On occasion, someone—usually a friend in the arts—will tell me, “I don’t see race.” It’s a well-meaning comment expressing, perhaps, a commitment to seeing people as individuals and not as stereotypes. Of course, it is almost impossible not to “see race” in the performing arts. The centrality of vision in theater structures almost every aspect…
“The last time Theater Breaking Through Barriers presented an evening of short plays about life with disabilities, Anita Gates, in her review for The New York Times, called it “a largely entertaining and worthwhile mini-evening.” If consistency is any indication, we should expect more of the same during this year’s festival: nearly all of that…
What is your show about? Inspired by the 1920 Lon Chaney silent film of the same name, The Penalty is the story of a legless criminal who has sworn revenge on the doctor who wrongfully amputated his legs as a child. When did you know you wanted to work in the theater, and why? The…
A new national journalism awards program recognizes excellence in reporting on disability issues and people with disabilities. The Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability is the first national journalism contest devoted exclusively to disability coverage. It is administered by the National Center for Disability and Journalism, headquartered at the Walter Cronkite…
Images of people with disabilities are finally starting to appear on regularly scheduled television shows. First, The Sundance Channel launched “Push Girls.” This docudrama is about four ladies who are wheelchair-users that live in LA–portrayed by actresses with authentic disabilities. Then there is NBC’s “Ironside,” which is about a disabled police officer. Yet, Blair Underwood,…
This open call is for comics of diverse backgrounds who are serious about being funny. Comics must have five minutes of polished material. In its tenth consecutive year, NBC is proud to present another groundbreaking year of Stand-Up NBC. Through this initiative comedians of diverse backgrounds have been launched to new career milestones. Each year…
When the ’60s procedural “Ironside” is revived on NBC this fall, the setting will move from San Francisco to New York and the lead character will be African-American. But one thing hasn’t changed: The actor playing Ironside can still walk from his wheelchair when the director yells cut. The colorblind casting is ironic to some…
The Kennedy Center announced Thursday revisions to the selection process for the annual Kennedy Center Honors after a seven-month internal review of how artists are chosen for the annual awards ceremony. The Kennedy Center hopes to bring greater transparency to a selection process that has been largely opaque in past years. Last year, some national…
This is a “First” !!! The live broadcast will be shown on the jumbotron that usually serves as a scoreboard during a game. The Captioning will be showing right up there on the jumbotron!!!!!! You’ll be able to see it from any seat in the stadium or in the outfield (where many people sit to…
By Richard Verrier, Los Angeles Times Raymond Smith Jr. has been trying for nearly two decades to make the movie industry listen to the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing. This month, the senior executive at Regal Entertainment Group will come closer to his goal. His company, the nation’s largest theater chain, will…
