Theatre and disability is a subject focusing on the

inclusion Inclusion or Include may refer to: Sociology * Social inclusion, action taken to support people of different backgrounds sharing life together. ** Inclusion (disability rights), promotion of people with disabilities sharing various aspects of lif ...

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, d ...

within a theatrical experience, enabling cultural and aesthetic diversity in the arts. Showing disabled bodies on stage can be to some extent understood as a political aesthetic as it challenges the predominately abled audience's expectations as well as traditional theatre conventions. However, the performance of disabilities on stage has raised polarising debates about whether the performers are exposed and reduced to their disability or whether they have full agency of who they are and what they represent.

History

Disability theatre formally arose out of the disability arts and culture movement in the 1980s in the United States and the United Kingdom. There were, however, some disability-focused theatre companies predating this movement, including the

National Theatre of the Deaf The National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD) is an American theatre company founded in 1967, based in Connecticut. It is the oldest theatre company in the United States that has maintained a continuous history of domestic and international touring, as ...

, founded in 1967. Notable early disability theatre companies include

Graeae Theatre Company Graeae Theatre Company, often abbreviated to Graeae (pronounced "grey-eye"), is a British organisation composed of deaf and disabled artists and theatre makers. As well as producing theatre which it tours nationally and internationally to tradition ...

(1980 – UK), Theatre Terrific (1985 - Canada),

Back to Back Theatre Back to Back Theatre is an Australian theater company that engages with disabilities on stage. The company is based in Geelong, Victoria. It creates its work nationally and tours around the world. The work produced by the company explores questio ...

(1988 - Australia) and Phamaly Theatre Company (founded in 1989). There were some disabled actors such as

Esmond Knight Esmond Penington Knight (4 May 1906 – 23 February 1987) was an English actor. He had a successful stage and film career before World War II. For much of his later career Knight was half-blind. He had been badly wounded in 1941 while on active ...

(4 May 1906 – 23 February 1987) and

Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blyth; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' A Free Soul'' (1931) ...

(April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) already working at the top of their profession, often playing both disabled and non-disabled characters, but they were able to access opportunity because of privileged circumstances as well as talent. Most opportunity, of which there was very little, came through stage comedy or traditions such as

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

Political change

Change does not happen easily and the campaign for political change within society,

Nothing About Us Without Us "Nothing about us without us" () is a slogan used to communicate the idea that no policy should be decided by any representative without the full and direct participation of members of the group(s) affected by that policy. In its modern form, this ...

, is as relevant in theatre as it has been in TV, Film, Politics and Design. Campaigns from

Disability Rights UK Disability Rights UK (DR UK) is a UK pan-disability charity which was set up with the aim of representing the needs and expectations of disabled people in the UK. Disability Rights UK was formed as a result of several disability charities mergi ...

, Disability Arts Alliance, UK Disability Artists Alliance, Disability Artists Community Network (DANC) and others have campaigned for the creative arts to simply be more open to new ideas when it comes to disability. From a creative standpoint they focus on two basic premises that disabled actors and creatives should be the first choice for telling stories about disability, and that disability should not be an unconscious bias barrier to accessing any role in any play.

''Disabled mimicry, erasure and absence has no place in the arts. To bring about its end is an industry wide task - inciting best practice guidelines and multi-disciplinary non-hierarchical collaboration…. These casting decisions, and their detrimental effect, have long since been condemned. Disabled artists have been campaigning for 50 years, incrementally growing from the generations before. The work done by our predecessors has allowed this conversation to become mainstream. But as our collective voice grows, it becomes harder to ignore.'' Excerpt from the open letter written by Disabled Artists Alliance in 2024, and published in The Guardian. This was signed by over 300 disabled artists, theatre professionals and 21 theatre companies.

This campaigning has become more publicly visible especially in the UK with mainstream news vendors such as

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

, the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

PBS News ''PBS News Hour'', previously stylized as ''PBS NewsHour'', is the news division of PBS and an American daily evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations since October 20, 1975. It airs seven nights a week, and i ...

HuffPost ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

and

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...

have published articles on the historic exclusion of visible disability both from stage and screens, as well as the need for change from within the industry.

Disability as a creative opportunity

The role of an actor is to present interesting choices to the director and to be able to tell someone else's story through themselves. The lived experience of someone with a disability can be somewhat difficult to cast and story tell correctly, because you want to make sure the disability is being represented authentically and not fall in line with mocking. Shifting attitudes in the industry from seeing disability as a diversity target to embracing it as a creative opportunity is an ongoing process, however a deeper understanding of unconscious biases towards disability is evident with more directors casting disabled talent beyond authentically telling stories about disability.

Casting without disability bias

''"How does a character in the script enter the stage?"'' This is a question used by disability dramaturgs to analyse unconsciously biases and attitudes in the casting process. The issue that the question raises is why, if it is not stated, is it presumed that the character walked? This methodology draws inspiration from what is often termed as colour-blind casting, where the presumption is removed from every character in a script that they are white. Roughly 7% of the population has a visible disability, so if there were no biases 7% characters we see on stage would have a visible disability regardless of whether the script says they do or not. Because of under-representation, theatre companies such as the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

and

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse first built in 1599 for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays. Like the original, it is located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Southwark, Lon ...

have put in place casting and diversity policies to begin to redress that imbalance. Casting disabled actors as a process has two creative lenses to consider: # Disability and incidental portrayal. Despite the characters in most plays being able to be played by disabled actors, with a very few exceptions, disabled actors are rarely given the opportunity to portray them. A question that theatre directors have used at the start of the process when looking at each character in isolation is, ''"why can't a disabled actor be cast in this role?",'' followed up with, ''"what would disability bring to this role?"'' This gives the director an opportunity to think about how disability could add a dimensions to a role not otherwise considered and whether or not it is truly authentic to the story that will be told. If a disability is written into the character, it should be cast authentically given there are people who audition, if not, it should be a chance for the director to educate themself and the actor cast in that specific role about what disability they will be portraying and how to do so without causing harm. # Disability and authentic portrayal. There is an equality opportunity perspective in the acting profession that any actor should be allowed to play any role, however like all ideals there are issues and caveats especially when dealing with protected characteristics. It also presumes that no actors face biases, and as disabled actors are given few opportunities for access mainstream roles, the case for authentic casting for disability is strengthened.

Disability dramaturgy

This is a role that is very similar to a regular

dramaturge A dramaturge or dramaturg (from Ancient Greek δραματουργός – dramatourgós) is a literary adviser or editor in a theatre, opera, or film company who researches, selects, adapts, edits, and interprets scripts, libretti, texts, and pr ...

. It can be utilised by any stage, TV or film production that is creating, casting or telling a story about disability, or are exploring the possibility of casting disabled actors into mainstream roles. The engagement of a disability dramaturge happens at the start of the casting process to help directors identify characters that could be played by visibly disabled actors, and discuss ideas that come from potential choices and the lenses that bring to the meaning of the play, TV drama or movie. The engagement progresses beyond casting in a traditional way, working with the director and the actors by focusing on aspects of storytelling and meaning. The aim is to ensure that both authenticity and creative opportunity stay forefront with regards to visible disability.

What is a disability dramaturg?

This is a creative role and is usually carried out by a person with experience as either a professional stage or screen actor, or theatre director, and who has lived experience as a visibly disabled or Deaf person. This role is not to be confused with a Disability, Accessibility or Access Consultant as these are more functional roles that focus on practical accessibility considerations, communication strategies and organisational culture, rather than the creative process. In short, having a disability dramaturg who is a person that is disabled provides a safe-creative space in the rehearsal room that allows a production, cast, team, playwright to be correctly and thoroughly educated on the certain topic of disability that the specific production deals with. It provides an extra sense of experience and perspective that ultimately strengthens the correct representation of disability on stage in a respectful manner. Research A disability Dramaturg provides research especially if the script features a disabled literary or historical figure. They focus on the history, sociology, art, and linguistics of the work, which includes providing practical advice on the difference between literal condition portrayal, or the portrayal of the lived experience of disability. This can also include ideas such as transposing a character's visible condition to that of the actor has because the attitudes and experience are the important factor rather than the exact condition, or working with the production to explore the impact of introducing a visible condition to a character not just on them but on how the other characters would behave.

= Provide context

= Disability Dramaturgs share their insight of their and other lived experiences with the production team including the Director, Producers and Actors, to ensure there is a shared understanding about disability portrayal.

= Support writers

= Disability can be a story, but it can also be subtext, and in either case it's not just the character, but the attitudes of those around them that lend themselves to the authenticity of portrayal. Having a creative advisor with a lived experience will enable writers to explore possibilities, try out ideas and discuss the topic in a safe and creative space. They provide feedback to the writers during the process, so if changes are made during production, they can be made with confidence.

= Support the casting process

= When casting disabled actors there are several things a disability dramaturg can help with, especially when it comes to progressive conditions within the story where the Director may need input to support an approach of where an actor is being asked to mask and then reveal their condition to an audience. Other than that they are very useful when it comes to evaluating roles for incidental portrayal casting. What is commonly overlooked is that most roles can be played by actors with different visible disabilities. So even if characters are not identified as disabled or non-disabled in the script, the disability dramaturg will support the production team to explore the possibilities for each character, and help evaluate whether disability could bring something interesting to the role.

= Support the director

= Disability Dramaturgs provide support to the director as they develop their concept for the production, and where the Director has ideas about weaving in stories or portrayal, whether it is authentic or incidental, the disability dramaturg is there to help them evaluate and develop those ideas.

= Enhance the audience experience

= Disability Dramaturgs can also help the marketing and publicity teams identify stories about the story that would be good to create greater public interest.

Examples of scripted disabled characters in plays

There are many examples of disabled characters in plays, some

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

and others focusing lives of disabled people from history such as

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by Culture of Mexico, the country' ...

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Count, ''Comte'' Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901), known as Toulouse-Lautrec (), was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist, and illustrator whose immersion in the colour ...

. Historically these have been played by non-disabled actors, which is commonly referred to as '

cripping-up Cripping-up is the act of casting an actor without an apparent/visible disability into a role which is either scripted as having a disability, or into the role of an historical figure who is known to have been disabled. The term is from the audienc ...

', but because of changes in casting practices and more disabled actors coming through, this is becoming less common. Because historically disability was more common in Victorian or earlier times, especially amongst the general population because of diseases, work injuries, war and diet, plays that focus on everyday people that look to historical accuracy would need physical disabilities in more than 10% of the cast, which could be things like limb differences or mobility issues. For example the works of Charlies Dickens, especially

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

Les Miserables LES or Les may refer to: People * Les (given name) * Les (surname) * L.E.S. (producer), hip hop producer Space flight * Launch Entry Suit, worn by Space Shuttle crews * Launch escape system, for spacecraft emergencies * Lincoln Experimental ...

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

or adaptations of the works of

Catherine Cookson Dame Catherine Ann Cookson (''née'' McMullen; 20 June 1906 – 11 June 1998), was a British writer. She is in the top 20 of the most widely read British novelists, with sales topping 100 million, while she retained a relatively low profile in ...

should need to have much higher instances of visible disabilities if authenticity is a consideration. Diana in ''Next to Normal'' The musical Next to Normal navigates the story of Diana Goodman who is dealing with bipolar disorder and the effects it has on her whole family. It does so with a haunting heartfelt script and pop-contemporary score.

Laura in ''The Glass Menagerie''

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

explains that the character Laura (''

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his histrionic mo ...

'') has grown up with a disability: "A childhood illness has left her crippled, one leg slightly shorter than the other, and held in a brace."

Nessarose in ''Wicked''

The musical ''Wicked'' by

Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written hit musicals such as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin (musical), Pippin'' (1972), and ...

and

Winnie Holzman Winnie Holzman is an American playwright, screenwriter, actress, and producer. She is best known for writing the book of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical '' Wicked'', and for co-writing the screenplays for the two films based on the music ...

has been running on Broadway since 2003, and has launched multiple national tours and productions worldwide. In the musical, the character of Elphaba has a sister who is a wheelchair user named Nessarose. She was disabled at birth due to a congenital birth defect, and goes through the production inhabiting the role of villain. The production has come under fire for not casting a physically disabled actor in the role.

Duke of Gloucester/The King in ''Richard III''

Shakespeare's William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

play ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

'',

ableism Ableism (; also known as ablism, disablism (British English), anapirophobia, anapirism, and disability discrimination) is discrimination and social prejudice against physically or mentally disabled people. Ableism characterizes people as they a ...

is a central theme as to some degree attitudes and prejudice drive Richard to become who he becomes. Playing Richard as non-disabled has been called out as ''"Disability Erasure"'', where non-disabled directors try to remove mentions of disability from the script in order to cast a non-disabled actor. Duke of Gloucester/The King in ''Richard III (A One Person Show)'' adapted by Kolbrun Bjort Sigfusdottir & Emily Carding (adaptation of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

),'' ''Richard III'' (1699 play) by

Colley Cibber Colley Cibber (6 November 1671 – 11 December 1757) was an English actor-manager, playwright and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. His colourful memoir ''An Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber'' (1740) describes his life in ...

or T''eenage Dick'' by Mike Lew.

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester ( ) is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...

in Henry IV part 3, by William Shakespeare, in

The Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was f ...

, adaptation of

's ''Richard III'' and ''Henry IV plays.''

Joseph Merrick in ''The Real and Imagined History of The Elephant Man'. An historical figure previously misnamed as'' 'John' Merrick in ''
The Elephant Man Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890) was an English man known for his severe physical deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "The Elephant Man", and then went to live at the London Hospital, ...
.''

Plays about important disabled historical figures can be fraught with difficulties when a non-disabled actor is cast. Understanding what it is to be a disabled person is far more than portraying a condition and how

Joseph Merrick Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890) was an English man known for his severe physical deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "The Elephant Man", and then went to live at the London Hospital, ...

's story has evolved from John Merrick in ''The Elephant Man'', a play that drifts from his story missing not only much of who he was (even his name is wrong) and what it is to be a disabled person, to a play that dives deeply into the lived experience. This second play has had two professional productions to date in Australia and the United Kingdom. ''The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man'' by Tom Wright premiered on 4 August 2017, starring Daniel Monks in the title role. The cast also featured

Paula Arundell Paula Arundell is an Australian actress and singer. Early life Arundell studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), in Sydney. She graduated in 1995, with a degree in Performing Arts (Acting). Career Arundell has appeared in tel ...

Julie Forsyth Julie Forsyth is an Australian actress best known for her stage performances, and as Lotis, the talking lift from '' Lift Off''. Early life In 1976, Forsyth left home to attend Monash University in Melbourne. She enrolled to do a BA with the i ...

, Emma J. Hawkins, and Sophie Ross. The play toured the UK in 2023, directed by Stephen Bailey and starring Zak Ford-Williams as Joseph. This cast of this production included Annabelle Davies, Daneka Etchells and Nadia Nadarajah.

Hamm, Clov, Nagg and Nell in Samual Beckett's '' Endgame''

Each character has a disability as an underlying characteristic. In the book, ''Samuel Beckett and Disability Performance'', author Hannah Simpson reveals how Beckett's theatre, ''"compulsively interrogates alternative embodiments, unexpected forms of agency, and the extraordinary social interdependency of the human body."''

Further examples of disabled fictional and non-fictional characters

Disabled talent and theatre companies

The UK's

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

launched a service in 2021 aimed at

Casting Directors Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or b ...

called ''ProFile'' which enables access professional disabled actor details and a showreel in the form of a short performance.

Notable living stage actors and production reviews

The following examples of actors playing both disabled characters and bringing their whole selves to what could be regarded as mainstream characters, in major professional mainstream productions. This list of actors and reviews demonstrates that disabled actors in both disabled and non-disabled roles is not an act of worthiness but a creative opportunity. * Nadia Albina, ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...

'', ''English'', ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'', ''

Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

'' *

Liz Carr Elizabeth Anne Carr (born 21 April 1972) is an English actress, comedian, broadcaster and international disability rights activist. She is known for portraying the role of Clarissa Mullery in the BBC crime drama ''Silent Witness'' (2013–2020), ...

, ''Unspeakable Conversations'', ''The Normal Heart'', ''Assisted Suicide'' *

Peter Dinklage Peter Hayden Dinklage (; born June 11, 1969) is an American actor. Portraying Tyrion Lannister on the HBO television series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), Dinklage won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama S ...

, '' Cyrano'', ''

'' * Daneka Etchells, ''The Welkin'', ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

'',

Brassed Off ''Brassed Off'' is a 1996 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Mark Herman and starring Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fitzgerald and Ewan McGregor. The film is about the troubles faced by a colliery brass band, following the closure ...

Madison Ferris Madison Ferris is an American actress, best known for portraying Laura Wingfield in ''The Glass Menagerie.'' Ferris moved to New York City, and got her first professional performance opportunity as a paid dancer at the Joyce Theater. Ferris perfo ...

, ''All of Me'', ''

'' * Zak Ford-Williams, ''The Real & Imagined History of The Elephant Man'', '' A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story'' ''Richard III'' * Mat Frazer, ''Richard III'', ''Unspeakable Conversations'', ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'' *

Sarah Gordy Sarah Gordy, MBE (born September 1976) is a British actress who has Down syndrome. She is best known for her roles as Katie Thorne in ''The A Word'' and Ralph & Katie, Orlando Quine in '' Strike: The Silkworm'', Lady Pamela Holland in the B ...

, Crocodiles, Jellyfish * Alison Halstead, ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...

'', ''Future Bodies'', ''Hole'', ''The House Of Bernarda Alba'' *

Kate Hood Kate Hood (born ) is an Australian actress, born in Sydney. She studied drama in New Zealand and joined The Mercury Theatre. She is best known to international audiences for her role in the cult television drama ''Prisoner (TV series), Prisone ...

, ''The Cost of Living'' * Arthur Hughes, ''Richard III'', ''The Dutchess of Malfi'', ''La Cage Aux Folles'',

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may refer to: * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Ken Kesey * ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (play), a 1963 stage adaptation of the novel starring Kirk Douglas * ''One Flew Over the ...

Melissa Johns Melissa Johns is a British actress and disability activist. She is known for playing Sadie in ''The Interceptor'', Imogen Pascoe on ''Coronation Street'', Hannah Taylor in ''Life'', and Miss Scott in ''Grantchester''. Johns is an ambassador for ...

, ''One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'', ''Henry V'' *

Francesca Martinez Francesca Martinez (born 1978) is an English comedian, writer and actress. She has cerebral palsy, but prefers to describe herself as "wobbly". Martinez first came to public attention in 1994, when she made her debut on the television series '' ...

, ''All of Us'' *

Francesca Mills Francesca Mills (born 1996 or 1997) is a British actress, most known for playing Cherry Dorrington in the television series '' Harlots'' (2019–2020), Earthy Mangold in ''Worzel Gummidge'' (2021) and Meldof in '' The Witcher: Blood Origin'' r ...

, ''The Dutchess of Malfi'', ''The American Clock'', '' Mallory Towers'' * Daniel Monks, ''Richard III'', ''The Seagul'', ''The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man'' * Tom Mothersdale, ''Richard III'', ''London Tide'', ''Love and Other Acts of Violence'' *

Kate Mulvany Kate Maree Mulvany (born 1977) is an Australian actress, playwright and screenwriter. She works in theatre, television and film, with roles in ''Hunters'' (2020–2023), ''The Great Gatsby'' (2013), '' Griff the Invisible'' (2010) and '' The F ...

, ''Richard III'', ''Every Brilliant Thing', Julius Caesar'' * Nadia Nadarajah, ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published ...

'', ''Grounded'', ''Loves Labour Lost'', ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'' *

Jan Potměšil Jan Potměšil (born 31 March 1966 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech actor. In summer 1989, he finished his lectures at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and joined Divadlo na Vinohradech. Later that year, he h ...

, ''Richard III'', ''

Flowers for Algernon ''Flowers for Algernon'' is a short story by American author Daniel Keyes, which he later expanded into a novel and adapted for film and other media. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of ''The Magazin ...

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

', Trouble in the House of God'' *

Sophie Leigh Stone use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

, ''Frozen'', ''

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' () is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical productions were produced in Switzerland and ...

'', ''Woman of Flowers'' *

Katy Sullivan Katy Sullivan is an American actress, producer, writer, and Paralympic track and field athlete and US record holder. Early life Sullivan was born a bilateral transfemoral amputee, missing both lower legs. She grew up in Alabama, pursuing interes ...

, ''The Cost of Living'', ''Richard III'' *

Michael Patrick Thornton Michael Patrick Thornton is an American actor and theater director. He played the character of Dr. Gabriel Fife in the ABC drama series '' Private Practice''. He is also known for his performances on Broadway including as Lennox in the Sam Gold r ...

, ''Richard III'', ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

A Doll's House ''A Doll's House'' (Danish language, Danish and ; also translated as ''A Doll House'') is a three-act Play (theatre), play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 De ...

'' * Amy Trigg, ''The Little Big Things'', ''Reasons You Should(n't) Love Me'', ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'', ''The Glass Menagerie''

Advice for disabled actors

In recent years the intake of disabled students has increased, although for some after years of actively blocking disabled student applications they are now actively looking for disabled students as attitudes in the theatre, TV and film industries are beginning to change. To support emerging talent publications such as The Actors' & Performers' Yearbook now provide guidance specifically targeted at young disabled actors.

''"The presence of marginalised groups can bring about social and political change: the normalised presence of marginalised groups cements it. The rest is celebration."'' Zak ford-Williams 2024.

Contemporary disability-led theatre companies

Since the 1980s there has been a movement focusing primarily on telling disability stories. From this, several well-funded and popular professional theatre companies have formed and this has become an important branch of theatremaking. This is particularly significant because these companies have become a training ground for disabled actors, directors, producers, and writers who have been excluded from mainstream training channels. *

ARBOS – Company for Music and Theatre ARBOS – Company for Music and Theatre in Vienna, Salzburg and Klagenfurt, is a society specialized in the realisation of new forms of theatre especially of projects for contemporary new music theatre, scenic concerts, theatre for young people, t ...

, founded in 1994 *

(Geelong, Australia), founded in 1987 * Blue Apple Theatre, founded in 2005 * Canadian Deaf Theatre, founded in 1989 * Chickenshed Theatre Company, founded in 1974 *

Deaf West Theatre Deaf West Theatre is a non-profit arts organization based in Los Angeles, California, US. It is most well known for its Tony Award-nominated productions of '' Big River'' and '' Spring Awakening''. Deaf West Theatre is led by artistic director DJ ...

(Los Angeles, USA), founded in 1991 * Definitely Theatre, founded in 2002 * Detour Theatre Company, founded in 2000 *

Extant Extant or Least-concern species, least concern is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Exta ...

(London, UK), founded in 1997 * Graeae Theatre Company, founded in 1980 * Hijinx Theatre, founded in 1981 * Joe Jack & John (Montreal, Canada), founded in 2003 *

Mind The Gap "Mind the gap" or sometimes "watch the gap" is an audible or visual warning phrase issued to rail passengers to take caution while crossing the horizontal, and in some cases vertical, spatial gap between the train doorway and the station ...

, founded in 1998 *

, founded in 1968 * Open Circle Theatre, founded in 2003 * Phamaly Theatre Company, founded in 1989 * Ramps On The Moon, founded in 2015 * Realwheels Theatre (Vancouver, Canada), founded in 2003 * Sick + Twisted Theatre Inc. (Winnipeg, Canada), founded in 2016 * The Southside Group (Glasgow, Scotland), founded in 2020 * Theatre Terrific (Vancouver, Canada), founded in 1984 * VitalXposure, founded in 2011

References

{{reflist Disability in the arts Cultural depictions of disabled people Theatre Drama