Disability and Theatre

Stephanie Barton­-Farcas is the Artistic Director of Nicu’s Spoon Theater Company. Founded in 2001, it is the first company in NYC history to be fully inclusive (age, gender, color, religion, disability, nationality). She is also the co­founder of the Disability Cinema Coalition. She recently directed Richard III with a disabled cast except for the title role and her company Nicu’s Spoon is the subject of the documentary Two and Twenty Troubles which follows the production of The Cherry Orchard and four of the disabled actors in it. She has been profiled in The NY Times, Variety, American Theater Magazine and Playbill as a director and advocate. As a writer she has been published in Backstage, Howlround and many other disability or theater publications as well as lecturing and teaching at SAGAFTRA, AEA and many film and theatre industry associations and colleges (Columbia, NYU) in the US and in Europe (CEU in Hungary, University of Riga, University of Kiev, Royal Conservatoire Scotland among others) about inclusion in the arts.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication

PREFACE

CHAPTER 1: WHY THIS BOOK?

CASE STUDY 1: A Seizure on stage. NICU’S SPOON Theater Company, New York City.

CHAPTER 2: WHAT IS INCLUSION?

A: The most standard misconceptions people have about disability and inclusion and why they are wrong.

B: The reasons theaters, college training programs or practitioners are not inclusive.

C: The wrong reasons to be inclusive.

CASE STUDY 2: Stage Manager in a wheelchair. NICU’S SPOON Theater Company, New York City.

CHAPTER 3: VOCABULARY AND PERCEPTION

CASE STUDY 3: Disabled artist as villain. NICU’S SPOON Theater Company, New York City.

CHAPTER 4: RECRUITING AND FINDING ARTISTS

CHAPTER ACTION: Write an audition ad.

CASE STUDY 4: DIONYSUS THEATER In Houston, TX. Deborah Nowinski, Artistic Director

CHAPTER 5: AUDITIONS AND CALLBACKS

CHAPTER ACTION: Make an audition or callback checklist

CASE STUDY 5: Can an actor who is deaf speak? NICU’S SPOON Theater Company, New York City.

CHAPTER 6: REHEARSALS

CASE STUDY 6: Snow White & Richard III, NICU’S SPOON Theater Company, New York City.

CHAPTER 7: BLOCKING AND FIGHT SEQUENCES

CASE STUDY 7: Think outside the box for accessible sets and non-standard staging. NICU’S SPOON Theater Company, New York City.

CHAPTER ACTION: A seven point list of how to proceed to do a cast dance for a period play.

CHAPTER 8: COSTUMES, PROPS AND MAKEUP

CASE STUDY 8: Opening the Door. PHAMALY Theater, Denver, Colorado

CHAPTER 9: TECHNICAL REHEARSALS AND FINAL DRESS

CASE STUDY 9: A large disabled and diverse cast in technical rehearsal. NICU’S SPOON Theater Company, New York City.

CHAPTER 10: PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING

CASE STUDY 10: PHAMALY Theater Company, Denver, Colorado

CHAPTER ACTION: CREATE YOUR PR AND MARKETING PLAN

CHAPTER 11: THE PERFORMANCE RUN AND STRIKE

CHAPTER ACTION: The strike worklist and delegating.

CASE STUDY 11: A blind actor and discovering colors. NICU’S SPOON Theater Company, New York City.

CHAPTER 12: TECHNICAL CREW AND TECHNICAL DESIGNS

CASE STUDY 12: THAT UPPITY THEATER COMPANY, St. Louis, Missouri.

CHAPTER 13: ACADEMIC TRAINING, ASSESSMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

CHAPTER ACTION: How well is your institution doing?

CASE STUDY 13: The Glass Menagerie, a personal case study. Christine Bruno.

CHAPTER 14: ASSESSMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY IN THEATERS

CASE STUDY 14: TBI and mental disabilities. NICU’S SPOON Theater Company, New York City.

CHAPTER ACTION: Assess your theater for sustainability.

CHAPTER 15: AFTERWORD

CASE STUDY 15: GIDEON PRODUCTIONS, New York City.

CHAPTER 16: CASE STUDY OUTCOMES

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCES

WEBSITES AS RESOURCES

ASSOCIATIONS AND INCLUSIVE THEATER COMPANIES

LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS

NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS

GLOSSARY