musical

Filed under: Themes, Bum Deal

Terri White getting made up in the St.James Theater on Broadway. (Photo by Piotr Redlinski)

An overwhelmingly moving story…after the jump!

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Filed under: Regular Contributors, Donna Williams, Themes, Auties & Aspies

Quoting the Footsteps of a Nobody promotional flyer:

[Footsteps of a Nobody is] a powerful one woman rock-musical both written and performed by Donna Williams, author of the international best seller, Nobody Nowhere: Autobiography of an Autistic Girl. This is a unique opportunity to witness the author herself perform a story that has changed the lives of millions. Through vibrant song, characterisations, gestural signing, evocative spoken word, and musically supported by the band, The Aspinauts, Donna takes us on a journey from a seemingly deaf, psychotic, ‘feral’ child to life on the streets and ultimately on to her fight for equality among others.

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Quoting Donna Williams:

I’m really buzzed at the news that I’ll get to perform my one-woman-musical, Footsteps of a Nobody, in the US in Jan 2010. With musical support from a wonderful accomplished pianist, David Moscoe, it looks like I’ll be able to bring the show to Long Beach, LA and then I’ll fly on to New Jersey to perform it with the support of a second pianist. Whilst not musically supported by The Aspinauts this time around, it will be a great chance to bring the show to hundreds of people who’d otherwise not get to see it. I know the first performance will be on January 10th 2010 in Long Beach as part of a whole day conference hosted by Rita Rubin, the mother of Sue Rubin whose groundbreaking documentary, Autism Is A World, made it to the Oscars and broke down many myths about Facilitated and Augmented Communication used by people without functional verbal speech.

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday January 9-10, 2010

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TOPICS: “A Glimpse Into the Autistic Mind” – (People with autism describing their experiences & researchers explaining how & why these occur.)

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WHERE: Long Beach Memorial Medical Center 2801 Atlanatic Ave., Long Beach, CA 90806

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TIMES: 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.

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ORGANISER: Greater Long Beach/ San Gabriel Valley Chapter Autism Society of America

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FOR MORE INFO: brubin698@earthlink.net or ca-longbeach@autismsocietyofamerica.org; 562 943-3335 or 1-877-AUTISM9; www.greaterlongbeach-asa.org

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PLEASE NOTE: There will also be a theatre show in LA on the 12th and 13th of Jan 2010 and a show at a conference in New Jersey which I think will be on the 16th Jan.

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Read all Irked posts by Donna

And…

Learn more at donnawilliams.net

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Filed under: Themes, Auties & Aspies, QuIrked Kids, Irked Videos, Irked Audio

Back in November, we highlighted an extraordinary documentary called Autism: the Musical. The film introduced Neal, Lexi, Henry, Adam and Wyatt—five autistic kids who, along with their parents, take part in a groundbreaking theatrical workshop as part of The Miracle Project. Suffice it to say, the children “defied diagnosed expectations”…by writing, rehearsing and performing their own full-length musical!

Well, Autism: The Musical and The Miracle Project caught the attention of quite a few celebrities, and some Hollywood heavyweights have rolled up their sleeves to get involved.

Jack Black rock ‘n roll footage after the jump…

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Filed under: Themes, Wheelchairman of the Board, Irked Videos, Irked Audio, Interviews

Why do I care so much about AXIS?

by Tom Metz

Why do I care so much about AXIS?

I started taking classes with AXIS Dance Company after attending a performance with my good friend Michael Perreault at the Berkeley Art Museum in 1994. It was one of the most beautiful and physically charismatic works I had ever seen. It was also terrifying for me, as I was confronted by my own feelings around disability. Click to continue »

Filed under: Themes, Auties & Aspies, QuIrked Kids, Irked Videos 

Autism: The Musical

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Filed under: Themes, Wheelchairman of the Board, Irked Videos

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Filed under: Themes, Cerebral Ballsy,  Wheelchairman of the Board 

Sandbox Lessons

by David Gayes

I was listening to the song “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught” from the musical South Pacific. The song asserts that children are not born racist, they must learn to be racist. I think that same truth applies to ableism. Children are not born believing that some differences make a person inferior; they have to be taught. It’s easy to see how Jerry Lewis’s Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, inaccessible buildings, overt discrimination, or the common use of words such as “retard” or “cripple” teach ableism. It is more challenging to realize that even well-intentioned people, themselves products of the culture we live in, can inadvertently foster the ableist paradigm in children.

My mom remembers a telling story that took place on an ordinary day many years ago…

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Filed under: Irked Audio 

A “PC-free musical with a short-armed punch!”

SONG: Talk to the Flipper (’cause the face don’t care), by Mat Fraser:  

PDF: Read the Program (Includes all the facts/figures + lyrics to all the songs!)

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