Two cowboys cross spurs in “The Audition.” But is the fictional studio where they and a cast of other inventive characters are trying to win a high-profile Hollywood role big enough for the both of them? Audiences will find out.
What’s not in question is that the stage is plenty big enough.
Dr. Rebecca Monteleone, an assistant professor in the Disability Studies Program and the UToledo facilitator of the Open Spot Partnership, runs through lines with members of the theater group.
The free, public performance that sees Jacob Goda, a junior in the Toledo Transition Program, and Lindsay Hinds, a social work junior, onstage as a pair of cowboys is the culmination of a new class this semester, Disability and Theatre: Applying Theory to Practice. Cross-listed in the Department of Theatre and Film and the Disability Studies Program, and run in collaboration with OpenSpot Theatre in Detroit, Disability and Theatre brings together undergraduate students and community members with intellectual and developmental disabilities to explore issues of access and inclusion in theater.
“The Audition” is staged at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 25, in UToledo’s Center for Performing Arts Center Theatre. A talk-back with actors and a reception will immediately follow.
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“Theater tends to assume a certain kind of body and a certain kind of mind, and that means a lot of people don’t get a lot of opportunities to perform,” said Dr. Rebecca Monteleone, who teaches the course as an assistant professor in the Disability Studies Program. “Disability and Theatre is one way to meet what we can clearly see is a demand for accessible and inclusive opportunities in the performing arts.”
And it’s not just about the benefits to performers, she continued.
“There’s a value for the audience in placing people with disabilities front and center in this way,” she said. “The audience members are able to develop a better sense of who is in our community and the value that everyone brings.”
Approximately 30 actors are in the cast for “The Audition,” an original comedy based on characters and ideas that performers workshopped with facilitators from OpenSpot Theatre. OpenSpot specializes in creative, accessible and inclusive theater programming.
OpenSpot previously worked with the Department of Theatre and Film and the Disability Studies Program on a six-week, non-credit workshop for students and community members that culminated in another original production, “Real Magic,” in October 2023.
“We love working with The University of Toledo,” said Katie Mann, co-founder of OpenSpot. “Since 2012 we’ve been a mobile theater for people with disabilities. We work with communities all over the Midwest, teaching people how to sing, dance and act. This show, in particular, is one to look out for. With the added support of UToledo and the added weeks of practice, it’s sure to be a showstopper.”
Approximately one-third of the performers are enrolled in Disability and Theatre for credit. They gather ahead of once-a-week rehearsals to dig into issues of access and inclusion as they apply to theater, as well as tools intended to widen the pool of those who partake.
One student is scripting a statement introducing what is known as a relaxed performance. The statement is read ahead of the performance to assure the audience that this need not be the sit-still-and-be-quiet experience they might associate with other live performances. Others are exploring open captioning systems or tactile tours that invite patrons, including those who are blind and low vision, to interact with sets, props and costumes.
Students are joined after their classroom sessions for rehearsals by community members with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Many were invited to participate via OpenSpot and the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
Goda and Hinds are among the students who participate in both sessions.
Goda, whose most recent theatrical credit came when he was a student at St. Mary Central Catholic High School in Monroe, Michigan, learned about the opportunity through Toledo Transition, a non-degree certificate program for young adult students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
It seemed like an ideal fit, he said.
“I love the happiness and joy and the smiles on people’s faces,” Goda said. “It brightens my day. And most importantly, these are my people. I love acting, I love singing, I love playing guitar. That’s why I wanted to take this class.”
Hinds, who is minoring in Disability Studies, has been a theater enthusiast since her eighth-grade debut in a school production of “Mary Poppins.”
She spoke similarly about her experience with Disability and Theatre.
“I look forward to this class every week,” she said. “It’s been such a great experience to make theater more inclusive at UToledo, and not only for people with disabilities. The goal is to make sure that everyone feels like they’re welcome in this space.”
