Report calls for more diversity in Atlantic Region theatre

A new report written by Newfoundland playwright and actor Paul David Power, and submitted to the Canada Council for the Arts, finds more needs to be done in our arts community when it comes to including persons with disabilities or who are deaf.

The report stems from a series of community discussions Power held in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as part of the development of his new play entitled “Crippled”.

Power lives with a physical disability requiring leg braces and crutches. He has had his disability since birth. The development of “Crippled” including the community discussions were made possible with support from the Canada Council for the Arts.

“When I set out to work on my new play I did some research – I wanted to make sure I wasn’t duplicating story or work already done in the region. During my research I found the representation of disabled theatre projects, artists and groups were really lacking in our region as compared to other parts of the country. This propelled me to hold community discussions to find out why.”

The discussions helped in producing “Crippled: Atlantic Region Table Read & Community Discussions Final Report”. The report highlights a number of common issues and challenges throughout the Atlantic Region that impacts the representation of persons with disabilities in local theatre. These issues include accessibility, audition and project inclusion, information sharing and opportunities to develop skills. The report also offers a number of recommendations to address some of these ongoing issues.