OPINION | How Artscape Theatre is redefining accessibility for all

Marlene le Roux

When people speak about accessibility, they often think first about ramps, elevators or wheelchair access. But true accessibility is far more human than that. It is about dignity, belonging, independence and the right to move through the world without feeling like an afterthought.

As the Artscape Theatre Centre celebrates its 55th anniversary this month, one of the conversations we believe matters most is not only who performs on our stages, but who feels welcome inside the building itself. Accessibility cannot be treated as a box-ticking exercise. For years, Persons With Disabilities were expected to adapt themselves to public spaces that were never designed with them in mind.

At Artscape, we have tried to reverse that thinking by asking a different question: how should the building adapt to people? That shift changes everything. Over the years, Artscape has worked alongside organisations including the South African Blind Society, the Western Cape Deaf Association, Disabled People South Africa, the Western Cape Network on Disability and accessibility specialists, together with an internal Accessibility Review Board, to rethink the theatre experience from the ground up. The result is not one dramatic intervention, but hundreds of small, deliberate decisions. The carpets in the foyers, for example, were selected to assist visually impaired patrons with navigation through colour contrast and pattern guidance. Small steps throughout the building now have railings because, for a person with cerebral palsy or someone walking with a calliper, even a single step can become a barrier.

We created a comfort room for people who become overwhelmed by noise or anxiety during performances, including parents with children living with autism or sensory sensitivities. Bars and service counters were lowered to accommodate wheelchair users, while stages were rewired to ensure performers with disabilities could move safely and confidently. Importantly, our staff are continuously trained by Persons With Disabilities themselves, because accessibility is also about how people are treated. Another milestone was the installation of the Loop System - an assistive listening system that allows patrons using hearing aids to filter out background noise and connect directly to performances. The system has helped position Artscape among the leading accessible theatres on the continent. Yet accessibility is not only about audiences. It is also about artists.

One of Artscape’s associated companies, Unmute Dance Company, has helped reshape perceptions around disability and performance by ensuring dancers with disabilities train and perform alongside able-bodied dancers as equals. That visibility matters because representation matters. Young Persons With Disabilities deserve to see themselves not only in the audience, but on the stage too. At Artscape, we believe we are more than a building. Through the arts, we become active custodians of the values embedded in South Africa’s Constitution - dignity, equality, representation and belonging. We also see Artscape as an intercultural space: a place where different communities, languages and lived experiences can meet one another through performance and shared experience.

But this work is unfinished. Accessibility and inclusion are not destinations. They require intention, investment, empathy and ongoing commitment. As the Chairperson of the Artscape Council Zak Gordon, notes: “The Artscape Board has worked to ensure that this theatre remains a trusted, sustainable, and accountable custodian of South Africa's cultural heritage.” This building carries the memory of those who came before us, the realities of the present, and the hopes of future generations. That is why so much of our anniversary programme places young people at its centre - because the future of the arts depends on whether the next generation feels welcomed into these spaces today.

As Artscape marks 55 years, we are inviting the public not only to celebrate with us, but to experience the space for themselves. From free lunchtime concerts and public tours to the unveiling of our commemorative memory wall on 19 May, The Journey to Artscape - A Place Reborn, the anniversary programme is designed to open the building wider than ever before. Because accessibility is not something people should only read about. It should be felt. 

*Le Roux is the CEO of the Artscape Theatre Centre

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