Students address theatre inaccessibility through comedy

Two 4th-year students tackle barriers and spark conversations about inclusion in the arts through their thesis project comedy show

For their thesis project, Isabella Stravropolous and Sofia Smith, two theatre and film students, have co-written and co-directed a live comedy show titled Disabled People Are Funny, Too! The production is having showings at 7:30 p.m. on March 19, 21 and 23 and at 1:30 p.m. on March 20 and 22 in the Lyons Family Studio. Admission is free of charge and tickets can be found on their Showpass website.

Smith and Stravropolous prioritized the show's accessibility for all audiences in creating it. They organized all performances to include audio descriptions and captioning. Certain days will incorporate ASL interpretation or relaxed performances which include increased light for visibility, reduced sound levels and in-and-out access whenever audience members require, as seen on their website.

The show explores the journey of a disabled writer working for a late night comedy show that feels excluded from the rest of the production due to the workplace being inaccessible and the crew’s unwillingness to accommodate. Through standup and sketch comedy, this show navigates creating accessible spaces for everyone.

The title of the show itself came after a thoughtful process. Initially, Stravropolous and Smith had chosen the title Your Late Night Trip, which ended up being the title of the late night comedy show within the story.

“But then we were like, ‘Okay, this title doesn’t represent the main character as much,’” Stravropolous explained. They knew they needed a new title that better aligned with the show’s core message of fighting against stereotypes surrounding people with disabilities.

“It was a late night after a rehearsal and we're like, disabled people can be liars, disabled people can be horny, disabled people can be mean, disabled people can be evil. And then we were like, disabled people are funny,” said Stravropolous.

Stravropolous and Smith were careful to authentically portray characters with disabilities.

“Our main focus was the main character was a person with a disability,” said Stravropolous. “It's important to represent the actors within the show and not just cast able-bodied individuals in roles that are meant to be played by people with disabilities.”

Within the script, Smith and Stravropolous wanted to highlight all aspects of inaccessibility in theatre.

“A big part of what we wanted to focus on too was accessibility within production spaces,” said Stravropolous, noting that people often associate inaccessibility with the audience but not the actual production crew and cast.

Stravropolous and Smith drew from both personal and community experiences throughout their writing process to highlight the subtle ableism that people may not even recognize in their everyday lives.

“We also did a lot of interviews with folks within disabled communities . . . We interviewed a friend who is low vision and he referenced a lot of stories where we were like, this would be really interesting to incorporate in our show,” shared Stravropolous.

By exaggerating ableist behaviours in comedic sketches, the show encourages the audience to reflect on their own actions and question whether they’ve ever acted in ways that may have been inadvertently discriminatory.

Their work takes on additional significance in light of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, which aims for Ontario to be fully accessible by 2025.

“The Robinson Memorial Theatre in Chester New Hall is not accessible for actors on stage or production crew . . . It’s 2025 . . . that’s what AODA said, that Ontario would be fully accessible by [now] and it’s not,” noted Stravropolous, emphasizing that despite the AODA’s clear goals, many venues remain inaccessible for many.

Through Disabled People Are Funny, Too!, Stravropolous and Smith seek to spark essential conversations about accessibility in theatre.

“There’s still so much more that needs to happen,” emphasized Stravropolous, highlighting the ongoing nature of the fight and efforts to create a truly accessible society. Their show aims to entertain while reminding the audience that real change requires constant advocacy and effort.