Theatre offers one of the greatest venues for perceptions about disability to change; it is immediate, events happen in real time and it demands participation. It also provides visibility, creates community and serves as a place of inclusion and a forum for ideas. Every other large marginalized group that has broken through to mainstream American culture; African Americans, Asian Americans, Gays and Lesbians, Women, Latinos, etc. historically have used theatre to tell their stories; to challenge and change perceptions and to carve out a place for themselves in the larger American landscape. Commercial theatre, Hollywood and major studios began to take notice when the stories of these various peoples started showing up on stage. Today in 2012 (while there is always more work to be done), ethnic diversity is prevalent on television, in film and on stage.
Why isn't this true of disability? I think the answer is two fold:
1.) Quality material for theatre artists with disabilities that concerns itself with the disabled experience in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries does not exist. Who are our heroes, cultural icons and role models? It is The Apothetae's goal to serve as an incubator for new works about disability in the hope that an entirely new canon of plays will be created. Disabled people have existed since the dawn of time. We have always been here, yet that history is largely unknown. Through our work we will make that history visible; our contributions, our struggles, our triumphs and yes, even our failures.
2.) The disabled community is incredibly varied and complex. Disability crosses all socio-economic, political and racial lines. Unlike an ethnic minority, there is no specific country or culture to look back to for particular inspiration or historical context. In addition, the experience of someone with cerebral palsy for instance, is very different from that of an amputee or someone who is visually impaired or suffering post-traumatic stress syndrome. There are commonalities to be sure, but I believe what makes disability hard to define and codify is the same thing that makes it inherently dramatic in nature. It is my firm belief that the artist’s job is never to say, “this is the way things are,” or “this is what you should think about this,” but rather explore the questions surrounding the issue and make them visible. Every time I work I want the questions to become clearer. The creation of new works and the re-appropriation of existing works help frame our experience in a historical context while simultaneously creating new mythologies. It finally allows us to take ownership of our personal and collective identity.
In my own life, I don't just hang out with disabled people. Nor am I only interested in "disabled stories;" ones that more often than not show us triumphing over adversity. I am a thirty-something crippled white guy. I was the third of four children raised by a first-generation Italian mother with strong Catholic beliefs and a father who spent twenty plus years in the United States Navy. I was born with a disability, but disability does not consume my life. Most of our lives are taken up with love, and loss, and work, and sex, and family and the day to day struggle for our lives —just like anyone else.
I want to create plays that take disability as their subject matter and reflect this reality. I think this is a good and necessary thing, and I hope following The Apothetae's example, many plays will be written and produced that deal directly with these issues.
Learn More: http://www.theapothetae.org