Students Champion Accessibility In Paper Jam

Brand new Wellington company Imaginaries Theatre brings joy to the stage with a focus on sustainability and accessibility. Their wacky and imaginative workplace devised show, Paper Jam, premieres at BATS Theatre from 25 to 29 January.

Putting accessibility at the forefront, this season of Paper Jam will include a New Zealand Sign Language interpreted performance on 27 January (Platform Interpreting NZ), integrated audio description, wheelchair access, a relaxed performance on 26 January and a pre-show touch tour daily (5.30pm).

“We believe theatre is for everyone and want to do as much as we can to make it really accessible” says director Bel Campbell. The company has worked closely with Arts Access Aotearoa to make its show accessible to Deaf and disabled people.

Combining animation, immersive scenography, physical theatre and music, this surreal adventure merges fantasy with reality in a joyous exploration of imagination.

“Plus, we’re only creating one small jar's worth of waste,” says production manager Fay Van Der Meulen, explaining how sustainability has been at the core of their process. The production has teamed up with the Wellington City Council Tip Shop to explore new ways of bringing sustainability to the arts in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

In Paper Jam, Sal is trying to please. Sal is hoping to get a promotion. Sal is burned out. Between the screaming fax machine, the mountain of undelivered mail and the ever increasing workload, the mailroom is becoming harder and harder to bare.

Till one day there’s Biscuit. Sal's thought-to-be-long-gone childhood friend launches themself back into her life. Has Sal finally had too many cups of coffee? Why has the floor turned to lava? And who put those Biscuits in the printer?

In another reality, there’s a paper jam.

This fun and silly production is led by Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka postgrad students Anna Barker, Belinda Campbell and Rebekah de Roo, as part of the Six Degrees Festival and the culmination of their Master of Fine Arts (Creative Practice) degree.

Now in its fourth year, the Six Degrees Festival is a hothouse of talent where students present the fruits of their labour over the previous 11 months of study.

Paper Jam opens on the Random Stage of BATS Theatre at 6pm on Tuesday 25 January. Tickets can be booked online at BATS Theatre or you can call 04 802 4175.

PRICES: $15 Concession, $20 Full, $12 Access

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