In We Deserve to Work, 15 co-creators aim to transform attitudes about employment for people with disabilities
Self-advocates created, researched, and perform in the new play
We Deserve to Work. Photo by Emily Cooper.
Community Living Society, Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship, and Massey Theatre present We Deserve to Work at Massey Theatre on November 18 at 12:30 pm, November 19 at 7:30 pm, and November 20 at 2 pm. A talk-back with the co-creators follows each performance, and a reception follows the November 19 performance
FOR A LOT of people, work is something to gripe about, a slog they have to tolerate until the day comes that they can retire. Other people have to fight to get a job. We Deserve to Work is a new theatre piece created, researched, and performed by self-advocates that explores how people with disabilities have the right to be employed.
As a theatre director, creator, producer, and intimacy director, Jessica Anne Nelson has worked on a range of shows in her career, from Othello at Bard on the Beach to Theatre Under the Stars’ Something Rotten! In 2018-19, she collaborated on Romance, Relationships & Rights, a project of the Canadian Institute for Inclusion & Citizenship with Community Living Society. Nelson directed and facilitated the show, which was created by neurodiverse self-advocates—and she fell in love with everything about the process as it unfolded.
“It felt really good getting to lend my skills to a project like this and getting to be equal co-creators with folks who have disabilities to help to make their show happen,” Nelson says of Romance, Relationships & Rights in a Zoom interview with Stir. “More and more, since my introduction to this work and then with the pandemic, it’s become really clear that the theatre industry isn’t always a space that is accessible for even ‘quote unquote’ able-bodied people. The work-life balance that is asked of you is very difficult.
“When I think about the principles that disability theatre has about creating spaces where artists can bring their full selves to a project, we’re creating a space where differences are celebrated and looked at in a beautiful, unique way,” adds Nelson, who has her MFA in directing from UBC. “The way that they experience the world and what they want to share with the community is equally valid and important, and it creates such a wonderful space where I can be really honest about where I am in my day-to-day life as well. You don’t have to leave things at the door; you still get to be a professional and an artist in the room and share your creativity.”
For We Deserve to Work, Nelson has taken on the role of co-director and co-producer alongside Leyton Schnellert. Schnellert is associate professor in the faculty of education at UBC and inclusive education research lead with Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship.
Featuring 15 self-advocates, We Deserve to Work sets out to help people understand the rights of people with disabilities to find and keep meaningful employment and some of the barriers they face along the way. Nelson describes We Deserve to Work as a snapshot into the daily lives of different people with disabilities as they navigate everything from job interviews to the hopes of moving up in their careers.
Following the success of their 2019 production, the performers brainstormed which topics to pursue for their next work. From there, the show’s partner organizations applied for a Vancouver Foundation System Change Grant, which allowed the co-creators to make a living wage while working on the project. The co-creators led focus groups with employment specialists, other self-advocates, and employers to finetune the ideas they would develop in the new play. Inclusion facilitators were available to support the team during the creation phase and will be on-hand during performances. The set, props, lighting, projections, costumes, and sound have all been designed to amplify the co-creators’ voices and messages.
Aaron Pietras. Photo by Emily Cooper
One of the co-creators-actors is Aaron Pietras. He was part of Romance, Relationships & Rights and also works with CIIC, giving workshops at schools and other community places about the services the organization offers. Taking part in the Stir interview with Nelson, Pietras explains that the topic of employment felt important because so often, people with disabilities “can’t get their foot in the door”. Drawing on their lived experiences, the cast members explore the subject with humour, sensitivity, and enthusiasm.
“What I really enjoy about work is getting to know people and getting them to hear my story—letting them know that it’s never too late to find work,” Pietras says. “Don’t give up on your dreams. Basically, the world is your oyster.
“With the play, I really enjoy getting to lend my acting chops to my fellow actors, and they get to teach me some things,” he adds. “It’s a lot of fun. I love to make people laugh. I love putting smiles on everybody’s faces. For me, doing this for a job is amazing because who knows what our next play will bring? I want to be the next William Shakespeare of acting. It fills my heart to be a part of it.”
Along with Pietras, the show’s other co-creators are Amy Chan, Carrol Sheaves, Chris Ham, Dan Tell, Dana Faris, David Delatorre, JayMacInnis, Krissy Pilorusso, Kurtis Johnson, Larissa Gunkel, Mackenzie Marsh, Renu Shambhy, Rob Burnett, and Rochelle (Rocky) Paquin.
Jessica Schneider, artistic director of Massey Theatre, says We Deserve to Work is an example of the kind of story that the organization strives to present—stories that generally aren’t being told—and that it’s vital to support self-advocates in their full participation in the performing arts.
“I’ve always been interested in cross-sectoral works: How can our arts organization support the community across goals?” Schneider says in a phone interview with Stir. “It’s inspiring to hear people in their own voices.
“We Deserve to Work doesn’t focus on disability; it focuses on ability and what’s possible,” Schneider adds. “It provides hope and energy towards continuing to work on the social changes that are needed around inclusion.”
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