Athena Stevens: ‘We should establish quotas’
More stories are being told on stage by artists with disabilities. But the biggest problem is the architecture of theatres. Even if you have the talent to perform in some of these venues, just getting in the building is impossible. Actors and writers are told they can earn their stripes at the fringe level. How do you do that when accessible rehearsal rooms are the most expensive and every pub theatre is up a flight of stairs? I ended up opening my own rehearsal space, run by my production company, Aegis Productions.
A huge step forward would be to establish quotas in West End ensembles. Ensembles, by definition, are meant to be everyone, so they should be inclusive. There is no reason why an ensemble for a musical can’t include a performer with a disability. These shows have the money and they should have the imagination. We need mainstream theatre organisations and producers to rise to the challenge of equal representation for disability.
My show at the Finborough, Scrounger, was inspired by a case of discrimination I experienced when I was about to fly from London to Glasgow but ended up being [...]