“From that point forward, the play took on a new meaning for me,” Ms. Ferrentino said.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
A Barrier Breaks: An Actress With Down Syndrome Plays the Lead
“From that point forward, the play took on a new meaning for me,” Ms. Ferrentino said.
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3 comments:
I am so inspired every single day by the way that the theater community is growing to be a more inclusive environment. It's certainly not anywhere near as good as it can be, especially in terms of actors with disabilities, but reading about this play just makes me so honored to say that I work in a now-inclusive world. I work with powerful people, like the playwright, who says that “it’s not hard to find someone with down syndrome to play this character, so please do.” The fact that this is the first play ever recorded and performed to have a lead with down syndrome is upsetting, but I’m glad the time has finally come. Discrimination is still present in the theater, but hopefully a spark like this can inspire other playwrights to write more plays that involve people with disabilities, because that’s a medium that not a lot of playwrights have addressed, and it’s something they should incorporate more of especially since we’re living in the modern era.
I absolutely love that this breakthrough is occurring. I think it is so important for people with disabilities to be acknowledged in the industry, and have accurate representation in that portrayal. The playwright was able to use their voice and their power, as an able-bodied person and writer, to make a lesser community acknowledged and heard. This situation often arises, I have seen it frequently in regards to the deaf community, where someone that does not have a disability portrays the role of someone with a disability, who could have easily filled the position, but did not. It is absolutely astonishing to me that this is the first noted time that a lead character has down syndrome, but I am hoping that this progress continues. People within the down syndrome community constantly face ridicule and hardships just because of small differences that make them unique. I think this is a great step forward, not just for them within entertainment, but the community as a whole.
This is exactly the kind of theatre we need in this extremely politically-charged era. It was so inspiring to read about the writers of this play demanding that an actor with down syndrome take on the lead role-- one of my favorite parts of the article was the quote, “Finding a talented actor with Down syndrome isn’t difficult. So please do it.” This type of representation of people with disabilities is not only important for the actors themselves onstage but the audiencess witnessing the performance, and being exposed to narratives of people with disabilities and the challenges they face. I remember the lead actress Jamie Brewer from her roles in American Horror Story, and thinking how that was likely the first time I had seen a character or actor with Down Syndrome being portrayed in a television show I liked. This sort of activism in theatre needs to continue in order to actually see the change we are striving towards.
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