The project "Theatre without borders" aims to include blind, deaf, and blind and deaf people into active social life. We will use for this purpose the unique experiences and methods of the Israeli theatre "Nalagaat", which developed for this group of people a whole system, allowing them, in particular, for the creation of excellent performances. Many blind and/or deaf people do very well; however, obvious limitations place them often on the margins of social life. As the practice of the Nalagaat theatre shows, including this group of people in active artistic activity can completely change their lives, giving it a new meaning. They are later more socially and professionally active, benefiting both themselves and the local community. Partners in the project are non-profit organizations associated with the theatre: Riksteatern from Stockholm with their Theatre of Silence, experimental German theatre Lokstoff, or dance theatre Echodrama from Greece. The Lodz partner of the applicant, the Institute of Tolerance, is Poleski Art Centre, a befriended institution with which the Institute has cooperated many times in the past. We want to educate a group of educators who during the workshops conducted both in Tel Aviv and Lodz not only master the methods used by the Israeli theatre, but also will be able to pass them on. Participation in these workshops will be taken by trainers from the Nalagaat theatre, as well as actors from that theatre and a group of blind or deaf people from Lodz. As part of the Lodz workshops, a theatrical performance organized together is also planned. Partner meetings, apart from monitoring the course of the project, will be an opportunity for educators from the Swedish, German and Greek organizations to present their own methods, which will enrich the methodology of the Israeli theatre with elements such as dance or street game. In order to disseminate the results of the project, we plan to create intellectual work products, namely instructional video and brochure, for the further training of educators. The results of our work will be presented at the end of the project at conferences, symposia and seminars organized by all partner institutions. We expect long-term results in the form of: a significant increase in the number of educators, trainers and involved members of social and cultural organizations who will learn and apply in practice the methods of training blind and/or deaf people; permanent inclusion of a group of blind and/or deaf people in the activities of cultural institutions, in particular theatres, in all countries involved in our project and beyond their borders, and, consequently, a significant increase in the activity of this group of people.
Through our project, we wanted to develop a group of educators who, in workshops conducted both in Tel Aviv and Lodz, would not only master the methods used by Israeli theatre, but also be able to pass them on locally, nationally and internationally. At the same time, by participating in this project, we wanted to give our educators the opportunity to deepen key competences mainly such as: communication in foreign languages; learning to learn; social and civic competences, cultural awareness and expression. Our aim was also to learn about the Israeli model of professional activation by involving people with disabilities in performing arts. An important planned intention was also to exchange experiences. The diverse profile and expertise of the partner organisations heralded a certain educational success. An important objective was to document the project activities in the form of a methodical handbook and film documentation addressed to those working against social marginalisation and seeking ways to find employment for people with disabilities.
The Theatre Without Borders project aimed to include blind and deaf people and those with a combination of these two dysfunctions in active social life. We applied for this project because we saw a need for activities leading to the professional activation of these people and for methodological training for instructors and educators working with people who, due to obvious limitations, are often on the margins of social life. We also received signals about the lack of adequate training materials on the publishing market for pedagogical staff dealing with art therapy for this group. As the practice of the Israeli theatre Nalagaat shows that involving this group of people in active artistic activity can completely change their lives, giving them a new meaning, we decided to draw on the experience of this institution. We succeeded in recruiting it to our partnership. Other partners who shared their knowledge and experience were: the non-profit organisation Riksteatern Crea from Sweden, the experimental German theatre Lokstoff, and the dance theatre Echodrama from Greece. The Lodz partner of the Institute of Tolerance, was Poleski Ośrodek Sztuki, now part of the City Cultural Zone in Lodz.