Illegally Blind

Tragedy! Hardship!! Inspiration!!! This. Is. NOT. That. Show.

Susan is a perfectly normal queer, fat, functionally blind, autistic, chronically and mentally ill, nonbinary person, who just happens to be collecting diagnoses faster than they collect eel facts.

About this show.

In this not-so-solo solo show, Susan just wants to get stuff done. Instead, they end up on an epic quest, battling sock-puppets, ableist audio-describers, a pile of laundry, and people who don’t provide digital copies of important documents.

Drawing on twenty years of theatre and performance skills, Susan brings their real-life experiences to the stage. The result is a whimsical romp through the world of identity and shattered expectations, mixing traditional theatre with stand up comedy, poetry, improvisation, and more silly voices than you can shake an eel at.

“Illegally Blind explores my life experiences,” Susan says. “The show is inherently accessible: audio description and subtitles aren’t just provided, they are an integral part of the performance, for everyone present. This is a celebration of disabled, queer identity.

Illegally Blind will be on at Wellington's BATS theatre from the 7th-11th December.

Why do we need money?

We’re biting off a lot with Illegally Blind – groundbreaking design and accessibility, technical feats and puppetry. Fortunately, Illegally Blind is a Co-pro show at BATS, so we’re getting a lot of help from them. We’ve also received a grant from Wellington City Council’s Creative Communities Fund and contra support from Blind Low Vision.

However, we need a bit more cash so that we can fairly pay our creative team and fund all our access measures. We’d love to be able to pay everyone what they deserve without compromising on other areas of the production. This is why we're asking for your support!

Accessibility for all. 

So, what's this groundbreaking accessibility?

We are creating a show where accessibility is the opposite of what it usually is. Illegally Blind isn’t just accessible, it’s more accessible for blind and low vision people. The props and set are purposely representations, not the actual items and can only be accurately imagined through the audio description (and subtitles). Braille programmes will be our primary programmes, with “Sighted Access Programmes” available on demand for those who can’t access braille programmes.

This is a way of exploring disability/crip theory on stage, looking at the social model of disability, and the idea that we are disabled because of society and social norms.

We are asking the question: “If we had a society in which everyone was blind or autistic or a wheelchair user, what would that society look like?”

Illegally Blind’s accessibility will extend beyond the show itself, to break down the barriers of class and ability and welcome people who aren’t usually able to participate in theatre.

We plan to have the following access measures:

• Inbuilt audio description and captions
• The play at BATS’ ground-floor venue The Stage, for easy wheelchair access
• An access and transport fund for people who may have difficulty coming to our performances
• Relaxed performances
• Informal seating including beanbags, blankets, armless chairs and wheelchair space
• Snacks, tea (and stim toys, Covid permitting)  

Help us pay all of our contributors, so we can deliver the best show possible!

Thank you so much for your support.