Disabled or rather disadvantaged Canadian wannabe broadway actress- Page 2

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 12/16/04 at 9:41pm

Thx so much for your help and if I ever make it to NYC I'll be sure to check that out! Let me know how working there went for you!
K

[bryan]

Posted: 12/16/04 at 9:47pm

hi just wanted to say i love doing theatre in maine a ntwh there is a summer program at belfast maine and poeple for all over came it was so much fun i can not wait to go back in 2005.

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 12/16/04 at 9:50pm

Thanks so much for this article, it has given me a new sense of hope and renewed faith in myself and my talents.

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 12/16/04 at 10:04pm

Wow I would love to work with them! When I get to NYC they'll be the first ones I call!

:)
K

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 12/16/04 at 10:07pm

I know, I myself have gone to a theatre camp since I was 11 and am now addicted to it. If I had any contacts in maine I would go.
Thx again
K

Posted: 12/26/04 at 1:55am

Ive been a part of a non profit theater company since I was 12 and I was born with Spina Bifida. This summer Im heading up my own workshop within the company, The Broadway Playhouse, for children with disabilites and we'll have lots of special guests teaching them techniques as they work towards putting on a show.

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 12/31/04 at 6:31pm

Wow guys, I cant believe I'm getting so much support thx! All this love is making me bawl like a baby

Posted: 1/1/05 at 8:08am

Ive also worked with Kitty Lunn, the woman who wrote one of the articles linked in this topic. shes amazing!

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 1/1/05 at 11:20am

"I've been a part of a non profit theater company since I was 12 and I was born with Spina Bifida. This summer Im heading up my own workshop within the company, The Broadway Playhouse, for children with disabilites and we'll have lots of special guests teaching them techniques as they work towards putting on a show."

That is really great! Good luck with that!

Posted: 1/1/05 at 6:19pm

oh im sure you all will be hearing more about my workshop soon

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 6:30pm

Again I really appreciate all this support! There was a point in my life when I was really close to giving up, and it's people like you guys that made me smack myself in the head for even thinking such horrible thoughts. So thx for helping me keep my head up!

[CatieElphie1]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 6:37pm

That sucks..so bad. I'm truly sorry for those people who don't see beyond what they want to see. My advice to you is the same as everyone else's here: KEEP AT IT!! no matter what, never ever ever let some slack-jawed yokel crush your dreams. I have mayoclonic seizures which can be kinda akward when I try and dance, but luckily I've been blessed with the ggod fortune to have understanding directors and casting peoples. Hugs for you!! Never ever ever give up! Peace.

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 1/11/05 at 7:10pm

Wow CatieElphie! "slack-jawed yokels" eh? I'll have to use that as a comeback one day. I like it. :) I have really understanding casting ppl and directors too, there's only two problems with that one. 1)sometimes they can be way too understanding by acting like I'm gonna fall over every time they ask me to do something challenging, or 2) I'm still in HS, and I'm sure HS theatre and real world theatre are two way different things; and I dont know if I'm prepared for the real world. Or if the real worlds ready for me.

Thx again,
K

[CatieElphie1]

Posted: 1/11/05 at 9:54pm

Hey! thanx..and we share something in common...I'm only a high school junior, so I understand where you're coming from...high school is a whole different ball game!!! After I found out about my "disease", my great friends were nice enough to spread it around the whole school for me, so now i can't do anything without people looking at me like I'm suddenly gonna colapse into a seizure...it's REALLY fun during gym (when I can participate...which is also fun b/c everyone says you're faking...) So yeah...forgive my rambling, and stay strong.....

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 2:22am

People are sooo stupid! I cant believe your "friends" did that to you! I hope you have new ones now. As for gym, I always hated it anyway, it's so useless. Keep going you can do whatever you want to. And it'll all be worth it because you'll get to see all the dumbfounded looks on thier clueless faces! Anyways... Now I'm rambling so we balance eachother out >:)
K

[CatieElphie1]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 5:26pm

agreed...gym is worthless. and evil

Posted: 1/14/05 at 7:01pm

gym isnt worthless but if youre disabled you should be entitled to physical therapy and allowed to skip gym. They generally dont like giving you both waste of tax payers money or something.
A doctor has to say you need it though.

[Raggy Q poo]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 7:02pm

Hello- I haven't posted much on these message boards at all but here I just felt was a wonderful place for my contribution. First off I love this subject of this post. As people call it a "Learning disability" or a "Physical disability" I am soo happy to see that the word "disability" is being changed into something more positive because the word "disability" gives off such a negative connotation. I love the word disadvataged, or difference so much better. So, I'd like to say thanks to magical for her creation in the subject name.

Secondly, I have a learning "difference" in which it kind of entails everything in all aspects of life. I also was born with some musicle disease thing. It basically doesn't show although I am very uncoordinated and very flexible (in a bad way). Anyway, I've been made fun of through elementry school, middle school, high school....everywhere. I've been told I am dumb and that I just make people's lives worse for having to deal with me. I've been told that I will never find a job or a friend...well, to this day (I am 20), I don't have any friends. And please please please don't feel sorry for me, actually please feel happy for me. I've been hurt, betrayed to and lied to many to many times to want to have friends so my life is so much better without friends because nobody truely understands me and never will. My family has always been so so so supportive of me. They are always trying to get me through my depression and anxiety. I have tried like every drug on the market and they are supportive of that because they want to help me. Anyway- off the topic of me... Throughout my life, I have loved theater. But ever since I saw Avenue Q this June....I decided that "Theater is my life." I am taking a theater class this semester in college. In my class is a girl in a wheelchair who has Muscular Dystrophy. And I must tell you that this girl has made a life inside her wheelchair. As she said "If it weren't for my disability I probably would have not made it this far." She has been a poster child for MD, she has been interviewed on 60 minutes and has done so much volunteer work for the MD association. She is a singer and she wants to learn to be an actress, and nothing is stopping her. Anyway- this goes to show you that "You can do it" And realistically, look at the competition, look how many people want to be famous or on Broadway and then look at how many people make it--Not many. We all must realize that Broadway is far from reality and to make it there is a slim chance. This is not to discourage anybody but, start setting your goals at the very lowest because you don't want to put yourself in such a situation that there is a very low chance of making it. Personally, I think is overtly wrong to not hire or pick someone for something because they have a 'disability/difference' and honestly, I think the person who is hiring is the one who has problems. Some of the greatest people have had 'disabilities.' Look at Albert Einstein, look how much he has created, look at how much easier life is with his inventions- yet, he took it upon himself to make himself worthy; and to think that he had a disability would be crazy. But guesss what? He did...and according to many books, it was a pretty severe learning disability.

This is not to say you will become an "Albert Einstein" but rather, this is to prove that no matter who you are, what your problems are....there is always a way to prove self-worth.

Oh- and just off the top of my head- think of Big River! Many of the actors come from the deaf west theater company. There are soo many deaf actors in that show...and look what they have made themselves into. To not be able to hear the music or hear what the other actors are saying and still be able to do their part is phenomenal. Another example of a very dibilitating disability and to to make soo much of themselves...you just have to have the perserverence and detrmination and honey- you've made it!

Here is a little of my own story:
I've got a "friend" who has down sydrome. She will never have a "real good paying job." She will never see the real world but by golly- she's always got a smile on her face and if I had a bad day, I know that if I call her, I will be cheered up. She loves to sing kid songs on the phone with me and I tell you; this simple act from a person who has no clue about what they are doing besides having fun singing,is bringing something happy to my life. This goes to show, everyone, including you, YES YOU- have a purpose.

I read something on this thread about making your own theater group of people who have "disabilities/differences" and I think that would be amazing. To start a group like that would absolutely be something so admirable. And I'm sure people would support it and I know so many people who would be interested in meeting people like them. Although, I do think this group would not be very good if the people were not 100% into theaterical performances. This "group" would have soo much in common and I know that between all the commoness, there will be differneces and these differences will bring this "group" so close together in friendship as well as theater."

Anyway...so I guess my point was, well...I don't really know. I think there were a lot of points. And this whole "group" idea is only a suggestions or more of a "hope", becuase as much as it would probably be good, it really needs to be feasible and with the money I am assuming that "we" have, I'm sure we could not afford start this kind of thing.

In ending,just "Reach for the stars, because although you may not catch one of them, you will always be among them."
And also, think of this quote in terms of theater: If you try and try and try, you may or maynot reach your goal, and if you don't....you know that you've tried and will always be among those who are in the same situation.

~Rebecca~

Updated On: 1/14/05 at 07:02 PM

[CatieElphie1]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 9:01pm

Rebecca-
you are a truly, truly beautiful person. Never give up...and I think it would be AWESOME to form a group like you suggested. Even like a email/blog type thing would be awesome. Live your dreams...everybody.

[Raggy Q poo]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 9:12pm

CatieElphie-

Awww- *tear* that was soo sweet of you to say. Thanks. Anywayz- to get this started we would have to kinda publisize it and thats kinda hard to do. I mean, I'm sure there are people all over the world would like to join but they wouldn't know about it. I guess, if one joins and tells another and so on, we could create something but *shrugs* I have you on my buddy list but it doesn't look like you are on so if you get on, I would be happy to talk to you about this.

As for that, anybody who is interested in starting this or helping can IM me at FLRags84isOBN. We can eventually make some kind if chatroom to talk about this if thats what we decide....

~Rebecca~

[sipos]

Posted: 1/14/05 at 10:25pm

In a communal residence in a New England city, four mentally handicapped men live under the supervision of an earnest, but increasingly "burned out" young social worker named Jack. Norman, who works in a doughnut shop and is unable to resist the lure of the sweet pastries, takes great pride in the huge bundle of keys which dangles from his waist; Lucien P. Smith has the mind of a 5-year-old, but imagines that he is able to read and comprehend the weighty books he lugs about; Arnold is the hyperactive ringleader and compulsive chatterer, who suffers from deep-seated insecurities and a persecution complex; while Barry, a brilliant schizophrenic who is devastated by the unfeeling rejection of his brutal father, fantasizes that he is a golf pro. Mingled with scenes from the daily lives of these four, where "little things" sometimes become momentous (and often very funny), are moments of great poignancy when we are reminded with touching effectiveness that handicapped (or the phsically challenged), like the rest of us, want only to love and laugh and find some meaning and purpose in the brief time which they, like their more fortunate brothers, are allotted on this earth.

This the play, THE BOYS NEXT DOOR, by Tom Griffin, and it moved me to tears when I first saw it. I believe the female role in it is a palsy character. I am not physically challenged, but I had respect and understanding for different kinds people after that. To see this kind of stury onstage. Read or see it when you get the chance if you haven't. Updated On: 1/14/05 at 10:25 PM

[Raggy Q poo]

Posted: 1/15/05 at 11:40pm

Hey- I've been reading this thread over and over and ya know what? Someone said that this is amazing because we aren't fighting like every other thread. And to that I say Mazel Tov! This is not at all degrading the other folks but I tend to think we, as disabled/disadvantaged people tend to stick together. We've all been through plenty of "sh*t" in our lives whether it be being made fun of, not being able to participate in something or any other thing. We (I think) assume a position of sympathy for those like ourselves and thus, it makes us stick together as a team. We need to make up a team name, anyone have any ideas? Like..."The disadvataged Broadway Stuckos" I don't know- that one sounded really corny but maybe we could make a name for ourselves. I only used the word stuckos as to mean, we stick together and make a team. But seriously, we all have to find our niche and finding that niche is finding other people who share the same values, interests and...well, disabilities I guess I could say. There is no saying that people are racist against people like us, but hey; thats to their own disadvantage because they are losing out on the fun people that I assume we are just because we may be different than what they are used to.
And then when you get famous or make big money- you can just laugh in there face at how you have found a your purpose and are living a great life while they do nothing. You can be a proven example to them how your hard work and perserverence has gotten you success.

It's like kids in third grade who don't do there work and fool around. They call the kid a "geek" who always raises his hand and always does his homework and studies night and day . Well, looking down 20 years later...This "geek" is now a successful businessman while the others are a waste of life. Haha- now, look who the failure is!

* sorry for that, just thought it was an interesting lil story*

So, anyway- Reach for those stars because if you decide not to try, you've already failed youself. So- go for that gold and prove to those mean people that you can do it!

You may not win the lottery, but not trying at all will certainly not even give you the chance.
Now, don't go spending all your money on lottery tickets It would be much better to do the lottery for Broadway shows.

Ruv-
~Rebecca~

Updated On: 1/15/05 at 11:40 PM

[CatieElphie1]

Posted: 1/16/05 at 12:18am

Rebecca...you are so right! And I think your idea is awsome! I thought it was really nice that everyone is so supportive here! Keep being awsome everyone!

[Magical_Ms._Mistoffeles_72]

Posted: 3/2/05 at 5:53pm

Hi everyone,
Sorry I havent been on lately. I've been crazy busy. To Catie Elphie: I agree on your gym statement from a long time ago, gym is most evil. Althoough I dont have to worry, because I stopped taking it . To the person who sugested physical therapy as an alternative: They gave me physical therapy and gym for two years, but I stopped because all it did was REALLY REALLY hurt. But thx for your suggestion. To Rooty Q poo: You truly are an amazingly beautiful talented person. And of course you have friends, you have ME. I love your idea (and Catie's) of the disavantaged chatroom. There's already one, although it has nothing to do with Broadway, and it gets kind of depressing when all they want you to do is talk about your problems. The address is www.ablelink.org for anyone who wants to check it out any way. As for your team name: I love the idea of being part of the stuckos! :) Thank you for your comment on my subject line.

Love, FRIEND, and smiles,
K

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 4:38pm

Ditto what everyone else said. Keep at it. There was this girl who was blind in my theatre camp and she was amazing at improv, people were reluctant to have her do things but once everyone saw how incredibly talented she was tons of doors opened for her.