SEATTLE: Sound Theatre Company has announced its 2018 season, titled “The Human Family: Toward A Radical Inclusion.” The season will feature artists with disabilities, and the programming will be made more accessible for audience members with disabilities.
“There are great innovations happening around the country in these creative, evolving dramatic forms of cultural inclusion; I believe we in Seattle are behind in embracing this exciting theatrical movement,” said producing artistic director Teresa Thuman in a statement. “These days particularly, everybody needs to be invited to laugh, to love, to celebrate family and to dream of a better world. We also look forward to a long overdue conversation about the importance of people with disabilities in our art, our theatre, our storytelling and every aspect of our modern lives.”
The season will begin with You Can’t Take It With You (Feb. 24-March 11, 2018), by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, a classic 1930s family drama that will feature inclusive casting and a chosen family. The cast will include Tee Dennard and Shermona Mitchell. Thuman will direct, and Sadiqua Iman will assist.
Next up will be ASL Midsummer Nights Dream (April 21-May 12, 2018), presented in partnership with Deaf Spotlight as part of the Seattle Celebrates Shakespeare Festival. The production will present the text as both spoken and signed in American Sign Language for Deaf and hearing audiences. Howie Seago and Thuman will co-direct. The show will be presented at 12th Ave Arts Mainstage.
Following will be John Belluso’s Rules of Charity (Aug. 4-25, 2018), about a daughter taking care of her feather who has cerebral palsy. The play will be presented at the Seattle Center Armory.
The season will continue with the world premiere of Imaginary Opus (Feb. 25-28), by Rose Cano and David Nyberg, a musical about a young boy having a hard time expressing himself with words. The show will be presented in partnership with eSe Teatro at the Center Theatre at Seattle Center.
The programming will also feature the visual art of Lupito Cano, whose abstract artwork series “I Beg to Differ” raises awareness about artists with disabilities. Cano’s artwork will be featured in Center Theatre’s lobby from Feb. 22-March 11.
Sound Theatre will also present the “Disability Theatre Project,” which will feature readings of works by playwrights with disabilities. Andrea Kovich will curate the series, and the selected playwrights will be announced at a later date.
Founded in 2006, Sound Theatre Company is focused on fostering an inclusive and diverse environment.
