We finished up an incredible three weeks of workshops and rehearsals with the Rude Mechanicals this past week. Our full ensemble joins us for our first rehearsal on August 4th. If you missed our last post about what we've been up to the last three weeks, feel free to check out our last post-

Spirits of Another Sort Workshop Journal #2.5 "How Now..."


There was a good deal of discussion surrounding the topic of casting and representation of Disabled Actors this week on the internet and social media. Perhaps some of you saw the recent article by playwright, Christopher Shinn that appeared in The Atlantic. If you missed it, I have reposted it here.

Dear Hollywood: Disability Is Not Just A Metaphor.

Shinn writes- As a playwright who underwent a below-the-knee amputation at age 38 during treatment for Ewing's sarcoma, I have lived as both an able-bodied and disabled person and artist. I understand that casting entails more than a search for diversity. But I've also come to believe that leaving out actual disabled people undercuts the power of works ostensibly about disability. 

As stated in the article, according to The Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, roughly 2,200 actors self identify as disabled. Great. My question is: Where are they?

Recently, I have written pretty extensively on the topic of casting, barriers to employment and what I see as The Apothetae's role in shifting the existing paradigm in the industry. Rather than re-hash it all here in this blog post, feel free to check out a previous article I wrote for Theatre Communications Group's Diversity & Inclusion blog salon curated by Jacqueline E. Lawton. 

We Will Make That History Visible
 
Today, I'm writing you as a producer who is attempting to assemble a cast with very specific set of criteria, and I find myself running into the same conflicts that every producer faces when set with this task.  

How many successful, established Disabled actors can you name? Contrary to prevailing perception, not all disabilities are the same. Just because 2,200 actors identify as "Disabled," doesn't mean they've had training, will conduct themselves professionally as part of an ensemble or possess any talent. In the original residency with The Shakespeare Society- a week long commitment (with pay)- I had trouble finding suitable, qualified disabled actors to fill four roles. I faced the same challenges casting the workshop.

With The Apothetae, I had an "if you build it they will come" mentality, but after having produced one show last year, several readings, a residency and now this workshop, if the core group of disabled actors in New York City known to me are unavailable, I'm the guy who finds himself the one who plowed under half his crop staring at an empty baseball field.

When casting, I have all the usual considerations, paramount being; do I like the person and enjoy working with them? Does the actor have experience with classical text or do I feel they could handle it if they didn't? Due to the fact that we wanted to differentiate the Fairies based on how they moved through space and in relation to the rest of the ensemble, certain disabilities were more appealing than others. Cerebral palsy or other mobility impairments would work well, amputation or missing limbs would also work, but visual and hearing impairments not as much for this particular project. In the eventual full production, I am interested in incorporating each actor's disability into the design of the show. Something along these lines perhaps...

For "Spirits of Another Sort" I knew I would be playing the role of Puck. Regan Linton, who will be playing Hippolyta/Titania joined us in the original residency with The Shakespeare Society. I am very happy she was available to join us for this workshop. This left me responsible for finding an Oberon/Theseus and First Fairy.

The first person I approached for the role of Oberon was Mat Fraser. Mat is a friend of mine and someone I have wanted to work with for a long time. A London native, now living in New York City, Mat is a burlesque performer who was born a thalidomide baby. He would have been awesome in the role but he was unavailable due to schedule conflicts. He recently booked a role on Ryan Murphy's, American Horror Story: Freak Show.

David Harrell is an amputee actor whom I have worked with on several occasions with Theatre Breaking Through Barriers. He is also a Disability Advocate at The Alliance for Inclusion In The Arts (AIA). David was going to be out of town performing his award winning, one-person show, The Boy Who Would Be Captain Hook, in The Republic of Estonia. Way out of town. Unavailable.

At this point I had run out of clear options. I could not think of another male actor in New York City who fit my initial criteria. When I asked David if he could recommend actors from AIA's files, he said there weren't any that had experience with classical text. Both Mat and David were working. This is great and a testament to their skills, talent and dedication. The reality for me as producer however is, if two actors are unavailable, I'm fuc*ed.

Why aren't there more actors with disabilities located in New York City? Is it the high cost of living? Major accessibility issues? Maybe it's easier to be a big fish in a smaller pond? Perhaps. Why would young people with Disabilites choose to enter into a field that has made it startlingly clear that there's no place for them and very little chance of success? To be able to produce the plays and projects I want to do, I need to find a bigger pool of actors to pull from. If they're not in New York I have to work to investigate and develop actors locally. I also have to broaden my scope by thinking regionally and nationally. Of course, bringing in actors from out of town increases costs and I need to manage an operations budget that doesn't break the bank.

I began to explore other options and change some of my considerations for the roles. Sara, works with a colleague who is in a relationship with a recent amputee- a former actor, now a construction contractor, who was looking to get back in the game since his injury.

I connected with this gentleman over the phone and he seemed very interested in the project, but had a few concerns. He lived in Duchess County for one- 75 minutes outside of the city- July/August was his busy season and he wasn't sure what his work schedule would be like. I assured him that the time commitment was limited, that we would rehearse in the evenings and we could work with his schedule. In addition however, his father was recovering from recent bypass surgery. Try as we might, it just wasn't going to work this time. He's on my radar now though, and perhaps there is a future project we can collaborate on.

I explored the idea of gender-bending the roles of Oberon/Theseus. Pamela Sabaugh is another actor (visually impaired) whom I had met through Theatre Breaking Through Barriers, but she was going to be out of town and unavailable.

Conversations began about potentially casting an able-bodied actor in the role...

It was Hail Mary time. I contacted a friend of mine I went to school with, Will Dickerson. Will was  a year ahead of me at Boston University. He is a phenomenal actor with cerebral palsy now living in Bozeman, Montana. On a whim, I invited him via Facebook message not expecting him to accept the offer. Lo and behold, he did! He will be joining us in August and I am looking forward to his arrival and participation in the piece.

Since we started, we have had to find a new director, replace our Helena and find a new Starveling the Tailor. I am happy to say that the cast of "Spirits of Another Sort" contains four actors with cerebral palsy, an actor with a spinal chord injury who uses a wheelchair and four actors with various intellectual disabilities. Within that physical and neuro-diversity, is also represented the Latino and African American population. Regan is joining us from Los Angeles and Will from Montana. This wasn't necessarily planned, it just happened. Actually, it didn't just happen. Actually, it was a pain in the ass. It was work worth doing however, because I feel we have assembled an incredible ensemble of actors.

Now, all we have to do is learn our lines... 
-Gregg Mozgala, Artistic Director

In our last post we discussed the auditions for the Rude Mechanicals and gave some insight into that rehearsal process with teaching artists, Sara Buffamanti and Becky Leifman. If you missed it, feel free to check it out here-

Spirits Of Another Sort Workshop Journal #2- Same/Different

In this follow up post, Becky Leifman recently sat down with Sylvia Morsillo, our Flute the Bellows Mender/Thisbe to talk to her about her experience working on the piece. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
-Gregg Mozgala, Artistic Director

Whenever I share the concept for "Spirits of Another Sort" with  people I am usually met with one of two responses; fear mixed with great anxiety or excitement and total support. The former response is one I am familiar with, having spent years being part of various "Disability Theatre" productions, and it also interests me the most. If you're not already familiar with the concept of this project please see- 

"Spirits of Another Sort Workshop Journal #1 - Origins."

To actually work towards a fully staged, professional production of one of Shakespeare’s most popular and beloved plays with an integrated cast of able-bodied (The Athenians), physically disabled (The Fairies) and intellectually disabled (The Rude Mechanicals) actors would certainly pose challenges, require flexibility and a new approach from everyone involved, but in my mind it was never outside the realm of possibility. My collaborators were fully on board, and yet, I was again confronted with several challenges; primarily, the perception that working with actors of various disabilities would be too difficult, pose too many problems and potentially be off-putting to a mainstream audience. I feel all of this is true to some extent and these perceptions are exactly why I feel that this workshop needs to happen.

Personally, I had never worked with the Intellectually Disabled before. My focus and experience is as a white, American male with Cerebral Palsy- a Physical Disability. The two are very different. Often, people don't make this distinction, much to my chagrin. If potential directors, producers or theatre professionals have anxiety about working with these populations I understand. I feel the exact same way.

For "Spirits of Another Sort" We needed to find a director who in a sense was fearless, and who would approach the work as any good director would, by telling the story of the play well and essentially.

We met with various directors, all very experienced and respected in their field. Many expressed concern about never having worked with the intellectually disabled before and approached the project with some trepidation. In addition, they astutely pointed out that the Rude Mechanicals were of a lower class economically then the rest of the characters in the play and worried about what the play might be saying through its choice to cast intellectually disabled actors in this light. In Act V Scene I, the play within the play, these characters are openly mocked by the Athenian audience. Would our casting decision make people uncomfortable in these moments? Most likely. This question of Class vs. Disability is the biggest uncertainty hanging over the project at the moment.

Disability by its very nature is anxiety inducing and can be alienating but I think this has to do more with a lack of visibility and exposure. I'm also interested in that tension between disabled actor and Audience and how it plays out meta-theatrically. Will the audience be able to laugh at a Snug with Down Syndrome? A Bottom with a Learning Disability? When Titania crosses the stage in a wheelchair what will it say?! Have we made the comedy off limits? Is the play now something else? Have we reappropiated Midsummer for our own personal agenda so much that it interferes with the comedy? It was a lot to think about. We could let these issues (ahem) cripple us or we could keep going as planned. Anne Bogart has said, "You cannot create results. You can only create conditions in which something might happen." We were all interested in what might happen.

Potential directors also raised the question of “Authenticity.” Able-bodied themselves, they were concerned that due to their lack of experience working with these various populations, that they wouldn’t represent these characters sincerely and accurately. Directors expressed concerns about being able to run the room by themselves and requested extra hands in addition to the two highly trained and experienced teaching artists and theatre professionals that would already be present in Sara Buffamanti and Becky Leifman.

These conversations were extremely valuable and taught us a great deal about how to approach the workshop. We are indebted to everyone we met with. They have in their own way, contributed greatly to the piece. Eventually, we unanimously agreed upon a director (who is able-bodied) with extensive experience working with actors with physical and intellectual disabilities who possesses a personal desire to bring more artists with disabilities visibility on stage. Perfect. This seemed like a match made in heaven...Who was it that said, "the course of true love never did run smooth...?"  

A week before our first rehearsals, after holding auditions for the Rude Mechanicals in New York City and casting those roles, the director called me and regrettably had to back out due to another job. Well, sh*&*. I will never begrudge another person work. Particularly work that pays more than the paltry sum I can currently offer. This director was gracious enough to recommend someone they thought might be a good fit and our scramble to find a replacement began immediately.

Alice Reagan has now joined us as director. Alice is a graduate of Columbia University's MFA directing program and Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at Barnard College. While she herself has never worked with people with disabilities before, she has extensive credits and experience directing classics and new plays that experiment with form and content. We are very pleased that she was available and thrilled to have her.

I was unfortunately out of town for the audition process, but Sara, Becky and Stephen Bennet (Peter Quince) were present with the director. Sara (who will also be playing Hermia), will speak on how these auditions and the development of the curriculum for the Rude Mechanical rehearsals was developed and initiated.

In preparation for these auditions and workshops, I thought a lot about core teaching values that hold true regardless of the population you are teaching: Create an an environment that is supportive and encourages risk taking. Set up thresholds and offer possibilities for how to move towards and through them. Teach to the room. With the support of Becky Leifman, a teaching artist with a considerable amount of experience working with intellectually disabled populations, I made the decision to forgo the development of a curriculum specifically tailored to the needs of actors with individual disabilities. Instead, I would teach a classical voice and movement workshop utilizing the same techniques I had learned at Columbia University and through my teaching artist experiences with Classic Stage Theater and the Packard Collegiate Institute. Any modifications would be made in the room based on the response of the participants and based on suggestions made by Becky following each lessons.  

This philosophy began with our auditions. A traditional "breakdown," was sent out to interested parties.  Actors were asked to prepare: A piece of memorized text, a song, a dance and a joke to share with the room.  The auditions were run with the spirit of ensemble driven, collaborative theater making. There was a collective warm-up consisting of exercises that addressed concentration, body awareness, release of tension, sound and movement and ensemble building. All of the actors stayed in the room for the entirety of the audition and their parents were invited not only to watch the auditions,  but to participate in the exercises. For example, the songs prepared by the actors were sung campfire style- the auditors, auditioners, and parents all sitting in a circle and contributing a song. What became apparent about intellectual disability throughout the audition process is the vastness of the spectrum, particularly, when the actors were asked to speak their prepared texts. Each actor's particular disability affected the way in which they crafted and performed their piece.  One actor came in off book with a piece from Amadeus after working with an acting coach. All of his choices were bold and committed, but bore a striking resemblance to Tom Hulce's performance in the film.  Another actor with Downs Syndrome, performed Jaques, "Seven Ages of Man" speech from As You Like It, each word with a specific choice of dynamic suited to the image and several well practiced gestural and blocking choices. Other actors read their texts off of a cell phone or paper. Some needed prompting from one of our auditors. One actress played Act 2 Scene 1 of Midsummer; the scene between the First Fairy, Puck, Titania and Oberon all by herself, changing her voice to take on a new role. This excited me, because all of the actors auditioning were breaking traditional "rules," associated with professional acting and having a blast doing it.  They were the Rude Mechanicals.  

We are now in our third and final week of workshops with the actors who were cast in these roles. Like all actors, each of these individuals brings their own particular idiosyncrasies to the process. Some actors need to be encouraged to take risks and not worry about being right all the time, others on making eye contact with the person they are speaking to, some with issues of articulation and slowing down the text enough to be understood, others to retain work they have done on making the text personal while embracing the figurative language.  Regardless, the actors have been 100% game to try any exercise or suggestion we have thrown at them. This has made for an immensely positive and exciting work environment. We have made an effort to eliminate speaking to the actors in a condescending or child-like tone. We have made an effort to not tolerate or allow behavior that a professional actor would never consider bringing into a room. Sometimes we are successful, sometimes allowances are made. Cell phones are a problem. Whenever "Access-a-Ride" decides to show up, rehearsal for that actor is over.  

As we head towards the beginning of our official rehearsals, our primary concern is the learning and retention of lines, as well as the physical choices that the actors have discovered over the course of the workshops. We are currently exploring ways of helping the actors to manage their week off, giving micro assignments, and finding ways to hold them accountable to themselves and their ensemble. That being said, the actors are aware that this project is, for lack of better phrasing, "A big deal." After finding out that she was being paid for her work, one actress exclaimed, "This is my first job!"
-Sara Buffamanti

Our next blog post will get into more specifics about casting actors with various disabilities and preparations for the integration of our entire ensemble. Thank you for reading!

Gregg Mozgala, Artistic Director

Last September, The Apothetae was invited to participate in The Shakespeare Society's week long Shakespeare Works Residency Series.

Michael Sexton, artistic director of The Shakespeare Society, originally proposed working on Richard III. Personally, I love the character of Richard of Gloucester. Although Richard is one of the most famous disabled characters in all of Western literature, he is just one character. In my new role as artistic director of The Apothetae, I was looking for a play that could support the casting of several actors with physical disabilities. The Fairy world of Midsummer, consisting primarily of Oberon, Titania, Puck and the First Fairy interested me the most. These are characters which are “other” or non-human whom possessed magical, fantastical powers. Casting these actors as people who might move differently with non-normative bodies within an ensemble of able-bodied Athenians was intriguing to me. I suggested, and we settled on, Midsummer.

For several days last September, we were fortunate enough to have the time and space to explore A Midsummer Night's Dream with an incredible group of talented actors and artistic advisers including: acclaimed vocal coach, Krisitn Linklater, actor, Jay O. Sanders and professor, Richard McCoy. The residency culminated in a sold out presentation at The Public Theater.  

During the residency we had lengthy, in-depth discussions about the three distinct worlds (Athenians, Fairies, Rude Mechanicals), and the themes of war, chaos and otherness in the play. This August, The Apothetae will be presenting the next phase of this process; “Spirits of Another Sort,” a developmental workshop featuring selections from Midsummer, with an integrated cast of able-bodied, physically disabled and intellectually disabled actors.

The decision to cast the Rude Mechanicals as actors with intellectual disabilities came up during discussions about the residency. Sara Buffamanti, my longtime partner, collaborator and sounding board for all things Theatre was the first to actually suggest it. We are very excited about the integration of this diverse ensemble into this next phase of the project.

The Apothetae, is collaborating with Performance Lab 115, an actor-driven experimental theater company dedicated to creating works that explore the depth and fragility of human connection and independent producer, Becky Leifman, who is Executive Director of CO/LAB, a New York City based non-profit organization that exists to offer individuals with developmental disabilities a creative and social outlet through theater arts.

Each collaborator has been responsible for casting the three distinct worlds. The Apothetae would provide the Fairies, PL 115, the Athenians and Ms. Leifman, along with assistance from David Harrell and Christine Bruno at the Alliance for the Inclusion in the Arts helped us secure our Rude Mechanicals.

This is the first of many posts over the next month or so that I hope will serve to make our process visible to the general public and the larger Theatre community. Working with three different producing entities and three distinct populations is very exciting and bears challenges that require flexibility and adaptations that may not exist in a more traditional rehearsal process.

For the next three weeks, we are working with the Rude Mechanicals using an exploratory curriculum created by Ms. Buffamanti and Ms Leifman. Our objective is to give these actors with intellectual disabilities exposure to techniques and practices that will prepare them to enter into and thrive in a rigorous, professional rehearsal atmosphere with all the demands of working on Shakespearian text.

Our next post will detail our search for a director, the rude mechanical auditions and the nature and insights into these initial rehearsals. Stay tuned!

Gregg Mozgala, Artistic Director