CCRI's Bobby Hackett Theatre to host free play readings by neurodiverse artists
March 24, 2023
The Community College of Rhode Island’s student-run theater group, the CCRI Players,
and the college’s Office of Student Life are teaming with Spectrum Theatre Ensemble
(STE), a company of neurodiverse theatre artists based in Providence, RI, to host
a free series of play readings by neurodivergent artists at the college’s Warwick
Campus.
The readings are scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, March 24 at 7 pm at the Bobby Hackett Theatre. STE is sponsoring the event in hopes of showing those
with neurodivergence the “power of seeing oneself on stage and how it can enhance
one's view of self and neurodivergent identity.” The event includes three play readings
and a monologue featuring 10 neurodivergent artists, many of whom are BIPOC.
Neurodivergence is the term for when someone's brain processes, learns, and/or behaves
differently from what is considered “typical.” The term includes a variety of conditions,
including, but not limited to: autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), traumatic brain injuries, dyslexia/dyscalculia, epilepsy, obsessive-compulsive
disorder (OCD), Tourette syndrome, Down syndrome, bipolar disorder, and various others.
According to Clay Martin, the STE’s Founding Artistic Director, the collaboration
with CCRI came about when the college’s Theatre Program Director and Professor Ted
Clement reached out to bring the neurodivergence workshop to CCRI to “uplift, include,
and highlight neurodivergent artists and audiences through live theatre.”
Neurodivergent adults, Martin said, are among the most underemployed segments of the
adult population across every age and race. According to studies, the unemployment
rate for neurodivergent adults is typically between 30 and 40 percent, which is three
times the rate for people with disabilities, and eight times the rate for people without
disabilities.
“They exist everywhere,” Martin said. “Through STE, we have created opportunities
for people who work with us to work independently elsewhere and secure employment
outside of our organization.
“Ted [Clement] is an amazing individual. We spoke to him about ways that this event
can impact the college community and hopefully integrate our program with CCRI while
helping the Theater Department work further with disability programs on campus, which
I think is a relationship that benefits everyone.”
Founded by Martin in 2017, STE is a company of neurodiverse theatre artists with the
common belief that theatre provides a unique, collaborative venue for the understanding
and inclusion of all, and that society and culture is stronger for it. STE produces
“relevant and high-quality productions” in addition to leading initiatives and sensory-friendly
consulting with other organizations within the theatre industry and beyond.
Last year, STE produced two in-house performances and plans to expand to six in 2023.
Noted Martin, “we never intended to be a strictly production-based theater company,
as we devote a lot of our time to accessibility and inclusivity work.”
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