Think Outside the Vox JANUARY 2025

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THINK OUTSIDE THE VOX

January 2025 Newsletter

A white box with a capital letters in black V, a purple and square shaped O, and an X slightly overlapping

Happy New Year from Vox!

Rounding out 2024, Think Outside the Vox ran its first Director of Artistic Sign Language (DASL) Seminar Series for and by the Deaf community.

a large group photo of Deaf community, including Deaf DASLs, Deaf and hearing audience, ASL Interpreting team, family and friends standing together in front of the stage at Cutler Majestic Theater.

All images have alt text embedded. All content on our socials have image descriptions, alt text, captions, descriptive transcripts and/or links to supportive access materials.

Starting in Fall 2024, aspiring and experienced Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing interpreters, artists, dramaturgs and theater-goers convened for monthly conversations on Zoom led by veteran DASLs: Kevin Dyels, Kristin Johnson, Monique “Momo” Holt and Rachel Berman-Kobylarz.

Group photo of DASLs at the & Juliet show. From left to right, Rachel Berman-Kobylarz, L:eon Jerfita, Kristin Johnson and Momo Holt

Together, workshop attendees and seasoned veterans unpacked the role of a Director of Artistic Sign Language, navigating the research process, dramaturgy, ASL translations and production team dynamics. Instructors proposed ways to balance timelines and maximize capacity in the process.

A Zoom screenshot of 8 Deaf community members and a few Vox staff members smiling in the virtual DASL workshop

Several candidates were then mentored by the Vox team in the field for shows, including Nassim at The Huntington, & Juliet for Broadway in Boston, SIX The Musical at Emerson Colonial Theatre, and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. Our workshop attendees took advantage of ASL-Interpreted shows and experienced these practices and community feedback in real time! This was an opportunity to process and frame the work directly with the audience they are impacting.

a group photo of the ASL team on Zoom for SIX The Musical. They are all holding up the show sign for SIX, which is both hands palms facing inward, one hand with all 5 fingers extended, and the other hand with only the pinky extended.

Having space and time to reflect on the artistry, good practices, production process, team dynamics and community impact is crucial to arts accessibility! Hosting this workshop is a way that Vox boosts and supports theatrical accessibility work in Massachusetts and beyond. Vox is proud to host this first DASL workshop series and looks forward to more ASL-Interpreted shows, empowering more Deaf Artists and broadening the Deaf theater community exchange.

Coming up next in 2025

Black text reads ArtsBoston Calendar, with a green sticker icon with white text that reads home of BOS TIX

“Framing Accessibility.” Wednesday, January 15, 12-1 PM.

The All Access ArtsBoston Calendar has launched! ArtsBoston and Think Outside the Vox are hosting a practical tutorial webinar on January 15th for this game-changing tool. This calendar allows patrons to find accessible events in Massachusetts and assists cultural institutions to engage disabled patrons and broader audiences for your programming. Meet the team who designed and tested the calendar at the request of and for the Deaf, Blind, DeafBlind, neurodiverse and disability communities and learn how to maximize this tool.

A large group photo of 11 Deaf, hearing, BIPOC and white folks of varying ages, including the Sojourners ASL team, Vox DASL cohort members and Deaf community members who attended the show.

Cheers to 2024, and Here’s to 2025:

It is the presence, curiosities, feedback and enthusiasm of Deaf, Blind, DeafBlind, disabled and neurodiverse communities that breathe life into accessible art and continue to drive the Purple Power of Vox. We look forward to supporting and creating more spaces, shows, creative and cultural experiences that radiate Disability Joy and Disability Justice.

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Olivia Reinebach (they/she) aka Via

Marketing & Communications Manager, Arts & Accessibility Administrator

Olivia Reinebach thrives at the intersection of production and performance, taking on creative and technical roles in performing arts, education and community spaces in Boston and beyond. They found their niche by combining their skill sets in marketing, PR, social media and event coordination with accessibility consulting, disability advocacy work and arts administration. She has six years of experience in the arts and accessibility scene in Boston and NYC Metro areas. They’ve most recently presented on Accessible Social Media & Marketing for Massachusetts Cultural Council (Access Office Hours), Berklee College of Music (ABLE Assembly) and Mosaic Lowell Arts. Principal access work and arts credits include: pre-show/post-production Audio Description (The Huntington Theatre, American Repertory Theater, Open Door Theater); Access & Communication Lead for Into the Body, Into the Ground (Nelly Kate/The Boston Public Art Triennial); Caption Operator/Editor for Commonwealth Shakespeare Company; CPX ASL Instructor (Madison Park Development Corporation); PR & Social Media Director [and actor] in The Handless Maiden, or Here, All Dwell Free (NYU Steinhardt); ASL Consultant for The Raft of the Medusa, (Juilliard Theatre).
Via is a band geek turned theater kid and finds joy in creating inclusive experiences in arts and entertainment. She regularly presents music shows and live performances at the Museum of Science Planetarium and has produced variety dance showcases for The Dance Complex/Public Displays of Motion. She has freelanced as a choreographer/dance teacher (Sabor Latino BU, Apollinaire Play Lab, Edison K-8), and as an ASM/PA/carpenter (American Repertory Theater, Sanders Theatre, Frost Productions, Isenberg Projects). She earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Public Relations and Bachelor’s of Arts in Linguistics at Boston University. https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-reinebach/