I once considered participating in community theater. I’d read that writers should be friends with actors. This way, when we write a story, we can have our actor friends act it out for us. Then we will notice any holes in the setting, dialog or story line. I liked the idea, so I asked myself, “How would I get actor friends?” The first thing that came to mind was “community theater.”
But what kind of play would require a 30something on oxygen? I mean, that’s pretty rare, so who would write a play with such a character? And if I tried to play a non-disabled healthy character, would people be able to look past the oxygen, or would they just see a sick girl playing pretend?
Yes, I am in my 30s and on oxygen. And yes, it is a total shit sandwich. Even with the oxygen (and a shit ton of pharmaceuticals), I can’t do anywhere near as much as I could pre-lung disease. Every day my disease prevents me from doing something or other. Every day.
It’s understandable when a person’s suffering is caused by the disease or the disability itself. Then, it is just a fact of life... and death. What’s really sad is when the suffering is caused by other people’s reactions to the disability. Unfortunately, people having stupid reactions to the disabled is also a fact of life. However, there are a couple of local arts organizations that are trying to change this: Blue Butterfly Productions' Theatre eXceptional in Largo and ProjectFREE's RisingSTARZ in Gulfport.
When ProjectFREE cofounders (and siblings) Kim Costanzo and Sharon Vanderlinde told people they wanted to start a theater company for the disabled, people told them they were crazy. They refused to believe that a bunch of folks with Down syndrome would be able to learn their lines. They were wrong.
The problem wasn’t that the actors couldn’t remember their lines. The problem was that no one believed that they could remember their lines. Being constantly underestimated wears on a person’s self-esteem. Once placed in an environment where people actually believed in them and took the time to learn their abilities and coach them, these young adults with intellectual disabilities were suddenly capable of so much more than anyone had imagined.
“Self-worth is everything. Everyone deserves it, and that’s what ProjectFREE gives people,” says theater dad, Paul Bachmann.
Many of the actor’s parents at ProjectFREE have seen their grown kids with disabilities age out of, well, everything. After they leave high school, few want to hire them (the disabled are the most underemployed population in the U.S.), and they are left isolated in their parents' homes with nothing to do. Too often, people with disabilities are left out. As the parent of an intellectually disabled child, Sharon Vanderlinde wanted more opportunities for her daughter Lauren and others like her. So Sharon and Kim quit their day jobs five years ago so they could start ProjectFREE, an arts organization in Gulfport for the intellectually disabled.
Lauren can do many things that may surprise you. She is an actor, a musician, and an artist. Her Aunt Kim loves to go to open mics around town with her and some of the other ProjectFREE musicians.
“People see Lauren come up with drumsticks, and you can see they’re thinking ‘what the fuck,’” says Costanzo, “and then she goes up and kicks their asses,” because Lauren rocks. Literally. No one like this should be left behind.
Over in Largo, Michelle Larson was in a similar situation. She wanted more opportunities for her son Tyler Crose, who has Down syndrome. All four of Larson’s kids are in the performing arts, and she thought Tyler deserved the same opportunities as the other three.
As we speak, Michelle Larson looks up at the stage, where her daughter and Blue Butterfly cofounder, Brianna Larsen, is directing a group of about 50 Theatre eXceptional actors with varying degrees of abilities and disabilities.
“They deserve a professional-quality production,” she says, referring to the actors on stage.
Since the Larsons started Blue Butterfly Productions and Theatre eXceptional four years ago, they’ve seen attitudes toward the disabled change in our local theater scene. People call Brianna now and ask her how they can create roles for the disabled. In 2017, Tyler played the soothsayer in Julius Caesar during the St. Petersburg Shakespeare Festival.
“They used Tyler’s cognitive disability as part of the role,” says Michelle Larson. “No one was listening to him because his character had this disability.”
Blue Butterfly Productions also organizes the annual 4x6 Fest, in which local playwrights are given a photo prompt, and then must write a short play within 24 hours. This year, Erica King won the 4x6 Fest Best Play with Time to Get a New Car. King has autism, but that didn’t stop her from staging her award-winning play during the 2018 Tampa Bay Theatre Festival’s short play competition, where she competed against several non-disabled playwrights.
Theater companies like RisingSTARZ and Theatre eXceptional bring disabled and non-disabled members of the community together under the umbrella of the performing arts. This weekend, the two theater companies are hoping to bring you to their productions of the classic plays Guys and Dolls (RisingSTARZ) and Bye Bye Birdie (Theatre eXceptional). Show up and show your support for everyone’s right to shine.
