Introducing Access Dramaturgy | HowlRound Theatre Commons

The version of Radiate we discuss here is an hourlong live performance presented at Steppenwolf Theatre Company as part of their LookOut Series in February 2024. This was supported largely by a 2023 Production Residency awarded to Maggie by the Chicago Dancemakers Forum in partnership with Links Hall. At the heart of Radiate is a complex relationship between access and art. We needed audio description, artistic sign language, and captions in order to begin work on the piece as a whole, so we reimagined the traditional workflow of movement determining audio description, sign language, and captioning. Instead, each collaborator was in conversation with others as the audio description, sound design, projection, movement, and artistic sign language informed one another.

This meant that the artistic outcome changed as each component came together and as we learned from one another’s access needs. For instance, in writing captions, Alison and Maggie included descriptions of sounds, like the creaking of chairs and floorboards. As we recorded these with Deaf artist and performer Joán Joel, the use of these became suspect, with Joán Joel observing the difficulty of translating sound into ASL—something with which ASL is not usually overly concerned. Rather than focusing on the sound itself, then, the artistic sign language in these moments became a commentary on the repetition that made up large portions of the movement. This moment of Joán Joel experiencing confusion around the utility of one access tool became an opportunity to deepen his role.

The March 2023 production of Ryan J. Haddad’s Dark Disabled Stories was produced by the Bushwick Starr, presented by the Public Theater, and directed by Jordan Fein. It is an autobiographical play written in vignettes in which Ryan documents moments of his queer and disabled life. The performance features Dickie Hearts, who performs Ryan’s part simultaneously in ASL, and Alejandra Ospina, who audio describes the performance. Andrew Morill served as the director of American Sign Language (DASL), doing dramaturgical work alongside Alison. Dickie and Alejandra had their own monologues as well, and throughout the performance stylized caption projections graced the backdrop.

In Dark Disabled Stories, Alison worked with each designer to think about how the ethos of the show could reflect in their work. For example, Alison introduced lighting designer Oona Curley to relaxed performance norms around lighting, and they worked together to make sure that the dim lighting of the house (instead of full blackout) did not disrupt the stage lighting. Andrew and Alison collaborated with projection designer Kameron Neal on the layout of the captions to make sure they read as effectively as possible. As sound designer Kathy Ravuna created musical transitions between stories, Alison wrote sound description to project as captions, exchanging information with Andrew about what descriptive words were useful to a Deaf audience. Each of these pieces were iterative, collaborative, and reliant upon Alison’s relationships with each of these artists to make access effective.

Part of keeping disabled people safe in performance is working toward complex, nuanced, human representations of disability experience.

Framing Access

Structuring performance around access can include the use of framing techniques to support artists and audiences in understanding the world of the piece, how access technology functions in the space, and the behavioral norms of the world they are entering. This work is anticipatory, aiming to forecast the needs of all types of audience members. It should extend from the audience’s earliest possible encounters with the work to the moment they leave the theatre.

In much of Maggie’s work, framing techniques are not just as important as the content of the work, they are the content. All communication is crafted to set audience expectations for the type of space they will enter and to frame that space as equally important as anything that will happen on stage. Once audiences were in the space, Radiate opened with a pre-recorded monologue from Maggie. This monologue told audiences where captions and ASL projections would be. It also set up some of the primary conceit of the work and provided a brief overview of the piece. Alison and Maggie worked closely with blind sound artist Andy Slater to ensure this made sense and felt artistically exciting. It also allowed Maggie a moment to “rehearse” the work before performing it—an especially useful tool for a dancer with chronic pain who may have limited energy to rehearse ahead of performances.

In Dark Disabled Stories, Alison worked across departments to give the audience and critics more context and language for discussing the show. She put together a press packet with the Public Theater’s public relations manager, Laura Mullaney, that addressed appropriate language to use when describing the actors and contextualized the approach to access and the politicized way that Ryan addressed disability. The press packet also pointed to the program note called “On Access: A Love Note,” (cited in the introduction to this essay), and it supported critics in writing reviews that addressed access and disability meaningfully instead of shying away from discussing disability or using terms that are not accepted by the community.

It was not just about representing an experience (though this is essential); it was about a commitment to accessible modes of making.

Representation

An access dramaturg can bring to light representational issues around disability in the work. Part of keeping disabled people safe in performance is working toward complex, nuanced, human representations of disability experience.

An access dramaturg can help to clarify the available options and balance representation and access. In Radiate, Maggie carried around a small wall that held a functioning electrical outlet where she plugged in her heating pad. The wall was intentionally heavy so that it would stay put, even as Maggie repeatedly walked quickly away from it, unplugging the heating pad. After one run, Alison noted to Maggie, “I want carrying the wall to be easier for you.” However, the most accessible choice is not always the best dramaturgical choice. Maggie wanted to feel that effort and to make it obvious that remaining connected to the heating pad was not simple, easy, or even accessible. The more tiring, less accessible choice was what the work needed. Alison began working with Ryan on the script of Dark Disabled Stories in a November workshop before rehearsals. They discussed the political implications of each story and worked through ways to have Ryan’s perspective shine through as singular (though often relatable) without speaking for the rest of the disability community. They discussed moments when ableism and ageism collide, parsed the ways various stories might land for different members of the community, honed word choice, and worked through how to keep the play aligned with disability cultural values.