NNational Disability Theatre Timeline and Values
Phase One (2018-2020)
In fall of 2018, National Disability Theatre (NDT) was founded by Mickey Rowe and Talleri McRae as a thought experiment, a “what if.” What if there was an organization that was not tied to one geographic location or community? What if that organization could partner with theatres across the country to make their work more access-centered, use a disabled aesthetic, and hire more disabled artists?
In 2019, secured its first funder, hired a strategic planner, Annette de Soto with Beyond the Divide, and landed its first multi-project partnership. Mickey and Talleri served as artists in residence for La Jolla Playhouse’s 2019-2020 season and as team members for the 2020 Performance Outreach Program, "Emily Driver's Great Race Through Time and Space" by AA Brenner and Gregg Mozgala, which opened in January. In March, the show shut down due to Covid-19.
Values
At its founding, NDT utilized a disability rights-based framework. Its mission was “to employ professional artists who create fully accessible, world-class theatre and storytelling; change social policy and the nation’s narrative about disability culture; and provide a guiding model in accessibility for the arts and cultural sector.”
Through NDT’s strategic planning interviews, NDT knew, learned, and re-learned that the experience of disability occurs alongside other identities, and that disabled people who are Black, Brown, Trans, Queer, Indigenous, gender non-conforming, or non-binary have been historically marginalized within the mainstream disability rights movement. Thus, we catalyzed efforts to reach beyond a single-issue disability rights lens and strive towards the multi-issue principles of Disability Justice.
Phase Two (2020-2021)
History
In late Spring 2020, more than one NDT-affiliated artist resigned following personal online interactions involving racism and white disabled activism. With the support of Annette de Soto from Beyond the Divide Consulting, Advisory Company, and Board Members, NDT stayed focused on its strategic planning goals from 2019. NDT continued work with Disability Justice practitioners like Dustin Gibson, Talila Lewis, and Claudia Alick to learn about anti-racism in disability-led spaces and how to support radical inclusion at every level of NDT.
In 2021, NDT partnered with Sound Theatre Company (STC) and Calling Up Justice to curate a 30-day online learning series that looked at the intersections of Racial and Disabled Justice. The series was shared on social media and featured in two virtual conversations:
Theatre at the Crossroads: Racial & Disabled Justice
Deaf in BIPOC Spaces (with Deaf Spotlight)
Phase Three (2021-2023)
History
In 2021, NDT implemented multiple community-based work groups to select its first Managing Director, Penny Pun. NDT developed administrative structures, codified consulting practices, and planned programming. We partnered with organizations like The Pearlman Arts Center and La Jolla Playhouse to support disability-centric work in a sustainable way. NDT hosted two gatherings:
"A Christmas Carol" Holiday Salon, Dec 2021
Pod-Mapping with Blasian March, March 2022
In January 2023, NDT announced its intention to “sunset” as a 501c3 organization in order to separate its work from the not-for-profit structure. NDT’s “approach” of supporting access-centered theatres will live on.
Values
In 2022, NDT grounded our consulting in the following concepts: Art as Access/Access As Art, Sustainable, Community-Centered, and Economically Just.epts: Art as Access/Access As Art, Sustainable, Community-Centered, and Economically Just.