Access Dramaturgy

I have been calling myself an “access dramaturg.” I hope through discussing the potential role of access dramaturgy, I will encourage more productions to engage with access in this way.

For Access Dramaturgy collaborations or other inquiries about integrating access into performance, please contact Alison at alison.kopit@gmail.com.

Working Definitions

Access dramaturgy (noun): the practice of integrating access into performance creatively and collaboratively. Access dramaturgy happens at all levels of a production, ranging from audience experience to script work; access dramaturgy is iterative and generative. It transforms the aesthetic of the piece.

Access Dramaturg (noun): An access dramaturg’s role may be similar to a traditional dramaturg when working on a script and content related to access and disability; an access dramaturg is a shapeshifter, finding places to infuse access where it may have not existed before.

Resources

Read my dramaturgy note on Page 3 in the playbill of Dark Disabled Stories “On Access: A Love Note”

Read about Access Dramaturgy in Ryan J. Haddad's interview with James Ijames in American Theatre Magazine (Fall 2023): Not Always a Punchline: Ryan J. Haddad’s Dark Disabled Stories

What's the difference between an access dramaturg and an access consultant?

The difference between an access dramaturg and an access consultant is that an access dramaturg plays an integral role on the creative team, whereas a consultant might come in at a few key points in the process (and often later in the process). An access consultant also often does logistics-based access work -- hiring ASL interpreters, coordinating sensory-friendly performances -- whereas an access dramaturg takes a creative approach, making access a part of the aesthetic and integrated into the performance. Access consultants work in all areas of art, but dramaturgs are focused on performance.

Origin

When my disabled artist pal Maggie Bridger and I were talking about creative access work we were doing for different performance projects - Maggie was working on her ensemble performance piece Scale, and I was working on Ryan J. Haddad's Dark Disabled Stories - we realized we were approaching access as a main creative player. In these pieces, access was baked into the premise of the piece. We co-developed the term "access dramaturg" and began thinking about what a practice of access dramaturgy might become, and how it might elevate theatre.

Past and Current Access Dramaturgy experience

Ryan J. Haddad’s Dark Disabled Stories - March 2022 (Produced by The Bushwick Starr, Presented by The Public Theater)

Maggie Bridger's Radiate - November 2022 (Chicago Dancemakers Forum with Links Hall); performed February 2023 at the Steppenwolf Theatre’s Lookout series

Dan Fishback's Dan Fishback is Alive and Unwell and Living in his Apartment — Present (Premiers December 2024 at Joe’s Pub)

Ryan J. Haddad’s Hold Me in the Water — Present (Premiers April 2025 at Playwrights Horizons)