The 2023 VSA Playwright Discovery Program Industry Panel April 21, 2023 was a resounding success, bringing together high school playwrights with disabilities and industry experts for an enlightening and inspiring discussion. Leadership came from Diane Nutting, Talleri McRae, Windsor R Taylor, Tori Baker. The panel featured four accomplished professionals from the world of playwriting, including Claudia Alick, Monique Holt, Brian Balcom, and A.A. Brenner. Each panelist shared their unique experiences and insights on the processes and networks necessary to connect with areas of interest within the field, such as playwrights, designers, and dramaturgs.
The discussion delved into the career paths available within the industry that do not involve the artistic process, such as teaching and arts administration. Panelists shared their journeys and the challenges they faced, as well as the opportunities available to those interested in pursuing these paths.
Claudia Alick, who has been writing and producing performances since high school, shared her experiences of having her work produced on both physical and digital stages. Monique Holt, a performer, director, and storyteller, spoke about translating and performing Shakespeare in American Sign Language. Brian Balcom, a disabled, Asian-American director, discussed his specialty in contemporary theater. Finally, A.A. Brenner shared their writing style, which blends naturalistic dialogue with heightened realism to explore queer, trans, Jewish, and disability themes.
The audience was engaged and enthusiastic, asking thoughtful questions and participating in a lively conversation with the panelists. Their plays came up in the conversation. The high school playwrights in attendance left inspired and with new ideas to incorporate into their own work.
Overall, the 2023 VSA Playwright Discovery Program Industry Panel was a valuable and enriching experience for all involved. It provided a platform for high school playwrights with disabilities to connect with industry experts, learn about the industry, and gain new insights into the possibilities available to them.
Claudia Alick (they/she) has been writing and producing performances since high-school. Her work has been produced on physical and digital stages at The NY Neofuturists, The Kennedy Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival midnight projects, UC Riverside, Ashland New Play Festival, Woolly Mammoth, Lamama, Mayi Theater Company, NYC Hip-hop Theater Festival. New Group, Labyrinth Theater Company, and Working Theater, Stanford Arts Institute,TCG National Conference, American Conservatory Theater,Guthrie Theater, Trinity Repertory Company and others. She is a recipient of the Lilla Jewel Award for Women Artists. http://www.claudiaalick.com/
Monique Holt (she/her) is a performer, director, and storyteller who adores good stories in print or in performance. Her parents never read-signed heR&Bedtime stories, so her first experience of being read-signed a story was as an adult and it was the complete novel The Three Musketeers. She believes no one is too old or too young to appreciate literature in this manner, whether they are children’s stories, Shakespeare, or Asian Folklore. Ms. Holt’s specialty is translating and performing Shakespeare, especially his Sonnets, in American Sign Language. She is a member of AEA, SAG, and AFTRA. She also works as a Deaf Interpreter working with Deaf-Blind, Close-Vision, and non-Deaf/non-English-speaking clients.
https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/h/ho-hz/monique-holt/
Brian Balcom is a disabled, Asian-American director working in Chicago and Minneapolis who specializes in contemporary, muscular, relationship-driven plays. He enjoys working with playwrights and thinks that entertainment is underrated. https://brianbalcom.com/
A.A. Brenner (they / them / he) is a playwright, dramaturg, actor, and New Yorker. A.A.’s writing blends naturalistic dialogue with heightened realism to explore queer, trans, Jewish, and Disability themes, challenging both societal power structures and theatrical form. https://www.aabrenner.com/bio