Universal Design in the Performing Arts | Conference | Toruń

Dear members of the theater community, artists,
and cultural researchers!

The Provincial Center for Cultural Promotion in Toruń (WOAK), together with its partners—Teatro Stabile del Veneto (Italy) and Kulturanova (Serbia)—invites you to an international conference marking the culmination of a two-year research and artistic process as part of the Universal Art Design (UAD) project.

The conference is being held in collaboration with the Wilam Horzyca Theater in Toruń as part of the 30th KONTAKT International Theater Festival.

More Than Just Accessibility: Universal Design in Theater

The Universal Art Design project has surpassed our expectations of what inclusivity in the arts can be. Today, we know that universal design in theater is more than just accessibility and more than just designing experiences. It is a deeply political gesture that reshapes power dynamics and expands the cultural landscape. Our Model does not merely speak of a change in the language of theater—it begins to speak of a change in theater itself.

We were inspired by Ronald Mace, the originator of the idea of universal design in architecture. Just as he ensured that accessibility in buildings ceased to be an “add-on” and became an integral part of space, combining utility with aesthetics, so we want accessibility to become the foundation of the creative process and a new artistic language.

During the conference, we will present our Model of Universal Design in the Performing Arts—the result of an ongoing exploration by 36 artists from Poland, Serbia, and Italy, who defined this concept on their own terms, stepping outside their comfort zones and established norms.

Conference Program | June 3, 2026

Location:
Jordanki Cultural and Congress Center,
Aleja Solidarności 1-3, Toruń.

8:30–9:00 a.m. | Participant registration

9:00–10:00 a.m. | Opening: Presentation of the Universal Design Model A detailed discussion of the Model by its authors—Katarzyna Pągowska and Magdalena Jasińska—followed by a Q&A session with the authors.

10:15–11:30 | Panel I: Accessibility as a New Artistic Language A discussion on how audio description, sign language, and other “accessibility tools” can become autonomous means of expression

11:45 AM–1:00 PM | Panel II: Socially Sensitive Art and the Ethics of Collaboration A reflection on the transformation of institutions and the reclaiming of agency by marginalized groups.

The full program, including the panelists, will be published by May 15.

Venue:
Provincial Center for Cultural Animation,
75-77 Kościuszki St., Toruń

2:00 PM | Showcase: “Gorgon Syndrome” A performance created as part of the UAD project, in which translation into Polish Sign Language is an integral, dramaturgical element of the performance’s structure

Who is this event intended for?

The conference serves as a forum for sharing experiences and knowledge among:

• artists involved in theater and the performing arts,
• theater and cultural institution managers,
• accessibility coordinators,
• self-advocates,
• researchers in the field of theater,
• students in arts and cultural studies programs,
• and everyone for whom this topic is important.

The Universal Art Design project is funded by the European Union under the Creative Europe program. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the European Agency for Education and Culture (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA is responsible for them.

Funded by
the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Province Local Government.