At first glance, a theatre rehearsal might seem like any other: lights overhead, scripts in hand, stage cues flying. But step into a TheaVios training session and you’ll find something far more profound unfolding — a transformation not just of techniques, but of perspectives.
TheaVios is not just about access. It’s about empowerment. And at its heart is a training programme designed to redefine how the theatre world thinks about inclusivity.
Behind the Scenes: What Happens in TheaVios Training?
Participants in the TheaVios training programme come from every corner of the stage: actors, directors, producers, stagehands, lighting and sound technicians. What unites them is a shared desire to make their craft more inclusive — and a recognition that they don’t always know how.
The training addresses this gap through a mix of:
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Hands-on workshops exploring the use of assistive tools (like tactile stage plans, screen readers, voice cues, and sound-mapping)
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Role-reversal exercises where sighted professionals experience navigating rehearsal spaces without visual input
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Collaborative creation sessions with blind and visually impaired artists leading the artistic process
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Discussions around ethics, language, and representation in casting and storytelling
It’s not only about learning new tools — it’s about unlearning old assumptions.
Rehearsing a New Kind of Theatre
One of the key strengths of TheaVios training is that it doesn’t separate artistic excellence from accessibility. It treats inclusion not as a compromise, but as a creative challenge — a source of innovation.
Participants discover how to adapt blocking for blind actors without compromising artistic integrity. They experiment with stage lighting that is friendly to low-vision performers yet powerful in emotional impact. They rethink how to make sound design a central narrative tool. They co-create performances that don’t rely solely on visual storytelling — but that still move, provoke, and captivate.
Through these sessions, theatre professionals are starting to rehearse a new kind of theatre — one where accessibility is built into the script, not added as an afterthought.
Personal Growth, Collective Change
The feedback has been powerful. Some participants speak of the “shock of realization” when they notice how many barriers existed in their usual process. Others mention the emotional reward of building more inclusive practices that allow new collaborators to shine.
The transformation is not just technical. It’s emotional, artistic, and deeply personal.
A director who had never worked with a blind performer before now commits to inclusive casting. A stage technician who never considered accessible backstage design now advocates for it in every production. These are the ripples that TheaVios sets in motion.
The Future on Stage
Inclusion is not a static goal. It’s a living practice — and TheaVios is laying the groundwork for a future where that practice is part of every rehearsal, every show, every stage.
As these trained professionals bring their new knowledge back to their theatres and creative communities, they plant the seeds of systemic change. One stage manager at a time. One audition at a time. One performance at a time.
And so, what began as a training session becomes something far bigger: a movement to reshape the theatrical landscape into a space where everyone belongs — and where every story, seen or unseen, is given the chance to be told.
Curious about how you or your team can get involved?
📩 Contact us to join or host a training: info@theavios.eu
#TheaViosProject #InclusiveTraining #AccessibleTheatre #BlindArtists #StageForAll #TheatreInclusion #CreativeAccess #DisabilityCulture
Training is just the beginning. The real performance is the one we give together — by building a more inclusive cultural future.