Break A Leg! Disability in the Arts

Nicole is joined by fellow Carnegie Mellon alum Marisa Rinchiuso (and her dog Remy) to dish all the (not so hot) Emmy Awards goss, dig into the intersections of disability and womanhood, and discuss the connection between inhumane working conditions and ableism. 

Other topics include: going on a Disabled Rage Rampage™️, progressive disabilities in the workplace, building for the future, accessible hills in “Crippletopia,” and the a...

Nicole is joined by Stephen Santa and (surprise!) Claire Carbone for a deep-dive on Jumping Jack Theater, a Pittsburgh-based theatre company specializing in sensory-enriched theatre for young autistic audiences. They discuss the company’s production history and approach to crafting theatrical experiences that empower children with autism, and how they have adapted to the pandemic with a traveling show. 

Jumping Jack Theater onl...

Make sure to check out our interview on the USITT TECHnically Speaking podcast! 

Nicole and Scott joined Jenn Shuron from the United States Institute for Theatre Technology to discuss how they met, the creation of Break A Leg!, and more. 

Listen to the interview on...

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-down-disability-in-the-industry/id1496209270?i=1000541646804

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/epis...

Nicole’s friend and fellow playwright Adrienne Dawes joined us for this episode to talk about writing from different perspectives and in different genres. What have these playwrights been working on? Why do we need popcorn plays? Is Austin still weird? Listen to find out! 

Adrienne Dawes is a writer, producer, and teaching artist currently based in Fayetteville, AR. Adrienne's play Casta, inspired by a series of paintings by Mi...

Michael Patrick Thornton is the co-founder and artistic director of Chicago's The Gift Theatre. He joined Nicole to talk about producing, his career on stage and television, casting, representation, the “cripple card,” traveling abroad in a wheelchair, and more! 

The Gift Theatre online: 

Website: https://thegifttheatre.org/ 

Instagram: @thegifttheatre 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGiftTheatre/ 

Produced by Sco...

Alondra Santos-Castillo is a theatrical stage manager, scenic designer, and artist. Nicole and Alondra discuss what it's like to have arthrogryposis in the workplace, some important US legislation, Alondra's recent entrepreneurial venture, Nicole's ideal "man meat," and more!

Find Alondra online! 

Instagram: @mamaduckysessentials 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MamaDuckysEssentials 

Linktree: https://li...

Gena Sims is a performer, the founder of the Autism Theater Project, and a fellow Carnegie Mellon alum.  She's producing "The Voice Inside," a new web series about how real teens, especially teens with disabilities, face challenges in their lives and succeed. 

Find Gena online! 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genasings 

Instagram: @genasims19 

The Autism Theater Project on Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.c...

Nicole is joined by her friend Sydney Mayer to discuss disability representation in  media  (what really is "representation"?). They dive deep on disability and rhetoric, the words "Handicap" and "Accessibility," Inspo-Porn, character tropes, and more! 

Sydney Mayer is a writer and dramaturg currently based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She holds a BFA in Drama with a minor in Literature and Culture fro...

Alethea Bakogeorge joins Nicole to discuss life with cerebral palsy, disability in the audition room, what it means to write and play nuanced disabled characters, and more! 

Alethea Bakogeorge is a physically disabled actor, arts administrator, and arts accessibility professional. She has worked extensively in American and Canadian theatre, and originated the role of Chrissie in the US national tour of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood L...

Meredith Aleigha Wells is a queer and disabled actor, singer, dancer, and writer based in Chicago. They joined Nicole for our very first episode to discuss integrated dance, life with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), and more! 

Find Meredith online! 
Website: www.meredithaleighawells.com 
Instagram: @meredithaleighawells 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MeredithAleighaWells 
The Underdog Proj...

Break a Leg! is a podcast that explores the relationship between disability and the arts. Join playwright and advocate Nicole Zimmerer and her guests as they cover topics in theatre, film, TV, studio arts, music, and more. We’ll be spilling the “Disabili-Tea” on current and past events in disability history and investigate the future of accessibility in the arts. This podcast is perfect for fans of the arts looking to learn more ab...