October marks the beginning of National Disability Month. As a disabled theatre artist, I have recently started questioning my place in the theatre since so little of the theatre I am surrounded with is created by and for disabled folks. In theatre, disabled stories are often forced into the background or come from a place of stereotype instead of actual experience. As I have honed my personal theatrical practice, I have discovered a need to explore the full range of disabled stories. I want to see disabled people on stage figuring out life, succeeding and failing. I want to see disabled people on stage that reflect the intersectionality of our community. In honor of the joy, pain, pride, and grief that is being disabled, here are ten plays written by disabled theatremakers.
In case you are wondering Leah - why are you wearing headphones in this picture and what does that have to do with disability? here is a fantastic explanation.
1. Peeling by Kaite O'Reilly
Synopsis: A hilarious and heartbreaking re-telling of The Trojan Women with a twist: the actors playing three of the women suspect they have only been cast to make the production seem inclusive of all identities. Despite being shoved out of the spotlight, the three women uncover the layers of their massive costumes as they peel back the layers of truth behind their lives.
What makes this play unique: The three Trojan Women give a comedic yet painful representation of what it means to be a disabled theatremaker. Despite their loud presence on stage, they are pushed to the back and only given a few lines; showing how even the loudest disabled voices can be silenced. The parallel stories of what it means to be a woman and what it means to be disabled are gloriously aligned.
About the playwright: Kaite O'Reilly is an Irish playwright, dramaturg, and artist with a specialty in disability theatre combined with mainstream culture. She finds interesting ways to retell classic stories with her own perspective weaved in.
2. The Rules of Charity by John Belluso
Synopsis: The tender story of Monty, a queer father who uses a wheelchair, and Loretta, his adult daughter/caregiver, as they navigate generational trauma, love-hate relationships, and being marginalized in American society.
What makes this play unique: So rarely do playwrights have the opportunity to express the paradoxical combination of joy and anger that comes with being disabled. In many ways, this is a tragic love story; a tale of needing someone that has caused you pain.
About the playwright: John Belluso is a champion of telling disabled stories in theatre. Until his death in 2006, he translated his own experiences onto the stage. The Rules of Charity is his third play, along with it he created a writing program specifically for disabled artists.
3. Love Person by Aditi Kapil
Synopsis: Intertwined love stories are told in a combination of Sanskrit, American Sign Language, and English in the journey of exploring sexuality, social structures, and forms of communication.
What makes this play unique: At the forefront of this piece are disabled love stories, something I have been deeply longing to hear. This play is intersectional in culture, language, and story in a way that is one of a kind.
About the playwright: Aditi Kapil was born in Sweden, raised by Bulgarian and Indian parents, and currently resides in the U.S. Kapil's wide range of cultural backgrounds informs how she is able to seamlessly move through mediums and genres. She has been writing and producing plays and television shows since 2006.
4. No One As Nasty by Susan Nussbaum
Synopsis: Susan, a woman in a rocky relationship with both her wheelchair and her caregiver, explores closing the gap between the receiver of care and the giver of care.
What makes this play unique: In its essence, this play is about independence and interdependence. It provides a terrifyingly real approach to needing physical and/or emotional assistance from another person as an adult, a reality that many disabled people face.
About the playwright: Susan Nussbaum is a widely celebrated American playwright, author, and disability rights activist with a particular interest in how disabled people are portrayed in the media. Her plays reflect her hope for a theatrical future with honest and accurate portrayals of disabled people.
5. A Therapy Session with Myself by Anthony Piccione
Synopsis: Alex, an autistic college student, must confront the human form of his inner demons. Through this encounter, he is forced to reckon with painful recollections of the past and his own personal identity.
What makes this play unique: While it may not be widely known, this play takes important steps toward a future where autistic stories are written by and for autistic people. It holds space for the complex arena of inner self and identity crises.
About the playwright: Anthony Piccione is a New York-based political playwright and writer who has only recently begun his career in the theatre world. A Therapy Session with Myself is his first play.
6. Hi, Are You Single? by Ryan Haddad
Synopsis: Haddad's one-man show uses an autobiographical approach to explore being gay and disabled in the dating world. He seeks to find a boyfriend while dealing with the challenges of his intersectional identity in the most hilarious way possible.
What makes this play unique: The plays that stand out to me the most are those that explore intersectionality in a way that is both authentic and uplifting. What Haddad has created is heartbreaking yet fulfilling, hopeful yet truthful.
About the playwright: Ryan Haddad is no stranger to the theatre and television community. He has soared into his career as a joint actor and writer with his recent autobiographical work accompanying the work of those that inspire him.
7. Shoot by Lynn Manning
Synopsis: A blind man takes his safety into his own hands by purchasing a handgun to protect himself.
What makes this play unique: While Manning's approach to telling the stories of blind people is sometimes controversial, he is able to communicate his ideas effectively without getting caught up in the story itself. This play was written based on the true experience of Manning's friend, with the intention of raising awareness of the obstacles that come with being a disabled person of color.
About the playwright: Lynn Manning spent his life advocating for the rights of blind people through his career as a Paralympian and writer. Like Ryan Haddad, much of Manning's work takes an autobiographical form.
8. Stiff by Shary Jo Ward
Synopsis: Ward describes this as a "one-person, autobiographical play" with many elements of stand-up comedy incorporated into the work. She wrote and starred in this piece as a reaction to her diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome and how it influenced her performance career.
What makes this play unique: Ward created this piece while acting in a different production and experiencing discrimination due to her disability. It is a direct response to her life experiences and encompasses the vast array of feelings Ward had as she navigated a career post-diagnosis.
About the playwright: Shary Jo Ward is a long-time actor for television, film, and theatre, but only recently has she begun her work as a writer as well. She has a mission to continue working as a disabled actor, even if she must write her own material.
9. Sweet Nothing In My Ear by Stephen Sachs
Synopsis: A family of three is split apart when Laura, a Deaf woman, and Dan, her hearing husband must decide whether their Deaf son should have an operation that would restore his hearing.
What makes this play unique: The gigantic ethical dilemma hanging over this play instantly made me wonder what I would do if faced with this decision, which I feel I am not alone in. Performed in a combination of American Sign Language and English, this play makes for an impactful dynamic of a mixed-ability family.
About the playwright: Stephen Sachs has written seventeen plays thus far in his career, yet his main focus has always been directing. His ability to incorporate ASL directly into his plays allows for d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing people to be at the forefront of his theatre work.
10. The Not Broken Monologues by Ash Goodwin
Synopsis: A collection of stories from real disabled people as they share their experiences with this single message in mind: disabled people are not broken.
What makes this play unique: The idea that disabled people are not broken is more often than not a radical idea. Goodwin added her documentary-style flair by interviewing people within her own community to obtain a larger scope of disabled stories.
About the playwright: Ash Goodwin is a Utah-based writer and researcher who created this piece as the final result of her undergraduate project, having put in over 250 hours into its writing and research. She is determined to see a world in which all kinds of stories are both being told and heard by the greater disabled community.
Despite these celebrations of disabled stories, there is still so much work to be done in theatre. The stories of gender non-conforming disabled people need to be heard. The stories of BIPOC disabled people need to be heard. The stories of people with invisible disabilities, visible disabilities, and those in between all deserve to be heard. I am hopeful that these necessary stories will be written about and received in the years to come.
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