The Staged Stigma of Disability

6 years ago this month, Disney released what had been until this year (The Lion King remake now holds this title) it's most successful film to date, Frozen , and if I had to guess, the newly relaxed Frozen 2  will do just as well as the original. If by any chance you have been living under a rock and don't know what I'm referring too, Frozen  tells the story of Elsa, princess of Arendelle, who was born with magical powers of ice and snow. After an incident as a child where Elsa harms Anna with her powers, Elsa's parents decide it is best to keep her hidden from the outside world while also separating her from Anna until her powers can be controlled. After inadvertently causing Arendelle to fall into an eternal winter, Elsa runs away and goes into hiding, and soon after begins to come into her own and accepting herself and her powers, and Elsa sings one of the most iconic songs in Disney, and I'd argue film, history: "Let It Go" is an anthem of se...

This man is Zack Gottsagen, star of the film " The Peanut Butter Falcon ",  and if you don't know his face yet, you will soon. Peanut Butter Falcon tells the story of Zak, a young man with Down Syndrome who has a dream of a future that is far bigger than the run down institution that the authorities have placed him. Zak breaks out of the home he has been placed in with the intention of attending a wrestling school hosted by his favorite wrestler. On his journey Zak meets a fisherman named Tyler (played by Shia LaBeouf), and after a VERY rough beginning, the two men develop a strong bond. Acting is all Zack has ever known, getting his start at the age of 3. He has also made a bit of history as well - Zack was the first child with Down Syndrome to be included, fully, in the Palm Beach County school district. He graduated from college as a theatre major in 2004. In 2011, he got his big break - while performing at disability camp, Zack met with Tyler Nilson, the direc...

Audience members at People's Light utilizing the caption glasses Hello! And welcome to what is the first installment of a new series for this blog, which I am calling Defying Disability. This series will be dedicated to theatre companies everywhere that are actively working to help actors with disabilities, and also help disabled audience members have a more accessible and enjoyable experience. I am so excited to share this series with you and to shine a light on companies making a difference. For the first installment in the series, I have chosen  People's Light Theatre , located in Malvern, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. People's Light is among one of the first theatre companies in the country to test out new "high-tech caption glasses", during their recent production of Dot, which ran from September 18 - October 20, with the testing of the glasses occurring from October 1-13, and I am so proud that I was able to collaborate directly with Pe...