This is the 45th anniversary of Theater Breaking Through Barriers.
TBTB is dedicated to proving that disability does not affect art. Throughout the years, they have been working to ensure full inclusion of people with disabilities. About 20% of our population has a disability. Disability cuts across all distinctions – age, religion, gender, culture, sexual orientation, and economics. TBTB is reaching out to all. They believe that full inclusion of people with disabilities can be achieved by artistic excellence and the development of role models. This message is even more important since Trump has signed a sweeping executive order putting a stop to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across the federal government. TBTB promotes inclusion to eliminate barriers.
Transcendency Rising – Short Plays About Defying Limitations presents 10 different works. These range from monologues to four-person pieces. The theme that ties all these very different works together is the very different aspects of love. The disabled actors are seamlessly folded into the action. The set includes three panels that have captioning. Thus, the audience is included as this assures availability to a group – hearing disabled – which is often ignored.
The first work presented is a monologue from Adam Linn’s Buffalo Rising. The narrator wandered the Western wilderness, seeking love. Fareeda Pasha describes how coming out of a lake of buffalo manure was cleansing. Pasha makes an unbelievable tale seem real.
How the Universal Soul Spends Its Sunday by Jeff Tabnick follows three ordinary people being interviewed for a chronicle about how they spend their Sundays. Melanie Portsche is off stage as the voice of the reporter interviewing. Erica (Ann Marie Morelli), Carl (Dan Teachout, and Sophie (Aya Ibaraki) are the ones being questioned. The actors have created very different characters. They work together, showing that dreams are universal.
Tatiana G. Rivera has written a monologue in These Two Hands. Katherine Rose Kessler thoughtfully reviews her art album. Her artwork is displayed on the rear walls of the set. She muses about how she worries about the people around her who dare to love. She retreats to her album, where she can do anything. Without moving around the stage, Kessler effectively captures the audience’s attention with her insights.
Jennifer Elizabeth Bradley, Jamie Petrone, Amanda Cortinas, and Emma Shafer are in Bekah Brunstetter’s Forgotten Corners of Your Dark, Dark Place. This is a meeting of an unusual women’s support group. Gloria, portrayed by Jennifer Elizabeth Bradley, is going to guide the attendees to achieving an orgasm. Emma Shafer is Abigail, who is told what to do by her husband. Jenny (Amanada Cortinas) has not recovered from her
