Expanding and diversifyng Opera audience through accessibility: we have been leading the way since 2009.
All opera performances are audio described for blind or partially sighted people, with Italian and English pre-recorded introductory descriptions also available online. We also provide fully guided multisensory tours, sign-language-interpreted tours, personal hearing assistant, live surtitles in Italian and English for all opera performances.
The InclusivOpera project is both unique and excellent in the field of accessibility. Coordinated by Prof. Elena Di Giovanni since its onset, it was awarded the national prize Inclusione 3.0 in 2018.
The project has also been included in the “European REACH (RE-designing Access to Cultural Heritage) Best Practice programme”, for promoting a wider participation in the preservation, (re-)use and management of European culture.
A PhD program co-funded by the Arena Sferisterio Association entitled: “Inclusive Theaters: Analysis of Inclusion Strategies and Practices of Performing Arts Organizations for Communities and Territories” was also launched in 2021.
The average audience is now around 400 participants, from all over Italy, aged between 5 and 85.
INCLUSIVOPERA TEAM
- Coordinator: Elena Di Giovanni
- Co-coordinator: Francesca Raffi
- ALI – Accessibilità Lingue Inclusione
ITALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS
Ente Nazionale Sordi (Macerata, Italy); Museo Statale Tattile Omero (Ancona, Italy); Unione Italiana Ciechi e Ipovedenti (Sezione di Macerata); Università degli Studi di Macerata (Macerata, Italy); University of Pittsburgh (USA)
RESEARCH OUTPUTS
Dall’accessibilità all’inclusione | Elena Di Giovanni | TEDxMacerata
Di Giovanni, E., Raffi, F., 2022, Inclusive theatre-making: translation, accessibility and beyond Special Issue di INTRALINEA ON LINE TRANSLATION JOURNAL; 1; Bologna, Dipartimento di Interpretazione e Traduzione, Università di Bologna; pp. 1 – 5 (ISSN: 1827-000X)
Di Giovanni, E., Raffi, F., 2022 “Inclusive Theatres as Boosters of Well-being: Concepts and practices.” in JOURNAL OF AUDIOVISUAL TRANSLATION; 1; London, ESIST; pp. 166 – 185 (ISSN: 2617-9148).
Di Giovanni, E., Luchetti, M., Raffi, F., Turrini, A., 2022. “Exploring how accessible cultural practices impact on community development: The case of InclusivOpera at the Macerata Opera Festival in Italy.” in LOCAL DEVELOPMENT & SOCIETY; 1; Oxford, Routledge Taylor & Francis; pp. 1 – 15 (ISSN: 2688-3600).
Di Giovanni, Elena, 2021. “Oltre l’accessibilità. I teatri inclusivi.” in LINGUE E LINGUAGGI; 43; Lecce, Università del Salento, Coordinamento SIBA; pp. 15 – 31 (ISSN: 2239-0359).
Di Giovanni, E., Raffi, F., 2021. “Intersemiotic transcreation: the life and afterlife of Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth.” in OPEN JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES; 7; Mantova, Universitas Studiorum; pp. 133 – 155 (ISSN: 2612-6966).
Raffi, F., 2021 “La valutazione dell’esperienza del pubblico. Accessibilità e studi di ricezione al Macerata Opera Festival.” in LINGUE E LINGUAGGI; 43; Lecce, Università del Salento; pp. 33 – 64 (ISSN: 2239-0367)
Di Giovanni, Elena, 2018. “Audio Description for Live Performances and Audience Participation.” in THE JOURNAL OF SPECIALISED TRANSLATION; 29; Londra, London: London Metropolitan University; pp. 189 – 211 (ISSN: 1740-357X).
DI Giovanni, Elena, 2018. “Participatory accessibility: Creating audio description with blind and non-blind children.” in JOURNAL OF AUDIOVISUAL TRANSLATION; 1; London, ESIST; pp. 155 – 169 (ISSN: 2617-9148).