Former MP and writer Kelly Vincent and award-winning actor and director, Aliro Zavarce have formed a disability-led theatre group, True Ability, to create theatre pieces, films and advocacy for artists with disability in Adelaide.
Vincent is the creative director, a role which combines writing and broader artistic input with developing policy and advice on best practice in access and inclusion.
According to Kelly while there are great disability organisations in Australia, many do not have people with disability in leadership positions. “To truly represent artists with disability and audiences alike, this has to change,” she said.
Their first project, UnSeen has strong relevance to current times, inspired by the recent events of the Royal Commission into disability rights. It will focus on the often unseen and unheard experiences of a person with disability and change how they are represented on the stage. The project will explore elements of living with a disability that are usually not seen and more often not heard.
Poetic, funny, and moving, UnSeen challenges dominant narratives about disability and illness, leaving audiences laughing, wiping away tears and, hopefully, reflecting on how they can make the world a more inclusive place.
The show in Adelaide’s Space Theatre runs on December 1-2.