The Copenhagen Interpretation

The Copenhagen Interpretation is a system created by Jenifer Toksvig, designed to be more broadly accessible than traditional theatre with more flexible and diverse opportunities to get involved.   In theatre, access support typically focuses on the disability condition. As an industry, we have been working to change the focus from the person being disabled, to society disabling the person, but the focus is still on the disability condition.   We should be focusing on the fact that access support needs are situational.   Like the fact that not all wheelchair users always need to use their chair.   Like the person who gets an unpredictable migraine during act one.   Like the person who has childcare issues that week.   Like the person who can't afford to go to the theatre this month.   When we try to address the disability condition, we set up rigid access support systems to bolt onto the inflexible experience of theatre.   If we address the fact that access support needs are situational, we have to make something that can be responsive, even within the performance itself.   The typical experience of theatre is too inflexible for us to bolt on responsive systems.   To properly address accessibility, we need to make the experience of theatre into something flexible.   The Copenhagen Interpretation identifies the major structural rigidities of the theatre experience, and proposes flexible alternatives that maintain the essence of the magic of theatre for all.  

Connection

As a company, we use this approach to craft the kind of theatre experience we want to create.   Our core aim is to create a transformative story-world experience that fosters connection, creativity, and personal growth. Grounded in principles of accessibility, inclusivity, and community, we seek to connect individuals with themselves, each other, and the broader narrative of our world.   Our guiding values are to provide comfortable and supportive environments, promote understanding and empathy, and inspire positive social change through story and theatre.   Ours is a process of community-empowered live performance (a bit like 'playable theatre') presented across analogue, digital, and live performance platforms. And some little tiny games here and there.   It's designed to be particularly accessible for neurodiverse audiences, with a focus on autism and ADHD.   We are continuously developing it, and discovering more about where it works, and why it always will, and should be, responsive and imperfect.

Jenifer Toksvig talking about The Copenhagen Interpretation with Manda Scott on the Accidental Gods podcast.