5
Festival of Delight
Having grown up loving the annual Festival in Edinburgh it's been upsetting to see barriers to access...changing that takes time and a lot of effort. I LOVE how much is being done. I went to the box office to collect my tickets and they told me clearly where the access lift was and where to go. They also told me to look out for staff members on the way in case I had any trouble...that reassured me it was ok to ask which is always a worry. Teviot is a large University building with lots of space for various performers. At the entrance there is a huge sign stating where is accessible with wheelchair symbols at the top...all of it can now be accessed. The access lift on outside of building is a short journey and a member of staff made sure we (my daughter and I) were ok. We then went inside and again it was clear where we were to be. We were incredibly early and there's not masses of space for waiting, the corridors are used for those exiting the previous performance and I hate feeling I'm in the way, through a door to one side it was possible to wait until the event before us had been cleared without feeling awkward...phew. The staff manager came through on her way to another location and asked if myself and a mum with a child in a wheelchair were being looked after, I love when people pay attention to that, it shows they want it all to work. Once we could go into the event the performer actually greeted us as we went in, which is quite unusual in my festival experience and again we sat in the space for chair users. Some of these spaces which are not purpose built are quite small and we had to move to let people slide into the row, there was space to do so but it's worth noting. The performance was larger than 'intimate gigs' probably are, there were 36 others with us, but small enough everyone could see the 'stage' and hear what was happening. We saw Eshaan Akbar:Not for Prophet and he was hilarious. I'm often offended by comedians who poke fun at others from disability to religion and although he did pick on religion is was in terms of what HE'S been through rather than moking someone else. I could relate to what he was talking and joking about and when he mentioned impairments I thought I was going to be upset, only to discover he is deaf in his left ear and uses a hearing aid.
He covered topics like immigration, parental relationships, growing up, work, and spoke candidly about the importance of finding ones identity in 2017 when the world appears to be losing it's own. I left still smiling and have already spoken to friends to say not only are the venue and staff great at what they do but that things are improving and that the attitude and atmosphere is changing too. It's taken a long time, but it's gathering pace which is exciting to see. I'd have no worries about returning to Teviot for an event and I'm delighted to see that not all comedians take joy in belittling others, a breath of fresh air on all counts I think!
Having grown up loving the annual Festival in Edinburgh it's been upsetting to see barriers to access...changing that takes time and a lot of effort. I LOVE how much is being done. I went to the box office to collect my tickets and they told me clearly where the access lift was and where to go. They also told me to look out for staff members on the way in case I had any trouble...that reassured me it was ok to ask which is always a worry. Teviot is a large University building with lots of space for various performers. At the entrance there is a huge sign stating where is accessible with wheelchair symbols at the top...all of it can now be accessed. The access lift on outside of building is a short journey and a member of staff made sure we (my daughter and I) were ok. We then went inside and again it was clear where we were to be. We were incredibly early and there's not masses of space for waiting, the corridors are used for those exiting the previous performance and I hate feeling I'm in the way, through a door to one side it was possible to wait until the event before us had been cleared without feeling awkward...phew. The staff manager came through on her way to another location and asked if myself and a mum with a child in a wheelchair were being looked after, I love when people pay attention to that, it shows they want it all to work. Once we could go into the event the performer actually greeted us as we went in, which is quite unusual in my festival experience and again we sat in the space for chair users. Some of these spaces which are not purpose built are quite small and we had to move to let people slide into the row, there was space to do so but it's worth noting. The performance was larger than 'intimate gigs' probably are, there were 36 others with us, but small enough everyone could see the 'stage' and hear what was happening. We saw Eshaan Akbar:Not for Prophet and he was hilarious. I'm often offended by comedians who poke fun at others from disability to religion and although he did pick on religion is was in terms of what HE'S been through rather than moking someone else. I could relate to what he was talking and joking about and when he mentioned impairments I thought I was going to be upset, only to discover he is deaf in his left ear and uses a hearing aid.
He covered topics like immigration, parental relationships, growing up, work, and spoke candidly about the importance of finding ones identity in 2017 when the world appears to be losing it's own. I left still smiling and have already spoken to friends to say not only are the venue and staff great at what they do but that things are improving and that the attitude and atmosphere is changing too. It's taken a long time, but it's gathering pace which is exciting to see. I'd have no worries about returning to Teviot for an event and I'm delighted to see that not all comedians take joy in belittling others, a breath of fresh air on all counts I think!
