The theatre industry is a diverse area of the arts, drawing in many marginalized groups with its allure to be someone different, to participate in a different world. Any production requires many people with various skills to be put on. Actors need the skill to embody their role, directors need a vision for how the show will come together, stage managers need the notes to see any problem before it arises, playwrights need to write the scripts presented, and crew do everything from building sets to programming lights. With the array of roles available for those who want to be involved, anyone should be able to find their place on or behind the stage. Yet disabled people are consistently barred from meaningful, safe, and fulfilling involvement in theatre. Theatres are often structurally inaccessible and systematically unaccommodating. Disabled people have to fight for their place in the industry and are continually pushed out of it. #WeShallNotBeRemoved was an online campaign run by disabled people in the UK to ensure that the disabled community was not left out of discussions of how the creative industries must evolve in the face of the pandemic. They found that “nearly two thirds of [disabled] respondents were worried they would have to leave the creative industries.”[1] The lack of acceptance and accommodation makes it difficult for people of any disability to find work and employees are often pushed to hide their disability or work beyond their limitations.
I interviewed two young adults who have been involved in theatre to discuss how their disability had impacted their experiences. Logan Sheridan, an 18-year-old from Ontario, Canada with a mobility disability, has been involved in theatre since he was 12 as both an actor and a member of stage crew. He shared that he’s had a range of experiences both positive and negative when it comes to accommodation, and that he often has a hard time noticing ableism while its happening. Looking back on a production he participated in from September 2022 to June 2023, he believes it was the least accepting. “Taking breaks was seen negatively even if I physically could not rehearse, and the director did not want me or other disabled performers to use our mobility aids on stage,” Sheridan shared.[2] Noah Mercury, an 18-year-old from British Columbia, Canada with chronic pain and TMJ disorder, has been involved in theatre since fe[3] was 5. Mercury has been an actor, set designer, costume designer, and anything else fe could get an opportunity to try. Fe has had to fight a lot to be included in productions and shared a story where that still wasn’t enough for the director. “I have been cut entirely from a production after experiencing a medical emergency that would not have prevented me from participating in said production, simply because the director did not want to accommodate my altered schedule due to surgery consults.”[4] These stories show how creative teams will often push disabled cast and crew to work as though they are able bodied. This is dangerous, leads to burn out, and for some disabilities is impossible even in the short term.
Sandra Gayer, a blind actor, singer and radio presenter expressed this issue saying, “I can’t fake, not blind.” While sighted actors can masquerade as blind, she “can do it the other way.” She went on to express the importance of having blind characters and actually casting blind actors for them. “[It] doesn’t matter how good or bad an actor is if there’s no part for you”[5] There has been some recent controversy over the casting of Ricky Pots in Ride the Cyclone which has drawn attention to several issues in this industry. Ricky Pots is a disabled character, but like the rest of the cast in this dark comedy, dies in the first scene, and in the afterlife he tosses away his mobility aids, now “unburdened” by them. In the McCarter Theatre production, Yannick-Robin Eike Mirko became “the first physically disabled actor to play this physically disabled character to use mobility aids in this show both on AND off stage. [He] was also the first wheelchair performer in that theatre.”[6] This was a huge win for disabled fans, as a character that they saw themselves in despite the ableist nature of the script, was now being represented by someone like them. Unfortunately, the victory was short lived as Mirko was fired from the position “for being too disabled,” after having a medical emergency (that they continued to perform regardless of).[7] It is impossible for disabled people to participate in theatre if they are only accepted as long as they can pass as able bodied. This attitude that disabled people will be removed the moment they express symptoms creates an environment of hiding injuries and sacrificing one’s body for their dreams.
Carrie Sandahl, a theatre and disability scholar describes her experience of finding theatre in a way that resonated with me and rings true for many disabled thespians. “I was infatuated with everything having to do with theater. And, at first, I thought the feeling was mutual”[8] Of the two young adults I interviewed, only one plans to pursue theatre academically. Mercury, who decided against pursuing a creative industry, in part become of fis disability, shared how difficult it is seeing so few disabled people in the industry. “The older I've gotten, the less disabled people I see sticking it out in theater, and it's pretty upsetting.” We discussed the uncomfortable tension between the love and acceptance of theatre in theory, and the rejection we found in practice. “Something about a place where you can 'be anyone, do anything' draws us in. And then it tells us ‘not like that, you can't do it like that’”[9]
In the face of so much hardship and rejection it may seem impossible for disabled people to work in this industry. Despite this, there are still so many disabled people trying to change things. To approach a solution we must not look at disability as a problem to be solved, but rather a meaningful and valuable aspect of human experience that can be intergraded into theatre studies. Implementing disability studies in the development of productions would benefit all participants in its consideration of the diversity of human ability and how best to include everyone. Then, integrating inclusive design in the architecture and technology of the theatre would then further the accessibility. Those working in technical theatre could combine principals of inclusive design and their specially (sets, lights, costumes, etc.) to develop creative and resourceful solutions.
It may seem an obvious solution to draw on disability studies to tackle this problem. Of course, combining disability studies and theatre studies would make more space for disabled people in theatre. Yet, assuming the simplify of this solution undermines the complexity of disability studies, the work of disabled scholars, and the staggering lack of disabled employees in the theatre industry. Shona Louise, a disabled access consultant and activist often draws attention to the lack of disabled people being hired. She criticizes how often access consultants are not disabled themselves and fail to adequately provide for disabled staff and patrons. “When you’re missing from a room, you don’t have anyone who can advocate for you. It’s really hard to rely on the rest of the industry to kind of share our voice,” she stated in an interview.[10] Involving disabled people in all aspects of the creative process is vital to making theatre accessible for all. “Venues need to employ deaf and disabled people – that is the best way to improve access. It’s about getting the experts in. Deaf people are really good at shouting and changing things because we have to be. We can’t be passive” Sophie Woolley, a deaf actor shared.[11] Having disabled experts with the lived experience to know what is necessary is so important in the evolving world and industry. Sandahl, a disability and theatre scholar mentioned above, discusses the interdisciplinary potential of theatre and disability in her studies. In a paper describing the overlap in her studies of both disciplines she said, “the lived experience of disability is always already performative; indeed, many of us with disabilities understand our disabilities as performance, not exclusively in an aesthetic or theoretical sense, but as an actual mode of living in the world.”[12] She draws attention to how disability can inform actors performance and add to their creative expression. Sandahl and other disability scholars see disability not as something that needs to fixed, but something that can add to theatre.
Though, not all of the issues in the industry can be solved by the mere presence of disabled people. Many of the problems stem not just from social ableism but structural ableism as well. Often theatres are built without consideration of disabled people and can completely bar physically disabled people from entering and navigating. Disabled people cannot be a part of the theatre industry or make any meaningful change if they cannot get in the front door. This is where inclusive design comes in. “Inclusive design is a holistic approach to the process of developing and creating products, buildings, landscapes, systems, and cities. Designing for human diversity […] particularly in addressing the wide spectrum of physical, sensory, and cognitive abilities that comprise society.”[13] Inclusive design creates with consideration for people of all ability, a necessity in making theatre accessible. This could be used for to make all aspects of the stage wheelchair accessible, to modify communication technology the crew use to work for hard of hearing and visually impaired people, and many other improvements for mobility and sensory disabilities. Woolly shared that she’s worked with many people who integrate technology and accessibility, citing a production she was involved in where captions were a part of the lighting design. “It’s exciting that more theatre-makers are playing with access as a theatrical form,” she summarized.[14] In the guide to implementing inclusive design quoted above they state the “primary role of architects and designers is to create environments that are safe, usable, and meet the goals of their target users,” and emphasize the importance of inclusivity in this goal.[15] Inclusive design is a step that should be involved in all aspects of creation, but would particularly benefit disabled workers in the theatre industry.
Disabled people are valuable contributors to the theatre industry and deserve their place in it. It is important to draw on these other disciplines rather than considering theatre in isolation in order to make space for those of all abilities. Theatre already combines so many skills and creative industries, the exclusion of disabled artists is unacceptable. Action must be taken to uplift disabled voices and understand that we know what we need best. Disabled people will never be eradicated from theatre. It is my hope that no new disabled scholar will think they are the first on this path and will be able to rely on a road laid before them.
Bibliography
Brenner, Alex. “Closing the Disability Employment Gap in the Theatre Industry.” Get into Theatre, January 11, 2023. https://getintotheatre.org/blog/closing-the-disability-employment-gap-in-the-theatre-industry/.
Flynn, Isabel. “‘Access Is a Human Right’: How Deaf and Disabled People Are Transforming Theatre.” The Guardian, January 27, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/jan/27/theatre-access-actors-writers-directors-theatres-accessibility.
Lipman, Natasha, host. “How accessible is theatre for disabled people?” The Rest Room (podcast). November 30, 2021, Accessed February 7, 2024, https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-rest-room/id1218852479
Sheridan, Logan, in discussion with author, Ontario, Canada, February 8, 2024.
Maisel, Jordana, Megan Basnak, Korydon H. Smith, Edward Steinfeld, and Beth Tauke. Inclusive Design : Implementation and Evaluation. New York: Routledge, 2017. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315712437.
Mercury, Noah, in discussion with author, Ontario, Canada, February 7, 2024.
Mirko, Yannick-Robin Eike “Hello! I’m the person who played Ricky!” YouTube comment, May 4, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-MWf5YrKEk
Mirko, Yannick-Robin Eike (adandelioninspring) “To anyone reading, thank you, thank you, thank you. It means the world to me to know that the McCarter RTC run wasn’t for nothing, and that it touched people like you.” Tumblr, November 7, 2022. https://www.tumblr.com/adandelioninspring/700276340186923008/to-anyone-reading-thank-you-thank-you-thank?source=share
Mirko, Yannick-Robin Eike (adandelioninspring) “Yeah, this was an incredibly traumatic
experience. Yeah, I’m embarrassed to be talking about it openly online” Tumblr, November 13, 2022. https://www.tumblr.com/adandelioninspring/700803354238058496/yeah-this-was-an-incredibly-traumatic-experience?source=share
Sandahl, Carrie. “From the Streets to the Stage: Disability and the Performing Arts.” PMLA 120, no. 2
(2005): 620–24. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25486196.
[1] Brenner. “Closing the Disability Employment Gap in the Theatre Industry.”
[2] Logan Sheridan, in interview with author
[3] Noah Mercury uses the neopronouns “fe/fim/fis”
[4] Noah Mercury, in interview with author
[5] Lipman. “How accessible is theatre for disabled people?”
[6] Mirko. (adandelioninspring) “Yeah, this was an incredibly traumatic”
[7] Mirko. “Hello!”
[8] Sandahl. “Disability and the Performing Arts.” 620.
[9] Noah Mercury, in interview with author
[10] Lipman. “How accessible is theatre for disabled people?”
[11] Flynn. “Access Is a Human Right”
[12] Sandahl. “Disability and the Performing Arts.” 620
[13] Maisel, et al Inclusive Design, 2
[14] Flynn. “Access Is a Human Right”
[15] Maisel, et al Inclusive Design, 126
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