• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • The Wellesley (COVID) 100
      The Wellesley (COVID) 100
    • In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
      In memory of Professor Rebecca Summerhays
    • Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
      Trans flag controversy: College power washes staircase after trans flag is painted over Harry Potter spray paint
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
      The News in Conversation: Wellesley Against Mass Incarceration
    • Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
      Editorial Board calls for keeping up trans flag murals
    • No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
      No, Elon Musk’s Twitter will not restore free speech
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
      Be/longing Centers Connection and Care
    • No image
      Birds Falling Upwards: Wellesley College Theater’s The Moors is a Must-See
    • No image
      Sometimes you just need to read a YA “Groundhog Day” to feel something
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Health and Wellness
    • February Student Athlete of the Month
      February Student Athlete of the Month
    • Athletics Update
      Athletics Update
    • Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
      Victoria Garrick Speaks on Mental Health
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
      Wellesley News Leadership Changes Completely Peacefully Without Any Suspicious Disappearances At All
    • Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
      Solve Your Connection Problems With Wellesley Insecure
    • Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
      Mayhem strikes Wellesley as paper towels removed from campus
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Kathryn Cross ArtsFebruary 21, 2018

Increased on-screen representation should make for more work opportunities for disabled actors

On March 1, the New York City Roundabout Theater Company will debut “Amy and the Orphans,” featuring actress Jamie Brewer, a casting choice that could break barriers for disabled people everywhere.

Within the entertainment industry, disabled actors have rarely been cast, not only in roles for able-bodied actors, but even in roles for disabled characters.

This is most often evidenced by ablebodied chats being cast as characters who have disabilities. For instance, Sally Hawkins was nominated for the 2018 Academy Awards in the Best Actress category for her role as Elisa, a deaf mute woman, in “The Shape of Water.” In addition, actor Sam Claflin portrayed a paralyzed man in the 2016 film, “Me Before You.” Disabled actors are often passed over for such roles, which are instead given to able-bodied actors.

However, actors like Brewer are working past these obstacles whether they are cast as characters who are disabled or not. In “Amy and the Orphans,” Brewer’s character does have Down syndrome, but it does not make or break the central conflict or storyline of the play. The story is about three siblings who reunite after their father’s death, leaving them to fend for themselves in the midst of family turmoil. Characters that are played by disabled actors should not be reduced to their disability.

Amy’s Down syndrome does not play a large part in the central theme of the play, validating her ability to play any role, regardless of whether or not the character has a disability. In fact, if it were not for head playwright Lindsey Ferrentino’s note in an early draft of the script that she wanted to cast an actress who had Down syndrome, Amy’s character may have been able-bodied.

Brewer’s performance will be the first time that someone with Down syndrome has played a lead role in the history of Broadway. This is not the first time she has portrayed a character without a disability. For instance, her role as a witch in “American Horror Story” did not necessarily require an actor that had a disability. She has also been cast in “Switched at Birth” and “Southland,” further validating disabled actors’ abilities.

Unfortunately, the entertainment industry in general has a history of rejecting disabled actors and actresses. According to “Indiewire,” in the history of cinema, 59 non-disabled actors have been nominated for Oscars for roles in which they played disabled characters; Hawkins is one example.

Furthermore, a 2016 Office for National Statistics report found that 17.9 percent of employed people in the United States identified as disabled. However, within the entertainment industry, only 0.3 percent of its workforce identified as disabled. There is a clear gap in representation amongst people with disabilities within the entertainment industry.

The gap not only limits disabled people’s employment opportunities, but also oppresses truth in representation. Representation and accuracy must be considered in a casting process. An actor may be able to accurately portray a disability, but casting a disabled person as a disabled character could vastly improve the quality of acting.

Steps forward in the entertainment industry, like Brewer’s casting, are crucial and should be seen as an example of the future status quo. Disabled people should be considered not only for roles where they are portraying disabled characters, but also for roles where their characters do not necessarily have a disability. Diversity in representation makes television shows, movies and plays more like the real world, where disabilities are part of many people’s daily lives.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleNetflix finds a golden ticket and a new marketing strategy in David Ayer’s “Bright”
Next article‘Black Panther’ marks a triumphant turn for the Marvel Cinematic Universe

You may also like

Be/longing Centers Connection and Care

Birds Falling Upwards: Wellesley College Theater’s The Moors is a Must-See

Sometimes you just need to read a YA “Groundhog Day” to feel something

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2022 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top