Theatre Nerds: When I was in elementary school, I looked and acted like a normal kid. I went to school, read books, played with toys, and did the usual stuff kids do. But even though I looked normal, there were some things that I couldn’t do. I had issues with zipping up my coat, trying my shoes, holding a pencil, learning how to swim, and learning how to ride a bike. When you say go left, I went right. When you say turn counterclockwise, I stand completely confused.
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We are so used to an able world, that disabilities which don’t meet the usual expectations, whatever that is, for a disability, tend to be overlooked. It could be very easy for a director, fellow castmates and even the stage managers to run out of patience with performers who have issues learning routines. We are so used to actors who can absorb routines in a split second, that actors who need a bit more patience come across as an inconvenience. With a bit of compromise, like giving smaller breaks more often, calling the actor to a separate session in a controlled environment where they feel more comfortable and less pressured, and giving them more time, a performer like the writer can get over their disability. Like with any other mental health issues and disabilities, keeping the conversation going, and bringing light into the matter, helps visualize these population sectors of our industry who have been overlooked for years.
It is really difficult operate outside of the expected norm within the theatre industry. I felt, and still feel this personally as a disabled (or differently-abled as I like to think about it). Because theatre is founded in that time = money, much of the culture in theatre comes from a place of not having time to get to know people and needing results, fast. This is something I think disabled theatre artists share unanimously, however being an actor, I would say, is even more result driven. Additionally, people with disabilities that are not visible are often put into tough situations because if you do not speak up, no one knows. To help alleviate a lot of this pressure and stress, I think it would be helpful to chat with director, choreographer and dance captain in the audition or after casting. I wish there was a way to do this more discreetly and not feel apologetic, two things that I feel are the hardest parts of the conversation. Having more artists speak out about this is wonderful and will only help break further stigma.
It is very natural for normal people to not pay attention to people who are different from the norm. In my experience with theater, I have never had the opportunity to work with anyone who has a disability so I have never had to consider accommodations for them during the rehearsal process or performance. Unfortunately now that I think about it, I go into a process expecting everyone to be capable of doing their work on their own without needing help. If this is something that one person in the team doesn't pay attention then probably the whole team does the same. This is something that the theater industry as a whole needs to become more aware of and work towards becoming more inclusive as we claim to be. It was nice to hear about what did to help the actor in this article and make the work environment more comfortable for her. I also find the the article a call to awareness for the theater industry.
I love seeing articles like this because it personalizes the recent movement about increasing inclusivity and accessibility in theatre. I think awareness is always the first step in solving a problem, and when people share their own personal stories and insights it can often bring to light issues that people would otherwise ignore if they were just brought up in a general sense. I think people of all abilities should be able to participate in theatre, and I am all for making accommodations for those with different abilities so that everyone can be part of the theatre making process. I think that this article is a great step, especially for the performing side of the industry, towards including people of all abilities in theatre and making sure that anyone who wants to be part of theatre can be. I hope this movement continues through all areas of theatre in the future.
Having to think about how learning disabilities affect professionals in their career is something that has been on my mind lately. I recently came up against an incident where I had to consider accommodations on crew. And it got me thinking about how/if accommodations exist in the ‘real world’. I’ve come to the conclusion (at least in my perception) that the way accommodations work in a career is through being a decent person. You just have to be sympathetic and understand how different people need to work differently. It sucks that there isn’t a formal process for ensuring that a workplace is good to people. And I wish that could be the case. But until that time, we have to continue to raise visibility and try to encourage people to take things like this into account. I would be interested to read more articles like this one, exploring other learning disabilities in the workplace.
This article definitely emphasized the importance of educating yourself on learning disabilities and learning more about your cast members. Before automatically ruling them out as just not being able to learn it, talk to them, get them accommodated in the best way you can so they can feel safe. We are always told that there is a place in theatre for everyone, so helping to make it that safe space is by doing things like McDonald talks about in the article. As simple as giving them extra time with someone who fully understands what they don’t is a great way to help them not feel foolish for not picking up on steps/directions. Learning disabilities, mental health, and other topics are becoming more open and widely talked about in theatre, which is truly a wonderful thing. Having a brother who has very severe ADHD and is also performer is why I feel so adamant about providing accommodations for something they cannot always control. Again, theatre should be a safe space for everyone all the time, not just when it's convenient.
As someone who has a learning disability this article immediately caught my eye. To that effect this article was extremely thought provoking. I also appreciated this actor for sharing her story. To me in the recent years visibility of successful disabled adults in an industry such as this seemed so non-existent. Granted, I have no doubt they exist, I just haven't encountered them. As someone trying to figure out how to transition there someday, I wonder what effect that has on their career and to that effect Emma brought up a really good point. There are no formal accomodations in the real world. There's no formal “time and a half” in theatre and It’s easy to understand why: time is expensive. But what this article showed me is that it’s not impossible. She got her time and a half with dance partners and dance coaches. I hope more people like Mcdonald share their stories to give more visibility (and more hope) to the world.
This article reminds us that the essence of success is pairing up hardworking attitude and one's unique skill set. Either of two is necessary to carrying out great work. We should know our own strength and hone it as well as reinforce our weakness. Each of us have something that we might be afraid of, but the whole point is to conquer that so we can move on to a better stage comparing to where we were yesterday. Just like the author said, "That just means it takes a little more time for me to pick up that skill." After all, what can be a better investment other than our own lives? In the other hand, this situation applies both way. We all need support while we are struggling through hard times. So we must make sure that we support those in need at all time
This is an interesting situation, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. Of course, I believe that there should be accommodations in theatre. However, I kind of have to question why someone with impaired motor skills would want to choose a career that has such a large root in one’s motor functions. I understand loving theatre, but if things like movement and dancing are that consistently difficult that it is causing the actress to have panic attacks, I can’t really understand why she would want to be in theatre at all. There are plenty of other jobs in theatre that aren’t so focused on moving in a very specific manner at specific times. Again, I understand that passion and love create the desire to be in theatre and all that good stuff, but I guess for me I just wouldn’t want to be doing something that is so physically difficult for me to do effectively.
What an inspirational article. As someone who grew up with a learning disability, I find myself relating to a lot of the points that are discussed in this article. Since elementary school, I have struggled to keep up with many of my peers simply because I don’t learn at the same pace as the people around me. I believe that everyone uniquely handles disability and I am no exception. It wasn’t until high school that I realized I was being held back and separated from my classmates and my future would be determined by how well I could overcome my disability. Many of the people I grew up with fell into complacency with their disability and excepted the fact that it would hold them back because that was the culture my high school portrayed. I was not going let it dictate my future and limit my possibilities, instead, I use it as motivation to challenge myself in everyday life. I can remember times when my guidance counselor told me that I wouldn’t be successful at a school like CMU and I should consider looking elsewhere. I am now finishing my senior year at CMU and continue to push myself to be the best I can. So for all of you people out there that suffer from some disability, I encourage you to push onward and challenge yourself because after all only you can determine what your future holds.
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