Arts&life Theatre should be inclusive Advocate wants more ASL interpretation = By AGAZY MENGESHA local advocate for the deaf said that being deaf shouldn't mean being ex- cluded from theatre performances. Landon Krentz, a director of ar- tistic sign language, worked with the Akram Khan theatre company to hire American Sign Language interpreters for their Chotto Desh performance on Nov. 24. The show focused on Akram Khan's child- hood growing up under his strict father. Krentz, who is deaf, attended the performance and was impressed, but says theatres need to do more for deaf participants. “What's needed right now is for- mal deaf culture competency train- ing and how to implement mass ac- cess of our practices for those kind of conversations in theatre,” he said. After the performance, a ques- tion and answer session was held with the two actors. As the session was drawing to a close,a man stood up to show his thanks. “I was born deaf and I came here to this performance and I've been to many performances ... when I watched you perform I realized that I didn't need the dialogue, but I felt like I could communicate with you ... I could just watch you portray the character so perfectly,” he signed. Dennis Alamnos said he felt that everyone could make a connection to Akram Khan. “T believe everybody who watch- es the show can relate somehow to the work.” Alamnos said. “For me in many ways I relate to the work, not only as a dancer, but also as a human being." Krentz, said he was invited by the Studio 58 Diversity Committee to join a panel on diversity in theatre. Krentz had to turn down the invitation when he found out that Studio 58 did not hire an ASL interpreter for him. Studio 58 ex- pected Krentz to pay for his own interpreter, which he says is not the norm in the industry, despite how often it occurs. “It happens very frequently, more often than you think,” Krentz said. Studio 58's Student Diversity Committee, was unable to com- ment by deadline. EDITOR NIKITHA MARTINS | WEDNESDAY, NOV. 28, 2018 | THE VOICE 7 Meredith Garritsen, founder of Hervana, works at her desk in her of work and collaborate. Joe Ayres PHOTO a fice located in downtown Vancouver. The office was built to provide a space for women to Shared space of their own Business leaders get inspiration from coworking offices = By JOE AYRES usinesswomen in Vancou- ver have been inspired to open coworking spaces for women because they believe that community is the key to success. Manpreet Dhillon’s company, Veza Community, is one of a few cowork- The basic concept is to provide office space to young entrepre- neurs. Another company in Van- couver, Hervana, offers a similar experience in the downtown core. Hervana gives clients a desk, wifi, and any other office supplies they might need, all for a monthly rate. What makes Hervana differ- ent from most corporate spaces is lift you up.” ‘The spaces are open to people of all gender identities, but they tend to attract more women due to the supportive environment. Hervana provides workshops and seminars to promote its sup- portive environment while provid- ing the entrepreneurs who use the space with networking opportuni- ties that can be vital to the ing spaces in Vancou- a“ * * business. ver gaining If you go back in time we cThere’s a popularity saw that women have always | lot of barriers with women for women in entrepre- worked together and that's opening our neurs seek- own busi- ing a place how they used to create a lot nesses,” Her- where they - on vana founder can work in- of magic. Meredith dependently é — MANPREET DHILLON Garritsen but also have MANPREET DHILLON FOUNDER OF VEZA COMMUNITY said. space to share SUBMITTED PHOTO Dhillon’s ideas with — — Veza Com- other women. “Women have a need for rela- tionships and they have a need for collaboration,” Dhillon said. “If you go back in time we saw that women have always worked to- gether and that's how they used to create a lot of magic.” the supportive environment it pro- vides for women in business. Sara Baar, a member of Hervana, said: “It might seem like trivial, ‘this is all women’s work and com- munity space’, but it's so much more than that. It’s a community of people who want to help you and munity takes supporting each oth- er even further. “One of our team members has a child but she doesn’t have childcare setup... she knows its an option that we will come to her house and have the meeting there while the child is around,” Dhillon said. WOMEN-OWNED ENTERPRISES CANADIAN STATISTICS Growth rate of women-owned busi- ness from 2005 - 2013. Men owned businesses grew by 22 per cent. Share of women-owned businesses in educational services. Share of women-owned businesses in the construction industry. SOURCE: STATCAN.GC.CA Cohousing builds a community Residents seek end to isolation = By DARREN AMNER ( } ohousing consultants Hive & House are creating a buzz in the community with their vision of building a better so- cial strata of housing to combat ur- ban loneliness. Marta Carlucci, Lysa Dixon and Mackenzie Stonehocker formed Hive & House when they realised there was a strong interest in co- housing, but a lack of professionals with the skills to make it happen. Stonehocker said housing today is focused on the individual, but co- housing will help establish stronger communities. “In cohous- ten these types of common spaces are a courtyard place for children to play and a shared office for those who work from home. There is also a ing, decisions are “In cohousing, common house made by con- ‘4s dining space sensus decision- decisions are made where everyone making,” Stone- by consensus can eat together, hocker said. “The more you know your neighbours and what makes them tick, the — easier it is to find a solution that works for the community.” Spaces are determined by future residents based on their chosen val- ues for their own community. Of- decision-making.” — MACKENZIE STONEHOCKER, HIVE & HOUSE PARTNER often known as “breaking bread.” This is where a community can — glue themselves together. Carlucci suggests loneliness and isolation can be contributing fac- tors which draw people into con- sidering cohousing. “Chronic isolation and loneliness has been known to be more damag- ing to our health than smoking or obesity,” Carlucci said. Cohousing could offer residents affected by the affordability crisis a better place to live in a more sus- tainable community, according to the Canadian Cohousing Network. Katherine Roberts attended the Hive and Housing meeting on Nov. 24 and said she hated living in Vancouver before and thinks people should cooperate more. “If you look back in history that's the way people lived, they commu- nicated and they helped each other and that makes a lot of sense to me,” she said. Vancouver Cohousing includes shar- able amenities to reduce the size of private dwelling. 24RREN AMNER PHOTO