The Staged Stigma of Disability

This past Sunday was one of my favorite days of the entire year, the Oscars! The one night of the year when actors, directors, producers, and everyone involved in the film making process come together and celebrate their achievements of the last year. Some of the awards went as expected (I went 4/4 in predicting the acting categories, and 20/24 overall, but who's counting), while others were quite a surprise (no spoilers if you have not watched yet, but I guessed Best Director and Best Picture incorrectly.) However the highlights of the night for me were not who was winning what or who was wearing what outfit by x designer, it was the Academy's embrace of representation for those with disabilities! Yes, you heard that right, in an industry where only recently real representation has been on a topic on everyone's mind, and during an evening where actors with disabilities were overlooked entirely in the nominations, there were two distinct moments of representatio...

Hello and Happy New Year! Welcome to my first blog post of 2020. Today's post will be a bit more ranty than usual, but bear with me as it's something I feel needs to be talked about. Recently, a group of Hollywood stars and film executives signed onto a letter calling out Hollywood's "systematic exclusion" of disabled people in movies. The letter calls on the entertainment industry to audition people with disabilities and also cast qualified actors with disabilities, which would improve their visibility while also expanding the pool of talent overall Among the actors that have signed onto this letter are Mark Ruffalo, Danny DeVito, Edward Norton, and perhaps most surprisingly to me personally, Bryan Cranston. While I appreciate and respect any person who will stand up for the rights of the disabled and inclusion of actors who identify as disabled, the irony of Bryan Cranston signing onto this letter while not acknowledging his own past issues in this space is...

Hello and welcome back! With Christmas around the corner, it makes sense that we focus on one of the most iconic stories of the season. I hope you enjoy. Jai Srinivasan and Sebastian Ortiz have been facing challenges since they were infants. Both were diagnosed with cerebral palsy before they turned one, and they both have spent much of their young lives undergoing therapies and surgeries. But now, that's all changed - on November 20th, these young men both began a new journey. They now are taking turns starring as one of the most visible characters with a disability in all on theatre: Tiny Tim in the Broadway revival of  A Christmas Carol . Even before this Broadway revival,  A Christmas Carol  has long been an anthem for those with disabilities, with Tiny Tim as not just one of the most recognizable characters in all of theatre, but one that disability advocates and disabled actors around the world have been inspired by and aspire to perform one day....

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...

Welcome back to The Staged Stigma of Disability! Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read my first entry, it was written with a lot of love and energy. To put myself out there and be open about my experiences being a physically limited actor was not easy for sure and I had a lot of different feelings in me as I hit post, mainly feeling exposed and vulnerable, but I am SO thrilled and excited that it received such as warm reaction. I have a lot of things planned for this blog, including something special I will be unveiling very soon! Thank you for the support, it means a lot. Now, onto today's post! Recently I came across the  ReelAbilities Film Festival . This is a festival that happens yearly in cities across America including Los Angeles (which was held over this past weekend), New York, Houston, Boston, Chicago, and others, that is completely dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people ...