Stage | The Guardian: In late 2015, the performer Emma Selwyn was working in a call centre. It was, she says, a “steady job”, if not a particularly fulfilling one. In fact, she had thoughts of quitting, tempted by the prospect of a diploma for learning disabled and autistic artists. In the end, the decision was taken out of her hands: she was let go while still on her probation, so signed up for the diploma.
5 comments:
First of all, the name of the company “Not Your Circus Dog” is powerful. Often times I see inclusion happening in the form of tokenization which is not true inclusion so for the name of this theatre company to call that out is bold. The show they created is needed in our world. More people need to be exposed to what people with disabilities and varying identities truly think and feel and connect with instead of the abelist projections we as a society accept as their truth. People need to be challenged in their thinking of if theatre can be inclusive. I hope the people working behind the scenes on this production are also part of the disabled community. This particular article is based in london, I would love to go there and see these performances. I hope the US takes note and starts adapting and growing to be more inclusive too.
I've said it before, but it's so important for theatre like this to be done. It's also just important for it to be accessible to a wider audience, which it seems as if this company pushes for. Representation matters. And the type of representation matters. Giving performers agency to tell their own stories without the influence of the cis-white, heteronormative, neurotypical lens allows for a more authentic, human experience. I think about how circuses were so damaging for "socially divergent" people because they were reduced to spectacle. But I think that's the power and difference in community based theatre that is by and for a particular community.
I also like the goal of the Birds of Paradise Theatre Company in breaking down the barriers between people. It reminds me of something I heard on a podcast recently where a guest was lamenting about the idea of media being labeled as "the queer show" or "the woman show" or any other reductive descriptor. It prompted this discussion about how more open, enlightened people are going to be frustrated about reductive labeling, but that it shouldn't be discouraging because the more and more society is exposed to these stories and see the heart of them and the people within them, the more society at large will start to evolve. People 20 years from now will be more enlightened than we are now.
Anyway, that's all to say it's encouraging to see theatre make room for these stories and that they touch people. Art like this makes a difference.
I like the bottom line up front-ness of this article stating we need mainstream disability representation not solely based around being disabled but just because all identities should be equally represented on stage. It is bitterly ironic that oftentimes the struggles disability led theatres come across are the result of issues they sometimes portray in their shows that do surround disability stories. It’s comforting to know mainstage theatres are enabling these disability led companies onto their stages to grow their businesses and ideas. Unfortunately I think it’s sad how long its taken to come as far as we have in theatre regarding this matter so late in the game but something is better than nothing. I hope in general with theatre that people with varying disabilities are equally encouraged to join companies that do not seek solely to be disability-led and instead are able to see people as who they can be on stage and working with other than who or what their personal identities are in terms of companies favoring non disabled workers.
I find this articulate really great and empowering. Often in the past I have seen local community theaters put one show on a year for people with disabilities in the community to be apart of and I have always seen this to be unfair. Not only because it’s only one show but how they approach it. They do ever give it the same attention they would any of there other shows. For example my old high school just did there first production for disabled students and it was a production of lion king. There set consisted of 3 acting blocks and the safari was projected. There costumes were literally just fur coats that were found in storage. Every other Production at this school yet yet this big grand set and well thought out costumes school that are made for every individual actor. These students were not given the same opportunities as other students at the school simply because their show was for disabled students it wasn’t given the same attention. I’m so glad to see that productions like not fucking sorry exist now because it is leading the example for what performers with disabilities deserve when it comes to theater.
It seems as though the theatrical community has been attempting to make strides toward inclusion for just about every different group of people who has historically underrepresented except for one, and that is the disabled community. It seems like many producers and theatrical organizations think that people who have disabilities are too difficult to deal with, which is inaccurate and frankly offensive. There are countless talented individuals with many different kinds of disabilities who deserve a spot onstage. It seemed like when Ali Stroker was cast in Oklahoma that perhaps things would change because people would see how easy it is to make accommodations, but it does not appear to have made much of an impact. Stories like this just show that sometimes marginalized groups need to just go forth and make change for themselves and create a place to do the art they want to do. I hope to hear more about this company and I hope it shows other theatre companies that it is not only possible, but also important to cast people who have disabilities.
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