Breaking through theatre's glass ceiling for people with disabilities

By Tom Taylor and Nick Monro

It is not every theatre show where the actors rug up their audience in blankets and give them something to munch on throughout the performance.

But it's all part of the experience at Spark, a multisensory production by Auckland's Glass Ceiling Arts Collective.

Their aim: to make theatre as inviting and inclusive as possible for people with disabilities.

And for one young actor with Down's Syndrome, it could be paving the way to stardom.

Director Charlotte Nightingale said people with disabilities had long been neglected by the arts world, and in her latest production, she aimed to open the doors wide.

"We all should have access to the arts, shouldn't we? Isn't that part of our human rights?

"We should all have access to art that really responds, really resonates with us, but so often that's not the case."

Spark is multisensory production by Auckland's Glass Ceiling Arts Collective.

Spark tells the story of a teenage girl with a heart condition who had to isolate from her friends during the pandemic.

Entertainer and singer Jackie Clarke played her protective mother, a relatable figure for many of the parents in the audience.

Nightingale said some of the audience members with disabilities might not fully understand the plot, but they would react to other elements of the show: The sounds of tearing fabric; the smells of fragrant mists sprayed across the crowd; the taste of silverbeet.

"I remember the first place I went into, and I thought, 'They're never going to eat this; it's going to be me eating it on my own, and maybe I'll tear it or break it and that will be the sensory moment'.

"Honestly, we were all munching on it, back of the throat, chewing on this silverbeet - it was absolutely hilarious."

Nightingale said theatre had a reputation as an expensive outing, and that was one barrier she was determined to remove.

A crowdfunding campaign was currently underway on boosted.org to keep tickets capped at $10, with caregivers' entry free.

The cheap tickets had worked wonders: Just one email to Nightingale's contact list led to the entire tour selling out within four days.

Once people had made it through the doors, she said it was vital their story was portrayed by someone who shared their experience.

"Because it is about a girl with a heart condition, with a disability, it's showing your own life on stage.

"It's so important that disabled people see something that reflects their own life, because it's really rare that that happens."

Nightingale said it was an obvious choice to cast Lily Mae Ivatt-Oakley in the lead role.

Ivatt-Oakley had Down's Syndrome but said it had not held her back from acting.

"Ever since I was a baby, I couldn't walk or talk. All I could do was sing and dance, so I've been dancing since I was three years old and started acting when I was 10 years old."

Since then, she had thrown herself at every opportunity that came her way.

"My first show was Fame, then there was Grease, Frozen, Beetlejuice, then there was Madagascar, Shrek, High School Musical..."

It helped that she had no trace of stage fright.

"I never get nervous. I never break down. I'm always in character and I never get nervous, so I'm always confident."

For her role in Spark, she was able to bring some of the real frustration she felt during lockdowns to the stage.

"So, 2020 was really something," she said.

"There was a thing called Covid-19, and we were stuck in it for a while, and I was really sad because I had two birthdays in lockdown. But I got over that."

Ivatt-Oakley's mum Hayley said pandemics aside, having a family member with a disability could be an isolating experience.

"I've met lots of families and parents doing the shows [for whom] often, this is the first time they've been out in a long time."

She said the Glass Ceiling Arts Collective provided the right environment for Lily Mae to thrive.

"I've just been dropping her off at rehearsals and picking her up at the end of the day, and a few years ago, that wasn't a possibility - she'd need a lot more support.

"Now, I've been able to step back and just drop her off and she's off to work, she's doing her job, she's living her dream, she's fulfilling her passion."

A passion that had already seen Ivatt-Oakley become a TV star, taking part in reality dating series Down for Love, which had just been confirmed for a second season on Netflix.

But first, there was her stage show to focus on.

Spark's 12-show Auckland tour was now underway, and while it was sold out, it could be back by popular demand with a nationwide tour next year.