Integrated immersive inclusiveness: trialling immersive technologies in the creation of inclusive and integrated theatre for deaf audiences

AHRC/ESPRC下一代沉浸式体验呼吁强调了沉浸式体验对观众表演体验的中心地位：“无论是录制还是现场表演，舞蹈，戏剧，电影，电视和视频游戏以及其他表演都依赖于观众的沉浸体验。然而，并非所有观众都能轻松体验到这种沉浸感：这个研究项目汇集了红土剧院，一个小规模的巡回演出剧团，有着良好的业绩记录，并致力于为年轻观众提供包容性的综合传播研究（以聋人观众为重点）以及诺丁汉大学艺术和计算机科学的跨学科研究人员团队，为这些受众探索解决方案，到目前为止，他们沉浸在表演中一直受到可访问性模式的阻碍，这些模式分散了注意力。Red Earth的“全面沟通”方法旨在将沟通模式-包括隐喻，符号，服装，布景，灯光，听觉，符号，口头，书面-沉浸在表演的戏剧美学中，但实现这一目标所需的工作对于中小型剧院公司来说是昂贵和苛刻的。通过与聋人社区的主要利益相关者一起举办一系列迭代研讨会和活动，该项目将探索使用廉价或免费提供的沉浸式技术的潜力，以支持在小规模巡回演出中进一步发展聋人观众的综合包容性。它将开发可与其他公司和场馆共享的原型方法，并可能提供路标机会，以便与具有不同无障碍需求的其他群体开发类似方法。艺术理事会2011年发表的《多样性创意案例》指出，“艺术理事会希望鼓励我们资助的人和合作伙伴负责为艺术领域的进一步平等创造条件。我们相信这种方法将导致艺术表达的更大多样性，与更广泛的观众联系在一起。这个项目的重点是支持和实现沉浸式体验的观众谁往往是疏远的主流剧院将帮助红地球实现这一目标。

The AHRC/ESPRC Next Generation of Immersive Experiences call highlights the centrality of immersion to audiences' experience of performance: 'Whether recorded or performed live, dance, theatre, film, television and video games and other performances rely on the audiences' immersion in the experience'. However, not all audiences are easily able to experience such immersion: this research project brings together Red Earth Theatre, a small-scale touring theatre company with an established track record and commitment to research in inclusive integrated communication for young audiences (with a focus on deaf audiences) and an interdisciplinary team of researchers across arts and computer sciences at the University of Nottingham to explore solutions for those audiences for whom, up until now, immersion in performance has been hindered by modes of accessibility that divide and distract attention. Red Earth's 'total communication' approach to making theatre aims to integrate modes of communication - including metaphor, symbol, costume, set, lighting, auditory, signed, oral, written - immersively within the theatrical aesthetics of the performance, but the work required to achieve this is expensive and demanding for small- and medium-scale theatre companies. Working together through a series of iterative workshops and events with key stakeholders from the deaf community, this project will explore the potential for the use of cheap or freely available immersive technologies to support further development of integrated inclusiveness for deaf audiences in small scale touring productions. It will develop prototype approaches that can be shared with other companies and venues as well as - potentially - signposting opportunities to develop similar approaches with other groups with different accessibility needs. The Arts Council's Creative Case for Diversity, published in 2011, states that 'the Arts Council wishes to encourage those we fund and partner to be responsible for creating the conditions on the ground for further equality in the arts. We believe this approach will lead to a greater diversity of artistic expression connecting with a wider audience for the work'. This project's focus on supporting and enabling immersive experiences for audiences who are often alienated by mainstream theatre will help Red Earth deliver on that ambition.