Theatre for everyone
Image: Daniel Monks in Malthouse Theatre’s The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man (Photographer: Pia Johnson)
Beth Keehn looks at 50 years of accessible theatre in Australia, with a snapshot of creativity that celebrates inclusive casting and diverse audience needs.
Everyone deserves the chance to tell a story on stage – or feel the camaraderie of teamwork behind the red curtain – and everyone should feel comfortable in an audience to experience that storytelling. These are the two sides of inclusive and accessible theatre.
For 50 years, Australia has seen some excellent creators and practitioners. Community theatre, not-for-profit arts groups and festivals have built bridges to professional opportunities in groups such as the Australian Theatre of the Deaf (Sydney, 1973 – pro in 1979), Restless Dance Theatre (Adelaide, 1991), Back to Back Theatre (Geelong, 1987), Crossroad Arts (Mackay, 1997), Deaf Indigenous Dance Group (Cairns, 1997), Stars and the Moon (Melbourne, 2021), Rebus Theatre (Canberra, 2013) and Milk Crate Theatre (Sydney, 2000).
Some are celebrating milestones this year: Indelarts, and Undercover Artist Festival (Brisbane) – both 10 years; Second Echo Ensemble (Hobart) – 20 years; No Strings Attached (Adelaide) – 30 years; and Queensland Theatre of the Deaf (Brisbane – 50 years).
Image: Wilbur and Cecil - Wilbur the Optical Whale - indelabilityarts - Photo by Nick Morrissey
Create
Individual trailblazers have put equitable casting and disability-led creation in the spotlight. In the 1990s, Christopher Widdows – better known as Steady Eddy – tackled his experience through stand-up comedy. And he’s still inspiring laughter today at festivals, clubs and pubs. In 2018, Daniel Monks was nominated for a Helpmann Award for his portrayal of Joseph Merrick in The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man at Melbourne's Malthouse Theatre. Daniel has gone on to win stage awards in London’s West End, and major roles in HBO and Netflix series.
Madeleine Little also won a Matilda award in 2022 for her performance as Dr Emma Brookner in Ad Astra’s production of The Normal Heart. As well as being a performer and writer, Madeleine is Director for Undercover Artist Festival.
Image: Madeleine Little in Ad Astra’s production of The Normal Heart (image courtesy of Ad Astra)
Find out more: https://undercoverartistfest.com
Spinning and Winning – Tim McCallum
Another performer who campaigns for equality in casting is Tim McCallum. Tim has been a beacon on Australian stages for more than 30 years, in productions including The Wizard of Oz and Jesus Christ Superstar.
The Crooners (image by Bulimba Studios)
On TV’s The Voice, he performed Puccini’s ‘Nessun dorma’ which earned him a mentorship with Ricky Martin. After that, Tim didn’t sit around waiting for the phone to ring. He created his own show, The Crooners, featuring the on-stage personas of ‘Mac’ (for himself), Tony ‘Dee’ (Tony Doevendans) and ‘Micky G’ (Mick Sattin). All three singers share a love of jazz and swing in the classic American Songbook era, and they just happen to all use wheelchairs. Their on-stage barman is also an Auslan interpreter.
Tim told Stage Whispers: “We are advocates and consultants for lived experience. We endeavour to make our show a showcase of what inclusivity and equality in casting looks like. When people come and see the show, we want them to see and hear themselves in the show. We also want to make sure that wherever we perform, we also educate venues – from physical access to different types of disability that people may face, such as neurodiversity challenges.”
The Crooners (image by Bulimba Studios)
Despite a life-changing accident when he was 18, Tim completed his classical training. In the process, he developed a new practice technique to help himself – and others – breathe and sing more powerfully. Tim said: “As a qualified singing therapist, I help people learn how to breathe through singing, which can help to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. Respiratory therapy is really important, but why not do it while you are singing songs and having fun?”
The Crooners is a celebration of what is possible when you match talent with hard work, and a commitment to doing what you love – singing!
More reading: www.stagewhispers.com.au/news/access-all-way-swinging-and-spinning-crooners
Collaborate
Individual trailblazers can pave the way for others to follow. But in creative endeavour, collaboration can spark the most interesting projects. The Crooners is just one example, where creative encounters at music festivals brought the trio together. Others include Disability in the Arts, Disadvantage in the Arts (DADAA) working with Black Swan Theatre for Julia Hales’s You Know We Belong Together at the 2018 Perth Festival. Second Echo Ensemble in Hobart has collaborated with dancers in the UK and Finland, and Crossroad Arts in Mackay has worked with Polaris Inc in Japan.
Ensemble working – Indelarts
In Brisbane, Indelarts is an inclusive theatre company that uses an ensemble approach to allow its core group of artists to train and collaborate with other creatives. Co-artistic Directors Rebecca Alexander and Catarina Hebbard told Stage Whispers that, as Indelarts celebrates its 10-year anniversary, the team is as committed as ever to continuing to provide professional creative opportunities for artists who identify as disabled and neurodivergent. Rebecca said: “Since 2015, our ensemble has created four original works that communicate lived experience and challenge perceptions of disability – Look Mum… No Hands!!!, Love Me, She, and Wilbur the Optical Whale, – with a fifth new production – Mystery Quest – in the pipeline for later in 2025.”
Image: Betsy and Ivy Laughing - Betsy and I by Alexandra Ellen. Photo by Jade Ellis Photography.
Wilbur is a standout example of accommodating diverse audience needs – it is a fully immersive, interactive and accessible children’s production about friendship and celebrating differences. The set includes quiet spaces, and the performance features integrated Auslan and a relaxed performance mode.
Find out more about Indelarts: www.indelarts.com
Accommodate
Including older performers – Music Theatre International (MTI)
There’s a lot more accessible theatre for younger folk … but what about older people?
MTI’s Broadway Senior: 60-minute Musicals for Performers 55+ have been developed to create performance opportunities for older adults. There are currently five Broadway Senior musicals: The Music Man SR.; Guys and Dolls SR.; Singin’ in the Rain SR.; Fiddler on the Roof SR.; and Into the Woods SR.
Drew Cohen, President and CEO of MTI said: “Broadway Senior musicals ensure that theatre is accessible to all. They empower people to not simply experience theatre as an audience member or a volunteer – but to be the creators, the singers, and the storytellers.”
The musicals sparked a heated online debate among Stage Whispers followers. While some found the age delineation a bit of a shock (55+ is not old!) and the concept a bit “insulting” or “condescending”, others thought it was a great idea.
Janet N: “I have participated in a Broadway Seniors group for the last two years. The shorter play has allowed us to travel and perform at many different venues where a longer performance wouldn’t be accepted.”
Martin W: “I’m now 72 after a career of musically directing so many shows. I think this a brilliant initiative and should be applauded.”
Jan S: “Having lived in an active senior retirement home for years, I can tell you it has less to do with the actors than it does with the attention span of the audience. We found that sitting more than an hour was not smart. Everyone loved the shows … as long as they didn’t go more than an hour.”
Mike S: “This is fantastic! Theater builds community!”
Image: Broadway Senior provides a creative space for seniors in community theatre
Find out more about Broadway Senior: mtishows.com.au
This has been a quick snapshot of the wonderful work happening across the country – there’s so much more when you include community and not-for-profit theatres and workshops. The landscape may be diverse, but one message is clear – theatre is for everyone!
Subscribe to our E-Newsletter, buy our latest print edition or find a Performing Arts book at Book Nook.