When it came to finding a new space for Inside Out Theatre, a Deaf, Disability and Mad theatre company, artistic and executive director Col Cseke was looking for a space as unique and versatile as the company’s programming.
“The second I walked in, it felt right. It felt like a creative space,” he says, describing the home of The Erratics Indie Arts Club. The new venue will be a fully operational theatre dedicated to fostering Calgary’s indie performance scene — along with hosting Inside Out’s innovative, accessible productions.
“The dream was to have a space big enough that we could build out an actual theatre and be somewhere out of Downtown, but still central. We wanted to be in a place that felt really welcoming, lively, active and creative,” says Cseke, adding that Inside Out lost its previous space in Eau Claire with the construction of the Green Line.
The new space is nestled along the same street as Last Best Brewing and Modern Love. Cseke was drawn to this particular performance venue because of its “quirks,” including wide windows, two levels, and a couple of overhangs. Contrarily, Cseke had viewed a space the day prior that would have easily housed a traditional, square black box theatre.
“If we built a square theatre, then we’d be encouraging square plays,” says Cseke. “If we go into this other space that has some unique challenges and turn it into a theatre space that can be really flexible — and a little bit funky and cool and weird — then hopefully we’ll be encouraging cool and weird theatre to happen.”
Overcoming what others might view as challenges to create something weird and wonderful is nothing new to Inside Out.
“Historically, a lot of disability art was often centered around what disabled folks don’t have; what they lack, what their impairments are, what their deficiencies are,” says Cseke. “But at Inside Out, we’ve embraced disability, deafness and mental illness. We are not interested in loss or in deficit. We are here for the culture.”
Inside Out Theatre strives to make performance art accessible for both performers and audience members, with community programs and professional productions that integrate clever “hacks” (as Cseke puts it). These hacks rewire traditional theatre to not only be disability-friendly, but also utterly unique — such as facilitating sign language interpreted performances, sensory-friendly gallery visits, and live audio descriptions for audiences. Meanwhile, professional performances highlight mediums like wheelchair dance and workarounds for actors who have trouble memorizing both long monologues and choreography.
“We create and present shows that are just as artistically rigorous, creatively excellent, and exciting as the rest of the professional theatre world. But created by deaf and disabled artists that really showcase the vibrancy of their culture,” says Cseke.
Indeed, Ashley King, artistic associate with Inside Out Theatre, is taking back her narrative as a legally blind performer and playwright in her debut production, Static; the opening of which will also mark the opening of The Erratics Indie Arts Club.
Darkly funny, Static retells King’s real-life experiences backpacking through Australia and Bali at age 19 as a self-professed party girl before unwittingly being served bootleg vodka in a club. She survives methanol poisoning but wakes up in an Indonesian hospital
without her vision. King, who plays herself, acts across from co-star Jaime Cesar, who plays her mother, Carolina.
“We see Ashley as a baby blind person, just really angry and and really hating the world, and struggling the way that a young person does in their early 20s,” says King, who is now 32.
“I’ve tried to keep it as humorous and dark as possible, but we obviously get into some bits that are sadder,” she adds. “The tougher parts that Ashley has to overcome and get through, so that she can get to the part where she’s on-stage and is obviously okay. Where I can actually say I’m a little bit okay.”
King started writing Static in 2020. Collaborating with her mentors Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak — a legally blind actor King met while attending her first Inside Out production — King says she was surprised by how emotionally affected she was while writing.
“I think I believed that I was over the trauma of losing my eyesight, and that I had dealt with all my demons,” she says. “Although [writing Static] was a very traumatic thing to go through, it ended up being a very therapeutic thing to go through.”
King adds that through writing Static, she’s been able to “take back this really awful thing that happened to me, and turn it into something that actually brings me joy.”
“I’m most excited for the first big joke that happens in Static, and to have The Erratics filled with spontaneous laughter,” says Cseke, adding that King is a success story at Inside Out. Passionate about performance from a young age, King thought she’d have to give up acting after she lost her sight.
“Without spaces like The Erratics, artists like me don’t exist,” says King, noting that there is a huge jump from graduating theatre school or actor training to joining large companies like Theatre Calgary. She adds that actors are often told to create their own work if they aren’t getting cast in anything.
“That was the other reason why I decided to write my own show,” she says. “I didn’t know many people casting a blind Mexican, so I decided to write a show about a blind Mexican. Then I’ll have to cast myself, because I’m the only blind Mexican I know.”
Cseke says spaces like The Erratics are essential for up-and-coming artists, like King.
“The indie community is the entry point for a lot of artists that aren’t super represented at the legacy organization stage,” says Cseke. “Also, the indie community is where creative innovation and experimentation comes from.”
Transforming The Erratics Indie Arts Club will take part in two phases. The first phase is to make The Erratics as accessible as possible, including building universal washrooms on the ground floor and installing an elevator up to the second mezzanine level.
Over the course of the following year, while the 2024 season progresses, the company will continue to add and collect necessary theatre equipment. Come summer 2025, The Erratics will undergo a second construction phase and build-out typical theatre infrastructure, such as a lighting grid and installing sound and audio-visual technology.
“It’s going to be a crunchy six months or so,” says Cseke. “It’s going to take a while for it to feel like everything is settled, because it does feel like the stakes are really high for us. But, we really believe in The Erratics. We believe that it is needed for both us and for our community.”
The Erratics Indie Arts Club opens with the debut of Static on Sept. 4. The show runs until Sept. 14. Tickets can be purchased at insideouttheatre.com.
Whats On at Inside Out Theatre
Static by Ashley King: A dark comedy retelling King’s experience losing her sight while backpacking through Bali. Sept. 4 to 14
Translations: A dance show for the non-visual senses and part of Springboard Performance’s Fluid Festival. Sighted audience members will experience the show blind-folded. Oct. 22 to 27
Most Imaginary Worlds: A touring kids’ show that will also have special “grown-ups-only pajama nights” performed at The Erratics. March 31 to April 11, 2025
Lazy Susan: Audience members will join actors seated around a giant rotating table, while engaging in sensory play. June 2 to June 14, 2025
Do Something Good
Feel like doing some good? Starting last month, community members and Deaf, Disabled and Mad theatre enthusiasts who join Inside Out’s Community of Do Gooders — the theatre company’s monthly giving program — will have their very own Post-It Portrait drawn by Sam Hester. A renowned Calgary-based artist, Hester is an award-winning visual storyteller whose comics have been published internationally.
Each Do Gooder gives Inside Out a small monthly donation — about the cost of one cup of coffee. Collectively, these small acts of generosity help support the company’s productions, as well as their community classes and outreach. In celebration of the opening of The Erratics Indie Arts Club, Do Gooder’s will each get their own portrait sketched and printed on a Post-It sized piece of paper. The portraits will be featured on Inside Out’s Post-It Portrait Gallery, as well as appearing on the company’s website.
To learn more, visit insideouttheatre.com/do-gooder.
