Rainbow on Mars

Written by Devon Healey
The Rainbow on Mars poster. Cinematic crediting text frames a striking close up of an illustrated eye. The eye is drawn in stark purple shades against a saturated orange background. The eye is looking at something, and we can see reflected in its iris is what we presume to be the planet Mars.

Rainbow on Mars

by Devon Healey
An Outside the March Experience
In co-production with The National Ballet of Canada and Peripheral Theatre

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Click here to listen to an audio version of this page

A multidisciplinary reclamation of blindness by one of the country’s leading voices in Blind Studies, co-produced with The National Ballet of Canada and Peripheral Theatre.

A RECLAMATION OF BLINDNESS

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Inspired by Healey’s journey into blindness as a young adult, RoM follows a young woman as she ascends from a Plato’s Cave–like space of ocularcentric half-slugs to a disorienting new horizon  of possibility. With the help of some unlikely allies, she must shed her desire to return to the Cave and develop her own relationship with blindness. 

The project features a hybrid cast of blind, visually impaired and sighted theatre performers as well as The National Ballet’s company of apprentice dancers.  RoM is choreographed by Robert Binet, one of Canada’s premiere ballet choreographers, and co-directed by OtM’s Mitchell Cushman and award-winning visually impaired stage combat director Nate Bitton, with dramaturgy by accomplished writer and actor Vanessa Smythe

Rainbow on Mars simultaneously marks the premiere of Immersive Descriptive Audio (IDA). Created by Healey, this new accessible stagecraft practice is designed for blind and sighted audience members alike, embedding a deepened audio description experience and sound design within the narrative itself. From Healey:

“IDA engages the stories of the eyes and shows how a blind perspective is an integral part of the human sensorium and of perception. It breaks with conventions of narrating only what is there to be seen and weaves together the internal thoughts and felt movements of the performers; their breath; the imaginary of the lighting, set, costume and sound designers; as well as me, the blind artist. IDA is not merely a description of a performance; it is a performance!”

The creation of IDA began with the development of RoM, including a work-in-progress presentation at 2021’s SummerWorks Festival. After additional development workshops with OtM and The National Ballet, in 2024 Healey and choreographer Binet took their exploration of IDA to The Royal Ballet in London, UK, applying their practice to the premiere of Binet’s Dark with Excessive Bright.

Rainbow on Mars has been developed with the support of The TD Ready Commitment through OtM’s TD Forward March New Work Development Program, and by The Metcalf Foundation through its Staging Change program.

Tickets for Rainbow on Mars, along with full cast and crediting, will be available this Spring.

  • August 2025

To be announced.

“Eyesight is conventionally understood as the “governing sense” and as such, holds greater power and validity over the other senses. The performing arts, such as theatre and dance, are intended to be visual events. The performers’ body, their physicality, movement and facial expressions as well as the lighting, set, and costume design are all meant to be looked at; marvelled at. It is this understanding, the “marvel” of the visual, that provides for accessibility practices such as Audio Description for blind audience members so that we, too, can be included in this “event.” While such inclusionary practices are important, “describing” what catches the eye of sighted people reproduces the validity of sightedness.

My question becomes, is there a way to open the validity and thus the value and creativity of blindness within the performing arts event? IDA engages the stories of the eyes and shows how a blind perspective is an integral part of the human sensorium and of perception. IDA disturbs the isolation of the senses as one power over or against the other to bring the intrigue of the perceptual interchange between blindness and sightedness to the fore. IDA breaks with conventions of narrating only what is there to be seen and weaves together the internal thoughts and felt movements of the performers; their breath; the imaginary of the lighting, set, costume and sound designers; as well as me, the blind artist. IDA is not merely a description of a performance; it is a performance!”

Creator Devon Healey

Outside The March
2025-01-13T18:15:23+00:00

Creator Devon Healey

“Eyesight is conventionally understood as the “governing sense” and as such, holds greater power and validity over the other senses. The performing arts, such as theatre and dance, are intended to be visual events. The performers’ body, their physicality, movement and facial expressions as well as the lighting, set, and costume design are all meant to be looked at; marvelled at. It is this understanding, the “marvel” of the visual, that provides for accessibility practices such as Audio Description for blind audience members so that we, too, can be included in this “event.” While such inclusionary practices are important, “describing” what catches the eye of sighted people reproduces the validity of sightedness. My question becomes, is there a way to open the validity and thus the value and creativity of blindness within the performing arts event? IDA engages the stories of the eyes and shows how a blind perspective is an integral part of the human sensorium and of perception. IDA disturbs the isolation of the senses as one power over or against the other to bring the intrigue of the perceptual interchange between blindness and sightedness to the fore. IDA breaks with conventions of narrating only what is there to be seen and weaves together the internal thoughts and felt movements of the performers; their breath; the imaginary of the lighting, set, costume and sound designers; as well as me, the blind artist. IDA is not merely a description of a performance; it is a performance!”
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Outside The March

CREATIVE TEAM

Rainbow on Mars
By Devon Healey
An Outside the March Experience
In co-production with The National Ballet of Canada and Peripheral Theatre

Choreographer: Robert Binet
Co-Director: Nate Bitton
Co-Director: Mitchell Cushman
Script Development Support by Vanessa Smythe, Nate Bitton, and Mitchell Cushman

PRODUCTION SUPPORTERS

OtM LEADING SEASON SUPPORTERS
Richard Rooney & Laura Dinner
Sandra & Jim Pitblado
David Daniels & Kate Alexander Daniels
Josh Hellyer & Audrey S. Hellyer Family Foundation
Andrew Cumming
The Stanley Shalom Zielony Foundation
Bulmash-Siegel Foundation
Sylvia Soyka
Emerald Foundation

OtM SUPPORTERS
Canada Council for the Arts
Ontario Arts Council
Toronto Arts Council
Government of Canada
Metcalf Foundation
Hilary & Galen Weston Foundation
Rama Gaming House and Charitable Gaming
TD Ready Commitment
Koskie Minsky
Sierra
Inspirit Foundation
Saint George’s Society Toronto

Supported by

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