Pi Provocateurs Presents

a Rumble Theatre and V West co-Production

Szepty/Whispers

About the Show

In Szepty/Whispers, a Neurodivergent artist probes their family's silence around mental health, sifting through traces of the past. As they grapple with the risks and possibilities of disclosure, they question how culture, migration, and trauma shape generational perspectives on disability. Through fragments of personal narrative, documentary material, and multimedia design, Szepty/Whispers attempts to connect across silence - to find kinship without a shared language.

Szepty/Whispers experiments with a creative approach to accessibility, embedding audio description into the performer's lines and captions into the projection design. The writer/performer is Neurodivergent, Mad, and Chronically Ill. The creative team includes Deaf, Disabled, Mad, and Neurodivergent artists. The project strives to centre these realities, bringing our communities together, while recognizing our diverse and sometimes contrasting needs.

Inspired by artistic groups like Sins Invalid (a queer and BIPOC disabled collective), we recognize how solidarity is essential and all liberation movements are connected.

Where: Progress Lab - 1422 William St. Vancouver

When: December 1 - 4, 2022.

7:30pm evening shows (December 1 ,2, & 3), 4pm matinee (Dec 4).

Tickets: $25, including all service fees.

If a $25 is not realistic for you, please feel free to use code Szepty15 for a $15 pricing option.

If you experience financial barriers but still wish to access this piece, we want to have you there! Please send a note to Libby Willoughby (she/her) via email at libby@pitheatre.com and we will be happy to set a ticket aside for you.

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Accessibility Practices

‍- accessibility points person at every show

- pre-show audio guide for blind & partially sighted communities

- visual story for the venue & show

- detailed content & sensory warnings

- ASL interpreted performance (date to be confirmed)

- audio description embedded into the performer's lines

- captions embedded into the show's projection design

- audiences will be free to move, make noise, leave, and return during the show

- separate quiet space

- flexible & wheelchair accessible seating

- gender neutral & wheelchair accessible washrooms

- COVID-19 safety practices (exact practices to be confirmed)

- fragrance-reduced space

- online video version of the show for audiences to experience at home

- other practices to be confirmed

If you have any accessibility questions or requests, you can reach out to Christie Watson (he/they) via email at cwatson@rumble.org or phone at 604-662-3395.

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Credits

Writer/Performer: Veronique West

Director: Jivesh Parasram

Inclusive Designer: JD Derbyshire

New Media/Projection Design Team: Chimerik似不像 Collective

New Media/Projection Designer: Caroline MacCaull

New Media/Projection Design Advisor & Mentor: Sammy Chien

Scenography Designer: Cindy Mochizuki

Sound Designer & Composer: David Mesiha

Lighting Designer: Keagan Elrick

Caption Designer: Jack Chipman

Blind Artist-Consultant: Amy Amantea

Deaf Artist-Consultant: Rei Ga-wun Leung

Dramaturg: Kathleen Flaherty

Carpentry: Minoru Yamamoto

Stage Manager: Zain Khudhur

Assistant Director: Ariel Martz-Oberlander

Producer: Christie Watson

Artist-Consultants for the Development Process: Amy Amantea, Siobhan Barker, June Fukumura, Rei Ga-wun Leung, and Marifer Douglas

Szepty/Whispers has a parallel digital experience created with various artists. You can find the credits for the digital experience at: www.VeroniqueWest.com/Szepty--Whispers