Theatre and disability

Theatre and disability is a subject focusing on the inclusion of disability 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, founded in 1967. Notable early disability theatre companies include Graeae Theatre Company (1980 – UK), Theatre Terrific (1985 - Canada), Back to Back Theatre (1988 - Australia) and Phamaly Theatre Company (founded in 1989).

There were some disabled actors such as Esmond Knight (4 May 1906 – 23 February 1987) and Lionel Barrymore (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.

Political change

Change does not happen easily and the campaign for political change within society, Nothing About Us Without Us, is as relevant in theatre as it has been in TV, Film, Politics and Design. Campaigns from Disability Rights UK, 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 Economist, the BBC, PBS News, HuffPost and The Stage 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 the lived experience of someone with a disability can be an interesting creative choice as for every visible disability there is a backstory and that adds subtext, whether a role is written as disabled or not. Shifting attitudes in the industry from seeing disability as a diversity target to recognising 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 3% of the population has a visible disability, so if there were no biases 3% 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 and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

Equity UK have created a more in-depth guide to the access practicalities of inclusive casting processes.

Disability dramaturgy

This is a role that is very similar to a regular dramaturge. 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 brings 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 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 a disability dramaturg is a literary and portrayal advisor who works in TV drama, theatre, opera, or film to help improve the quality of a production through the authenticity of portrayal. They provide research, context, and feedback to the production team, and their role can vary depending on the production.

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 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

Laura in The Glass Menagerie

Tennessee Williams explains that the character Laura (The Glass Menagerie) 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 and Winnie Holzman 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

In Shakespeare's play Richard III, ableism 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.

Joseph Merrick in The Real and Imagined History of The Elephant Man. An historical figure previously misnamed as 'John' Merrick in The Elephant Man.

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'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, Julie Forsyth, 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.

Further examples of disabled fictional and non-fictional characters, where authentic casting applies

Other examples of where visible disability or metaphors for the disabled lived experience are at the core of a character or historical figure being portrayed.

• Arnold, Lucien Sheila, Barry and Norman in The Boys Next Door, by Tom Griffin
• Artie in Glee, by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan
• Belinda MacDonald in Johnny Belinda, by Elmer Blaney Harris
• Billy in Tribes, by Nina Raine
• Billy Claven in The Cripple of Inishmaan, by Martin McDonagh
• Blanche in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, by Henry Farrell
• Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Simon Stephens based on the novel of the same name by Mark Haddon
• Claudius in I, Claudius, by John Mortimer and Michael White, based on the Robert Graves books I, Claudius and Claudius the God
• Captain Ahab in Moby Dick, adaptations for stage by Mark Rosenwinkel, Jim Burke, Julian Rad, Morris Panych and David Catlin
• Charlie in Flowers for Algeron, by Daniel Keyes
• Christopher in The Return of The Soldier, by John Van Druten based on Rebecca West's 1918 novel of the same name
• Clifford in Lady Chatterley's Lover, by John Harte based on the D.H. Lawrence novel
• Colin in The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett with adaptations by Pamela Sterling, Thomas W. Olson, Lucy Simon, Jessica Swale, Rosalind Sydney, and Anna Himali Howard & Holly Robinson
• Davros in The Trial of Davros, by Kevin Taylor and Michael Wisher with later additions by Kevin Taylor, contributions from Terry Molloy, and a scene written by Michael Wisher
• Dom in I Won't Dance, by Oliver Hailey
• Dr. Strangelove in Dr. Strangelove, by Stanley Kubrick, Terry Southern and Peter George, adapted for the stage by Armando Iannucci and Sean Foley
• Duke of Gloucester/The King in Richard III (A One Person Show) adapted by Kolbrun Bjort Sigfusdottir & Emily Carding (adaptation of William Shakespeare's Richard III), Richard III (1699 play) by Colley Cibber or Teenage Dick by Mike Lew
• Franklin D. Roosevelt in Sunrise at Campobello, by Dore Schary
• Franz Kafka in Kafka by Jack Klaff, Kafka's Dick by Alan Bennett, or Kafka the Musical by Murray Gold
• Frida Kahlo in Back to Back with Frida Kahlo, by Louise Coigley, A Ribbon Around the Bomb by Francesca Cassottana, Frida Kahlo by Titti Nuzzolese and Peppe Romano, Frida  ... a Self Portrait by Vanessa Severo, Frida, A bomb wrapped in a silk ribbon by Andrea Castelletti, Frida and Diego by Tony Broadwick, Frida Kahlo, a Revoluçao! by Juçara Gaspar, Frida - Stroke of Passion by Odalys Nanin, Frida Vice-Versa by Marian Licha and R. Dennis Green, Frida Kahlo: Viva La Vida by Fabio Camassa, Fabiana Gargia, Alessia Pelagatta, Frida Kahlo: Viva La Vida by Pino Cacucci, Frida Kahlo: Viva La Vida by Huberto Robles, Frida Kahlo: Viva la Vida - Frida Kahlo e Chavela Vargas by Valeria Moretti or To DIE:GO in Leaves by Maryam Baig
• Gregor in The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, adaptations by Lemm Sissay, E. Thomalen, Steven Berkoff and Steve Moulds
• Hal Jeffries in Rear Window, stage adaptation by Keith Reddin of the short story by Cornell Woolrich
• Helen in The Miracle Worker, by William Gibson
• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in Lautrec by Robert Kornhiser, Lautrec The Musical by Charles Aznavour, Moulin Rouge by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce or Beauty from Moulin Rouge, by Pavlík
• Horatio Nelson in Trafalgar - Nelson's Finest Hour by Daniel Dalton and Tim Spencer, Nelson – The Sailor's Story by Nicholas Collett, or A Bequest to the Nation, by Terence Rattigan
• Ignacio, Carlos and the other boys in In the Burning Darkness, by Antonio Buero Vallejo
• Jess in All of Us, by Francesca Martinez
• Jimmy in Bubble Boy, by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio
• John in Cost of Living, by Martyna Majok
• Laura, Max, Sally and Dr Walters in Sweet Nothing in My Ear, by Stephen Sachs
• Long John Silver in Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, with stage adaptations by Jules Eckert Goodman, Jule Styne, Sebastian, Ken Ludwig, B.H. Barry & Vernon Morris, Mike Kenny, Bryony Lavery, Nicolas Billon and Sandi Toksvig
• Lord George Gordon Byron in Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, Byron by Alicia Ramsey, Dangerous to Know by Deborah Clair or The Life and Death of Lord Byron, by Arthur Kahn
• Meshak Gardiner in Coram Boy, by Helen Edmundson
• Molly in Molly Sweeney, by Brian Friel
• Monty in The Rules of Charity, by John Belluso
• Mr Johnny Gotobed in Carrie's War, by Nina Bawden
• Polyanna in Polyanna, by Eleanor H. Porter, adapted for stage by Catherine Chisholm Cushing
• Duke of Gloucester in Henry IV part 3, by William Shakespeare
• Duke of Gloucester/King, in The Wars of the Roses, adaptation of William Shakespeare's Richard III and Henry IV plays
• Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Victor Hugo with stage adaptations by Ken Hill, Robert Hossein, Nicholas DeBaubien, Pip Utton, James Villafuerte, Harold Hodge Jr and Benjamin Polya
• Sarah Norman in Children of a Lesser God, by Mark Medoff
• Shawn in Stuck In Neutral by Allison Cameron Gray and Matt Corpenning adapted from the novel Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman
• Smike in Nicholas Nickleby, by Charles Dickens, theatrical adaptations by Edward Stirling and David Edgar, as well as a musical adaptation "Smike" by Simon May, Clive Barnett and Roger Holman
• Susy in Wait Until Dark, by Frederick Knott
• The Monster, Igor and De Lacey in Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly, adaptations by Nick Dear, Barbara Field, Jonathan Christenson, Richard Brinsley Peake and Eric B. Sirota
• Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, adaptations by David Edgar, Jack Thorne and most notably Mark Gatiss's version, A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story. Gatiss deals with the ableism of Tiny Tim by treating him as more than a catalyst for Scrooge's guilt, turning the narrator into an elderly Tim
• Tiresias in Oedipus, by Sophocles
• Tommy in The Who's Tommy, by Pete Townshend
• Various characters in Tracy Beaker Gets Real, as disability is a core incidental theme. By Jacqueline Wilson

Some of Samual Beckett's plays, such as Endgame, have disability as an underlying characteristic, and in her 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.

Disabled talent and theatre companies

The UK's Royal National Theatre launched a service in 2021 aimed at Casting Directors 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, English, Othello, Merchant of Venice
• Liz Carr, Unspeakable Conversations, The Normal Heart, Assisted Suicide
• Peter Dinklage, Cyrano, Richard III
• Daneka Etchells, The Welkin, Much Ado About Nothing, Brassed Off
• Madison Ferris, All of Me, The Glass Menagerie
• 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
• Sarah Gordy, Crocodiles, Jellyfish
• Alison Halstead, The Cherry Orchard, Future Bodies, Hole, The House Of Bernarda Alba
• Kate Hood, The Cost of Living
• Arthur Hughes, Richard III, The Dutchess of Malfi, La Cage Aux Folles, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
• Melissa Johns, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Henry V
• Francesca Martinez, All of Us
• Francesca Mills, 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, Richard III, Every Brilliant Thing, Julius Caesar
• Nadia Nadarajah, Antony and Cleopatra, Grounded, Loves Labour Lost, A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Jan Potměšil, Richard III, Flowers for Algernon, Hamlet, Trouble in the House of God
• Sophie Leigh Stone, Frozen, Mother Courage and Her Children, Woman of Flowers
• Katy Sullivan, The Cost of Living, Richard III
• Michael Patrick Thornton, Richard III, Macbeth, A Doll's House
• Amy Trigg, The Little Big Things, Reasons You Should(n't) Love Me, The Taming of the Shrew, 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 theatre making. This is particularly significant because these have become a training ground for disabled actors, directors, producers, writers that were excluded from mainstream channels for training.

• ARBOS – Company for Music and Theatre, founded in 1994
• Back to Back Theatre, founded in 1987
• Blue Apple Theatre, founded in 2005
• Canadian Deaf Theatre, founded in 1989
• Chickenshed Theatre Company, founded in 1974
• Deaf West Theatre, founded in 1991
• Definitely Theatre, founded in 2002
• Detour Theatre Company, founded in 2000
• Extant, founded in 1997
• Graeae Theatre Company, founded in 1980
• Hijinx Theatre, founded in 1981
• Mind The Gap, founded in 1998
• National Theatre of the Deaf, founded in 1968
• Open Circle Theatre, founded in 2003
• Phamaly Theatre Company, founded in 1989
• Ramps On The Moon, founded in 2015
• Realwheels Theatre, founded in 2003
• Theatre Terrific, founded in 1984
• VitalXposure, founded in 2011