Line-up for second InterACT Disability Arts Festival named

MEDIA RELEASE: 10 OCTOBER 2012

Line-up for second InterACT Disability Arts Festival announced

InterACT 2012, New Zealand's Disability Arts Festival returns for its second year October 25-27 at Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson, Auckland with a line-up of phenomenal performances, workshops and people, all connected by the power of the arts.

The three-day festival offers an opportunity for people from all backgrounds and abilities to celebrate the achievements of talented artists and individuals and includes professional integrated contemporary dance company, Touch Compass, acrobatic artist Sarah Houbolt, multi-media artist Raewyn Turner, Variety Voices Choir, dance troupes, drama groups, film makers, belly dancers and artists from all disciplines.

Festival Director Paula Crimmens, an ex-Theatre Director from the UK with a background in working with special school and theatre groups, says the wide variety of arts showcased offers a unique experience in New Zealand.

“The Festival provides a forum for people of all abilities to display their own work, participate in a variety of creative processes and appreciate the artistic talents of others”.

Paula was working with several disability groups in New Zealand when she founded Interacting, an organisation to help members of the disabled community access theatre and the arts. In 2007 she attended the Australian disability arts Awakenings Festival.

‘’My favourite part in Awakenings was the open stage, which was held on a couple of evenings and gave people the opportunity to perform on stage in front of an appreciative audience. It reminded me of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where you can see such a range of theatre from the sublime to the ridiculous. I just loved it".

She says, "I thought how great it would be to have a festival in New Zealand that celebrates the disabled community and their unique talents’’.

Through Paula and her Interacting team's passion and determination, InterACT 2011 was a huge success with many a star performance, “We planned the festival to be every two years but after the response to last year’s festival and the buzz it generated from the people who attended we thought it was important to maintain the momentum and create a bigger and better one this year”.

The festival is free. For more information, www.interacting.org.nz/festivalwebsite

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