

Clicking the "X" on the right-hand corner will close the accessibility menu.

We have encouraged colleagues to give visual descriptions of themselves during pre-recorded and live sessions. We recognize this is not always consistent.

Conference Schedule for Acts 1-3 (Plain Text)

For CATR/SQET 2021 Conference June 10th, 11th, 25th, and 26th and July 8th and 9th, 2021, each event includes a link to the event page on the TheatreAgora.ca website, where you will be able to use the "Join Now in Room X" button to connect with the Zoom call. In order to access event pages, you will need to register for the conference (which can be done by clicking HERE) and then log in to the website (which can be done HERE). If you are having trouble, or require additional assistance, please reach out to Neil Silcox at info@theatreagora.ca.

Download the plain-text version of the schedule for Acts 1-3 as a Word document HERE, or as a PDF HERE

Accessing Kumospace

To access Kumospace, use the link button on the "Today" page. You will then be asked to put in your name and give webcam and microphone access through your web browser. From then on Kumospace can be navigated using only your mouse. Kumospace uses virtual proximity to make people closer to you audible, this is indicated by an illuminated circle around your video square. (N.B. The preferred browser is Chrome.)

Better Access and Translations Practices

For more information about how to best integrate accessibility in this year's online conference, please take a look at our better practices guide below:

Better practices for accessibility and translation

Events and Accessibility: Synchronous Sessions

DAY 1: June 10th

Welcoming Remarks: Kevin Kee and Yana Meerzon. Live opening remarks on Zoom; spoken in both English and French. Live translation in the chat will be available in both languages.

Harvey Young Keynote and Ann Saddlemyer Award. Live keynote on Zoom; spoken in English. Live ASL interpretation will be offered for this event. During the Q & A portion of the keynote, live translation from English to French will be available in the chat. Access papers are also available for download on the event page in both languages. These may be accessed anytime by clicking HERE.

PANEL SESSIONS

Theatre Pedagogy and the Climate Crisis. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

From Crisis and Recovery to Discovery: Innovation and Connection Across Virtual and Global Landscapes. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Improvising Futures: Lessons from COVID-19. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

ROUND TABLE

Indigenous Theatre Practice and Research. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English with live ASL interpretation. There will also be live translation from English to French available in the chat.

WORKING GROUPS

Disability, Pedagogies, and Performance. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English with live ASL interpretation. No translation will be offered for this event.

Somatic Engagement. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English and French. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Canadian Theatre Review Issue 186 Launch. Live social event in Kumospace; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Conference Welcome and Social Event. Live social event in Kumospace; spoken in English and in French. Live translation in both languages will be offered in the chat for this event. No ASL interpretation will be offered.

DAY 2: June 11th

PANEL SESSIONS

Living Waste: A Roundtable on Material Performance and Ecology Amidst the Climate Crisis. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Adapting to Crises: Global Responses by Playwrights, Performance Companies, and Protests. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Classrooms and Curricula: Socially Responsible and Just Teaching Strategies. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

ROUND TABLE

International Conversation on Theatre and Crisis. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English. There be live chat translation available in both languages. No ASL interpretation will be offered for this event.

Theatre Research in Canada Issue 42.1 Launch. Live social event on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

ROUND TABLE

Roundtable on the State of Hiring and Contingent Labour in the Field. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English and French with live translation available in both languages. No ASL interpretation will be offered for this event.

PANEL SESSIONS

Disability Justice in Applied Theatre: What Covid-19 Reveals about Accessibility in the Arts. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. Live ASL interpretation will be offered for this event. No translation will be offered for this event.

How We Gather Now: A Finding Aid Virtual Exhibition Prototype Presentation. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

The Personal and the Political: Responding to Contemporary Crises. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English and French. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

ROUND TABLE

Carry it Forward, Covid-Era Lessons in Theatre Pedagogy for a Post-Pandemic World. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English. Live translation from English to French will be offered for this event. No ASL interpretation will be available.

Playwrights Canada Press (PCP) Event. Live social event on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

DAY 3: June 25th

PANEL SESSIONS

Building Other Worlds: The Possibilities of Heterotopia, Ethnobricolage, and Devising Practices. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Dwellings Now--Searching for Imaginary Futures. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Welcoming Remarks: Catherine Tadros and Nicole Nolette. Live opening remarks on Zoom; spoken in French and English. Live LSQ interpretation and translation from both languages will be available in the chat.

Sylvie Chalaye Keynote and 2021 Jean-Cléo Godin Award (SQET). Live keynote on Zoom; spoken in French. Live LSQ interpretation will be offered for this event. During the Q & A portion of the keynote, live translation from French to English will be available in the chat. Access papers are also available for download on the event page in both languages. These may be accessed anytime by clicking HERE.

PANEL SESSIONS

Performing Dramaturgies of Care: Staging Age, Memory, and Virtual Community in the Covid-19 Pandemic. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

The global pandemic as creative force in Autour du rose enfer des animaux. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in French. No LSQ interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

The Urgency of Agency: Diverse Perspectives on Cultural 'Presumptions' about the Social Contract of Theatre-Making. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

ROUND TABLE

The theatre, "Francophonie," and crisis. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in French with live LSQ interpretation. There will also be live translation from French to English available in the chat.

WORKING GROUPS

Quebec Theatre Of Yesterday And Today: Theatre and Performance in Quebec Before and During The Global Pandemic. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in French. No LSQ interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Moving Together to Reclaim and Resist. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Performance History. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

ROUND TABLE

"Francophonie" and diversity. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in French with live LSQ interpretation. There will also be live translation from French to English available in the chat.

DAY 4: June 26th

PANEL SESSIONS

"Why Study Theatre?" Examining Claims for a Post-Secondary Liberal Arts Theatre Education in Canada. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

(Im)mediate Spectating: Hypermediacy, Telepresence, Fandom, and Digital Ghosts. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

PERFORMANCE

The Singing Field: A Performance of Environmental Vocal Exploration. Screening of pre-recorded performance with live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English with certain segments spoken in French. No ASL or LSQ interpretation, or translation will be offered for this event.

ROUND TABLE

Contemporary Circus and Crisis: Training and Educational Contexts. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in French with live LSQ interpretation. There will also be live translation from French to English available in the chat.

PERFORMANCE

100 Watt Productions and '12': Political Theatre with Youth. Live performance on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

PANEL SESSIONS

Performance and Pandemic: Mirrored Themes in Life and On-Stage. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Relation, Resilience, and Revitalization. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

videocan Report 2021: International Attitudes and Regulations on Video Documentation. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

WORKING GROUPS

Canadian Soundings. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Theatre and Training: Training in the performing arts and related research in the context of the pandemic. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in French. No LSQ interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

CATR/SQET Awards Ceremony and Celebration of Percées. Live social event on Zoom; spoken in English and in French. Live translation in both languages will be offered in the chat for this event. No ASL or LSQ interpretation will be offered.

Day 5: July 8th

PANEL SESSIONS

Ecological Possibilities in Interspecies Relations, Post-Human Environments, and the Anthropocene. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

New Ways of Being Together? Gathering in Conference, Sport, and Theatre Spaces During Covid-19. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English and in French. Live translation in both languages will be available in the chat. No ASL interpretation will be offered for this event.

Round Table: Research On Quebec Theatre At The Time Of Covid. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in French. No LSQ interpretation or translation will be available for this event.

Welcoming Remarks: Jeffery Taylor and Katrina Dunn, and Announcement of the 2021 Richard Plant Award & SQET Honorary Membership. Live opening remarks and award presentations on Zoom; spoken in English and in French. Live ASL interpretation and translation from both languages will be available in the chat.

Kevin Loring Keynote. Live keynote on Zoom; spoken in English and in French. Live ASL interpretation will be offered for this event. During the Q & A portion of the keynote, live translation from both languages will be available in the chat.

PANEL SESSIONS

Wreckonciliatory Acts. **Postponed**

Performance Activism for a Just Transition. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

PLEDGE Project at 5 Years: CATR Panel Presentation about Gender Parity in Canadian Theatre Programs. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

ROUND TABLE

Round Table: BLM and the Canadian Theatre and Performance Landscape. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English with live ASL interpretation. There will also be live translation from English to French available in the chat.

WORKING GROUPS

Playwrights Guild of Canada (PGC) sponsored PLEDGE Readings & Announcement of Patrick O'Neill Award (CATR). Live reading and award presentation on Zoom; spoken in English and in French. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Research-creation: Redefining The Modes Of Diffusion Of Stage Creation. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in French. No LSQ interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Age and Performance. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Talonbooks Author Interviews and Reading. Live social event on Zoom; spoken in English and in French. Live translation will be available in both languages. No ASL interpretation will be offered for this event.

Survival and Reinvention: Covid-Era Digital Theatre, Pedagogy, and Spectatorship & Performances: VR Orpheus opera and the BMO Lab. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Day 6: July 9th

PANEL SESSIONS

Pandemic Pedagogy Pop-Up. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Watching Me, Watching You: Moving Performance Online. Live panel on Zoom; spoken in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

ROUND TABLE

Survival and Reinvention: Digital Theatre: A Necessary Evolution. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English with live translation from English to French available in the chat. No ASL interpretation will be offered for this event.

Survival and Reinvention: Zoom Plays as Pedagogy. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English with live translation from English to French available in the chat. No ASL interpretation will be offered for this event.

Survival and Reinvention: The Online Spectator: Exploring Digital Audiences' Sense-Making. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English with live translation from English to French available in the chat. No ASL interpretation will be offered for this event.

Survival and Reinvention: The Pandemic Pivot: Artists, Audiences, and Adaptation. Live discussion on Zoom; spoken in English with live translation from English to French available in the chat. No ASL interpretation will be offered for this event.

Closing Remarks. Live closing remarks on Zoom; spoken in English and in French with live ASL interpretation. Live translation from both languages will also be available in the chat.

A Toast to the Conference. Live social event in Kumospace; spoken in English and in French. Live translation from both languages will be offered in the chat. No ASL interpretation will be offered for this event.

Asynchronous Presentations

These sessions will be available through the conference website from June 10th, 2021.

Surviving the Pandemic with Site-specific Theatre. Asynchronous roundtable discussion on theatreagora.ca in English. YouTube generated captions will be available in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Site-specific Performance and Climate Change Activism: a Theatre Practitioner Round Table. Asynchronous roundtable discussion on theatreagora.ca in English. YouTube generated captions will be available in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

The Crisis of Criticism, Redux. Asynchronous presentation on theatreagora.ca in English. YouTube generated captions will be available in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Resonance, Inspiration and Resolution: a Phenomenological Investigation of the Zoom Platform through the Lens of Performance Art. Asynchronous presentation on theatreagora.ca in English. YouTube generated captions will be available in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.

Digital Report on Quarantine Performance: Global Responses to COVID-19 in the Performing Arts. Asynchronous presentation on Zoom; spoken in English. YouTube generated captions will be available in English. No ASL interpretation or translation will be offered for this event.