Tall Words at Watsonia Library

What a treat we had at Watsonia Library over the weekend. DVA Theatre Company totally transformed the library spaces with light, sound and costumes with their installation of Tall Words as part of the Winter in Banyule Festival.

As promised it was a collaboration of performance, text, sound, live music and lighting which did transform the Watsonia library while reflecting on the role that language, traditionally the domain of the library, plays for those with intellectual disability in our community.

DVA theatre Company has been an established community theatre company for over 20 years, based in the city of Banyule. It is a company of adult performers with intellectual disability, working alongside volunteer facilitators and a professional Artistic Director. DVA meets weekly for a two-hour workshop throughout the year, with extended workshop and rehearsal hours in preparation for a performance. Over it’s life span DVA has created many public performances. Most recently, in 2007/08 DVA developed and performed ‘River of Dreams’ (Banyule Winter Festival 2007, Welcome Platypus Festival 2008) and ‘City of Dreams’ at the High Vibes Festival (August 2007). The Artistic Director since 2007 is Sandra Fiona Long. Previous artistic directors include Kate Sulan, David Everist, Leesa Nash and Marcia Fergusen. DVA’s 25 participants range in age from 18 to 60, who live mostly in the city of Banylue and the Shire of Nillumbic. DVA is always open to new members and has no selection process based on audition, making it a truly accessible theatre company for all interested adults with intellectual disability.

DVA aims to dissolve prejudices towards those with intellectual disability through its public performances, which encourage audience participation and visibility of people with intellectual disability in public spaces.

For more information, check out our website http://www.dvatheatre.com/

These artists collaborated with the group: Richard Vabre (Lighting Designer), James Hullick (Composer), Timothy Phillips (musician/conductor), Directed by Sandra Fiona Long, Assistant director Caitlin Dullard, performance facilitators Nicla Byrnes and Catriona Fitzgerald.