Theater mixes disabled, nondisabled actors
An orange-haired woman wearing a laurel wreath and a Grecian tunic sits on a man’s knee at center stage, pretending to be his ventriloquist’s dummy as he performs a song. With perfect timing and expressions, she mimes to his words, flinging her arms and legs.
As the play unfolds, the woman’s Down syndrome seems to melt away at Interact Theater, a troupe that for 18 years has sprinkled its casts with nonprofessional actors who may be blind, have a traumatic brain injury or use a wheelchair. The Minneapolis group aims to break down audience perceptions of people with disabilities.
via Theater mixes disabled, nondisabled actors.
My first thought as I read this was, “Why should her Down syndrome have to melt away? Why not see her whole self and accept her without judgment?” Still, Interact sounds like an exciting troupe. Maybe we should interview them, eh?
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About The Author
Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts is founder of Support for Special Needs and has been a regular contributor since its inception in May 2010. A mom to two kids with special needs, she didn't want other parents to feel what is the often isolating world of raising a child (or two!) with disabilities. Her kids had kidney transplants at the age of eight and will need liver transplants in the future as a result of ARPKD/CHF. They both have vision disorders and learning disabilities.