Preview
HELP UNWANTED
Inside Out Theatre
Directed by Ruth Bieber
March 20 and 21
New Dance Theatre
March 22
Inglewood Community Centre
Anyone who goes to see Inside Out Theatre’s new show Help Unwanted can expect to have their expectations challenged. They can expect to learn something, too. But most of all, they can expect to laugh.
Definitely not part of the mainstream theatre scene in the city, Inside Out Theatre has a mandate to create theatre using a cast that includes performers with mental and physical disabilities. Some of the performers have trouble walking, talking or seeing, while others have disabilities that are not visible. The company has been around for more than 10 years, creating original plays under the helm of director Ruth Bieber.
"We celebrate disability," says Bieber. "I think that is what’s key. We’re not saying that unfortunate situations don’t occur, and we’re not saying that there aren’t struggles and that there aren’t situations that are really frustrating – we celebrate all of that. The message is that the general public needs people with disabilities. It’s not just about tolerance – we’re saying you need us."
Help Unwanted carries that message, but it isn’t a theatrical diatribe. This is a funny, feel-good show offering several short skits about the problems caused by well-intentioned but uninformed folks. Working as a collective, the company draws on their own experiences to create their material. There is a scene in which a woman in labour is left to suffer in the waiting room while the hospital staff focuses on her companion. In another, a woman’s phone call to the hospital to check on her mother’s condition brings paramedics rushing to her house. In a running gag, poor Daryl is besieged by well-meaning friends, family and caregivers no matter how often he tells them he just wants to watch TV. It’s a painless method of delivering a practical message.
"There is a real story behind every vignette," says the company’s Nicky Peeters. "These can be very little tiny things. Someone might say, ‘Y’know what really bothered me this week? I went on the bus and someone was looking at me.’ OK, how can we say to the audience that’s what’s happening to us? We act it out. We laugh about it. We make fun of it."
Like a successful TV sitcom, Inside Out has spun off two active drama groups and has a waiting list of budding actors. The company’s last show, Death by Assistance, drew enthusiastic crowds at last year’s Calgary Fringe Festival.
While company members like the idea of teaching audiences about issues close to their hearts, they are attracted by a love of theatre and the excitement of performing. Helen LeBaron has been with Inside Out since it started.
"I love it," she says."I love acting because it shows me I can do almost anything."
For Bieber, Inside Out is an opportunity for people with disabilities to be seen and heard, to tell their own stories and to change attitudes.
"We have the right to be on stage," she says. "We still need to be entertaining. We still need to be competitive, but we have the right to be on stage, the right to be creative and expressive."
Audiences are often pleasantly surprised by Inside Out’s shows. Whether or not they know much about issues related to disability when they arrive, they will certainly know a lot more by the final curtain. Yet the generous dose of comedy involved ensures that they may not even be aware of how much they’ll take away with them.
"Laughter is a good tool," says Peeters. "You get laughing and after a while you don’t see the disabilities." |
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