True to keeping its mandate of transforming lives through the arts, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), through its Venue Operations Division, conducted its Front-of-House (FOH) Apprenticeship Program with participants belonging to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community.
As in years past, the project provides opportunity for the differently-abled youth through various trainings in different aspects of arts management and appreciation, as well as theater operations, especially in the frontline service areas. Together with the Philippine School for the Deaf (PSD) and the Philippine Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (PRID), the CCP takes proactive steps in fortifying the vision that art matters to the life of every Filipino.
The 2025 FOH Apprenticeship Program welcomed 10 Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing participants who all share a strong interest in the arts and a desire to become a frontline personnel of the CCP. In a span of two weeks, the participants went through a series of lectures and workshops with topics related to both the front-of-house and technical aspects of theater operations.
The PSD, which has been CCP’s partner in the past iteration of the program, endorsed most of the participants, with their teacher-members interpreting the sessions. This year, the PRID, through its executive director Pinky Earnhart and Dean Dimaguila, also deployed their interpreters to assist in the workshops.
Arts and culture are powerful tools for expression, connection, and identity. From sign language interpreters to live performances, captioned films, visual storytelling, and deaf-led productions, the CCP performing spaces continue to nurture diverse audiences in ensuring that the world of arts and culture is for everyone. With the CCP’s FOH Apprenticeship program, the experience extends to opportunities involving cultural work and services.
“Communication in the frontline service is an important engagement with our public. We endeavour to harness our mother tongue, English and a third language or dialect, with sign language not being any different. As we grow our pool of multi-linguals, we may be more effective in addressing our audience members,” said Ariel Yonzon, CCP Production and Exhibition Department Manager.
To ensure a holistic experience, all the CCP instructors and facilitators learned sign language – much to the delight of the participants. They also showed great appreciation for being given their own hearing partners who assisted them in learning more about the work and how to communicate better, in general.
Interpreters Bing Domantay and Shelly Tesoro relayed how the participants enjoyed the opportunity to meet new people through the program, with emphasis on the prospect of inclusive work that boosted their self-esteem and helped them develop a more cheerful personality.
One of the participants, Dominique Kane Ison, signed how the apprenticeship program changed his life: “I love showing people how happy I am through my work. I realized that I’m also capable of ‘performing’ like the artists we see onstage.”
There are varied ways that people experience the world. The CCP remains steadfast in making arts and cultural experiences accessible to all its audiences, including the differently-abled youth and adults alike, recognizing them as an integral part of the creative fabric.
Source: Beautiful Feature
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