Nine Must-Read Plays and Books to Celebrate Disability Pride Month.
My Guest Curation for The Understudy Cafe and Bookstore
Hi Friends,
As you may have seen on social media, I had the opportunity to curate a collection at The Understudy, Chicago’s Theatre-themed cafe and bookstore alongside fellow disabled actor Korey Joseph. Since I was brought on as a July Guest Curator, it felt only fitting to curate a Disability Pride Month Collection. If you are local to Chicago, I’d encourage you to grab a coffee and check out the display in Andersonville in person!
As for my house-bound babes and everyone else not in Chicago; here is my complete curation in no particular order.
Marley Takes the Stage
In the back of this book, you’ll find a gallery of photos of the dancers (a few Chicagoans, and even another fellow Who) who inspired the characters depicted in this sweet story of dance, performance, and friendship! Keep an eye out for Sadie, a dancer in a wheelchair based on yours truly!Â
The Cost of Living
Unprotected: A Memoir by Billy Porter
You’ll laugh and most definitely cry in this inspiring memoir. Part Memoir, Part Masterclass, Unprotected is a remarkable journey of authenticity, grit, chronic illness, trauma, and healing. A must-read.Â
Teenage Dick by Mike Lew
Shakespeare’s Richard III, is reimagined as a high schooler with cerebral palsy in this poignant and darkly funny play. I got to play Buck in Seattle Rep’s 2022 production and one of my biggest takeaways was what a rare joy it was to be in a show with more than one disabled character and in turn, not be the only disabled artist in the room. I also love Lew’s casting note about for Buck and Richard.Â
The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer
Did you know that one of the first physicians in the United States to recognize the AIDS epidemic was a wheelchair user? I didn’t until receiving a callback for the role of Dr. Emma Brookner (based on Dr. Linda Laubenstein) in this play. This heart-wrenching, gripping story about the rise of the HIV/AIDS epidemic changed me forever.Â
Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night-time
Spring Awakening by Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik
The Deaf West Revival of Spring Awakening was the first Broadway show I ever saw. In this coming-of-age tale highlighting the importance of communication between parents and children, the added layer of a language barrier between Deaf and hearing characters drove the theme home in a manner that ultimately changed how I approach characters not specifically written as disabled. Other Disability-centric and Neurodiverse productions of Spring Awakening have been equally as electric adding nuance and commentary to the topic of the infantilization of disabled people.Â
Next To Normal by Brian Yorkey
A rock musical about a mother struggling with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing her illness has on her family. It’s one of the most raw portrayals of chronic illness I’ve found in theatre and one of my favorite musicals of all time.Â
p.s. I linked the upcoming Barrington Stage production not the script on this one. If you’re in the Berkshires, support my friend and colleague Alan H. Green who is playing Dan!
Slow Productivity by Cal Newport
A roadmap for pursuing meaningful accomplishment while avoiding overload. This one is for anyone overwhelmed by the unsustainable and frenetic pace of hustle culture (but especially my fellow disabled artists who have had to deal with inaccessible societal attitudes around work for far too long).Â
Honestly, this collection barely scratches the surface. While curating, I realized so many books, plays, and musicals by disabled playwrights/with disabled characters have yet to be published. Among those unpublished works are even Broadway, off-broadway, and award-winning plays. So while we have come so far as an industry, that was a friendly reminder of the remaining work there is to do.
In Art and Action,
Meredith
Not Just Friends - a comedic ode to Brooklyn, queer friendships & anything that refuses to fit into a neat box. Consider donating to my friend Lena Vani’s Indiegogo campaign to bring this TV series to fruition. (P.S. It’s her Birthday Today!)
Inches to Miles -I had the honor of attending a screening of Athletic Brewing's newest documentary Inches to Miles. The screening was followed by a Q&A with two of the three triathletes featured in the film, Tommy Howard and Lynn Rogers. Big thanks to the lovely folks at Pie for the invite!
