Acting with Autism

Bitter Gertrude: I invited actor and playwright Cameron McNary to write a guest blog about being a theatremaker who’s on the Autism Spectrum. I wish I had read this piece 20 years ago. Every theatremaker should read this piece! I learned so much I wish I could apply retroactively to my work.

On screen and on stage, disability continues to be depicted in outdated, cliched ways

CANVAS Arts: The #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements have forced Hollywood and other artists and filmmakers to rethink their subject matter and casting practices. However, despite an increased sensitivity to gender and race representation in popular culture, disabled Americans are still awaiting their national (and international) movement.

Denver's Phamaly Theatre Company hits 30th anniversary with resiliency

theknow.denverpost.com: In July 1990, the Americans With Disabilities Act was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. That same year, 1,600 miles from the White House’s South Lawn, a quintet of aspiring performers, each living with disabilities, was about to put on a show — a really big show.

How Can Blind Audiences Get a Complete Dance Experience?

Dance Magazine: While you might think of dance as a primarily visual art form, performances engage us on multiple levels. Our ears take in the score, the artists' breathing patterns, fellow audience members' reactions, and the physical percussion made by the dancers' footfalls and partnering. All of this information is available to audience members with limited to no vision, and when it comes to providing them with the rest, there are multiple approaches being refined by experts in the field generally referred to as "audience accessibility."

Special-needs kids again take spotlight in CUTC's production of 'Frozen Jr.'

Arts & Entertainment | news-gazette.com: Locally, organizations such as the Champaign County Down Syndrome Network, Sinai Temple and the Urbana School District have been involved, noted Kelly Nowlin, executive director of the theater company.

Young artists have a wide spectrum of special needs, including Down syndrome, autism-spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy and ADHD.

MSMT sensory-friendly performances promote theater, community, inclusion

The Times Record: When Collins Rush brought out his Collier the dog costume before getting dressed on Saturday, the audience was delighted to pet the soft fur, talking excitedly about their own dog’s names. When Nicola Fava, playing Flutter the butterfly, came out and showed them how her “wings” lit up with bright rainbow lights, the audience again started talking excitedly.

Spotlight on the National Disability Theatre

NEA: As an actor with autism, Mickey Rowe knows that performers with disabilities have to work harder because they have more to prove. “You are used to going above and beyond, overcompensating, and doing ten times more work just to show people that you are professional and capable,” he said. Which is why he stressed that when people see a performance by the National Disability Theatre (NDT), which he helped establish last year, they should not expect less. If anything, they should expect more.

Guest Commentary: As a quadriplegic film professor I've been asked if I find The Upside offensive. Well, do I?

www.denverpost.com: For his role in The Upside, Bryan Cranston generated an overwhelming amount of publicity last month. Much of the response doesn’t focus on the film itself, but on the able-bodied Cranston’s portrayal of a quadriplegic character: namely, whether Cranston’s role is offensive or inoffensive, stereotypical or not. “Is it inspiration porn?” some wonder. Others are asking, “Should able-bodied actors play disabled characters?”

“Seinfeld,” “Breaking Bad” and beyond: “CinemAbility” explores Hollywood and disability

Salon.com: Directed by Jenni Gold and packed with celebrity interviews, "CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion" tells a Hollywood story that has long been overlooked — namely, how the film industry's depictions of various physical and mental disabilities has profoundly shaped how the rest of the world treats individuals with those disabilities. From individuals of small stature and those in wheelchairs to the protagonist of "Forrest Gump," "CinemAbility" explores how the entertainment industry has taken advantage of the disabled for a quick buck and yet also furthered the cause of spreading compassion and acceptance.

I'm An Actress, And I Have A Learning Disability

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.

Dwarfism: wrestling show will simply reinforce prejudice

theconversation.com: Historically and culturally, many societies’ frames of reference concerning dwarfism have put people with the condition at the margins of humanity. People with dwarfism are subjected to daily abuse from members of the public when out working, commuting or just getting on with their daily lives.

Lessons I've Learned As A Deaf Actor

Theatre Nerds: We all know the acting world is hard. A field that’s purely based on competition and image can naturally create a lot of pressure on us, the Actor’s. It can be even harder for deaf people at times. Now please understand I’m not saying that Non-Deaf Actor’s have it easy. However Deaf Actor’s can particularly face a whole other level of stress that Non-Deaf Actor’s don’t have to face.

Deaf Community Criticizes Director, ‘The Silence’ Before Premiere

The Mighty: “The Silence,” a horror film that uses a hearing actress in a deaf role, is set to premiere in December, but an interview with director John Leonetti from November is circulating again following criticism from Deaf model Nyle DiMarco and Deaf actress Marlee Matlin.

The Elephant Man Casting Facing Backlash from Activists

The Mary Sue: The BBC is currently facing criticism for their casting choice in the current remake of The Elephant Man, where Stranger Things‘ Charlie Heaton (Jonathan) will play Joseph Merrick.

Merrick’s story has been frequently adapted, most well known in David Lynch’s 1980s movie The Elephant Man, starring Anthony Hopkins, with Jon Hurt as Merrick. In film, television, and plays, Merrick has been played by actors who are able-bodied.

Crews With Disabilities Want More Inclusion

Variety: Hollywood, aiming for more diversity, hopes inclusion riders will help broaden the composition of behind-the-camera crews. But so far, people with disabilities — who comprise nearly 20% of the population — have been left out of the conversation.

Disability Theater Access in 2018

Chaz's Journal | Roger Ebert: The Cinemark movie theater I frequent in Sacramento boasts four wheelchair spaces. As a movie lover with disabilities this is a process not unlike fitting in additional guests at a dinner party. You wonder how friends will sit together and have optimal access to the food on hand. A trip to my local theater to see “Black Panther” in February saw my metaphorical dinner party end with the equivalent of thrown plates and wasted food, a sad reminder of how movie theaters in America continuously fail patrons with mobility issues.

‘Strano’ by Alessandro Schiatarella: Exploring invisible disability through dance

Disability Arts Online: When we enter the performance room of the Tanzhaus Zurich, we are already greeted by a hypnotic rhythm that plays in the background, and one of the dancers is moving along the wall. The audience perceives this as a warm-up, and only starts paying attention as the music and the movement gradually get more and more intense.