The Citizen Recommends: A Fierce Kind of Love

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The Citizen Recommends: A Fierce Kind of Love

The Citizen Recommends: A Fierce Kind of Love

A new Fringe Arts festival launches with the revival of a play virtually the intellectual disabilities rights movement—which is really a story about humanity

Feb. 28, 2019

Recall about the terminal musical, play or other kind of live performance yous saw. Was there an American Sign Language interpreter? Was there audio description available for those with vision impairments? Was there a sensory-friendly seating area? Was there companion seating for people who require a personal care attendant? In other words, was information technology an accessible experience for people with disabilities? Odds are it wasn't.

David Bradley and the squad behind this weekend'south A Fierce Kind of Love , a play nearly Pennsylvania'due south Intellectual Disability Rights Move, learned early on that wasn't going to fly for their product. During a "listening circle" as they were developing the play in 2016, an activist with intellectual disabilities asked Bradley directly: "Are people with disabilities going to play themselves, or are other people going to play the states?"

"We very quickly realized there was an opportunity—and in fact a responsibleness—to tell in the story in an inclusive way what it ways to take an inclusive club," says Bradley. "This was the catalyst to say, 'This needs to exist a play that includes people of unlike abilities.' And that'due south then what we fix out to brand."

This played turned into A Violent Kind of Love , which tells the largely untold story of our state'due south Intellectual Disability Rights Movement through a cast of actors with and without disabilities. After a sold-out run in 2016, the play is back March 1st to 3rd, to kick off Fringe Arts' inaugural High Pressure Fire Service Festival , running through the jump.

"I hope people walk abroad feeling continued to the large notion of humanity," Bradley says. "Everybody as a person needs to be respected, for their humanity. Everybody deserves rights and inclusion."

A Fierce Kind of Love covers the headlines, like the opening and endmost of Pennhurst, the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the 1971 Right-to-Didactics Decision in Pennsylvania. But the play highlights with equal importance the events and dates not of national, but of personal, importance to those in the ensemble. This mix of the personal and political color in a mosaic of motility, monologue and song that covers the 60 year strong crusade.

The play was written by Pig Iron Theatre Company co-founder Suli Holum, who has known Bradley for shut to 25 years. The ii have previously worked together on projects such 2011's Fighting for Commonwealth at the National Constitution Heart, a civil rights story well-nigh those who had served during World War II, only were denied rights at dwelling due to their race or ethnicity.

"I think in our country correct now, we're paying a lot of attending to what it means to respect the dignity of a person. And we're seeing too much, where barriers are being put up and rights of people are not beingness respected," says Bradley. "I hope people walk away feeling connected to the large notion of humanity. Nosotros all have our abilities and things nosotros struggle with. And so everybody as a person needs to be respected, for their humanity. Everybody deserves rights and inclusion."

Following each performance, audition members are encouraged to stay for a conversation to ask questions and discuss the themes of the work. Evening performances volition be followed by a talkback with the play'southward performers. Daily News columnist Ronnie Polaneczky, whose award-winning series Falling Off the Cliff chronicled the barriers facing people with intellectual disabilities, will moderate opening night; WHYY'south Jennifer Lynn, and Fringe Arts' Raina Searles will moderate the others. Matinee performances volition be followed a roundtable of community stakeholders, including Tanya Regli, Cade Leebron, Alanna Raffel, Izzy Kaufman, Brad Rothbart, Elizabeth Clay Surles, Katie Samson, and Councilman Derek Green.

March 1-3, FringeArts, 140 N Columbus Blvd. Tickets bachelor here .

Photo © Jacques-Jean Tiziou / www.jjtiziou.net

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Source: https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/the-citizen-recommends-a-fierce-kind-of-love/

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