Theater By The Blind: Changing Misconceptions About Blindness

Summary:
George Ashiotis talks about how his career path has given him the opportunity to help carry out the unique mission of New York City's Theater By The Blind as co-artistic director and a member of the cast.

Introduction

Interview

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Introduction

Theater By The Blind is a critically acclaimed company in New York City made up of both visually impaired and sighted theater professionals.

Founded in 1979, the company's mission is to change the image of the blind from one of dependence to independence, to fight the stereotypes and misperceptions associated with blindness, and to show how vibrant, fluid and exuberant the visually impaired can be.

Theater By The Blind is the only theater in the United States doing quality professional work to achieve that goal.

Under the artistic direction of founder Ike Schambelan and George Ashiotis, the company has developed several principal programs to achieve its mission. It has developed visually impaired talent for theater, movies and TV; written original material revealing the world of the blind; conducted tours to bring this material to as many people as possible; performed traditional material in a style to make it fully accessible for people with visual impairments; developed blind audiences; and brought both blind and sighted people into a shared aesthetic experience that bridges the gap between them.

The company performs for every kind of audience member imaginable -- from general New York theatergoers to seniors, students and other underserved populations. About 10 percent of Theater By The Blind's audience is visually Impaired. About .2 percent of the U.S. is visually impaired. One of the company's goals is to further increase its visually impaired audience beyond that 10 percent level.

Theater by The Blind's New York City premiere of "The Rules of Charity" by John Belluso will run May 26 through June 24 at The Lion, Theater Row, 410 W. 42nd St. See http://www.tbtb.org/abouttheshow.htm

Telephone for tickets.

"The Rules of Charity" is about a man with cerebral palsy, Monty, who uses a wheelchair and must rely upon his daughter, Loretta, to care for him. When a young man sparks the idea of romance in Loretta's life, she wants to move out of Monty's home and conflicts escalate.

This strong, dark, funny play looks at how disabled people have been treated through the ages. "The Rules of Charity" suggests that the power love holds over us is contrary and contradictory - a combination of love and hate, cruelty and goodness.

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Interview

eSight recently interviewed George Ashiotis, Co-Artistic Director of Theater By The Blind, who is also a member of the cast. Here is that interview.

eSight: Tell me about your career path? How did you get your start in the performing arts?

George Ashiotis: I got my start in the performing arts by being born a ham. My earliest childhood recollections include my orchestrating neighborhood talent shows for the opportunity they afforded me to sing before an audience.

When I was 18, I heard about the Lighthouse Players and tried out and subsequently worked with them for many years. I learned all about stage work, both on and behind the scenes and was introduced to theater nomenclature.

Of course, in those days the state commission for the blind would never have sponsored anyone who was pursuing a life in the theater because of the obvious risks of not easily finding employment; I think that door has been cracked open, but there's still a way to go.

Anyway, as a blind young person, I was trained (and then worked) as a piano technician.

I ultimately wound up pursuing a career as an ESL (English as a second language) teacher. I also taught assistive technology in the early days of accessible computers.

The most unusual position I ever held was being an artist representative for a textile designer who was deaf. In the first place, can you imagine a person who is blind representing something as visual as graphic design? Then, on top of that, working with a person who is a member of a disabled group which is totally incompatible with someone blind?

There were just the two of us in her small studio. We managed; she read lips very well, and I got used to her speech -- and even made a few sales.

My TV work includes, mostly work on "The Guiding Light." It was your typical story line where a principal goes blind and there were scenes in a rehab center. The money was great. However, being associated with the kind of image of blindness portrayed on soaps is not my proudest work. But you can't be too political on the job.

I tried raising consciousness about how blind folks interact and carry on daily activities, but they wouldn't hear of it. So, I just did my job and got paid handsomely.

To their credit, though, they did hire blind people to be extras at the rehab center. I wasn't an "extra;" I was a "day player," which meant I spoke lines and was on a different salary scale.

I really would like more opportunities working in front of a camera; it's a very different craft from stage work.

Many years ago I was called in as a consultant to a production of "Wait Until Dark." I was asked, "How would you look for something which had fallen to the floor?"

I said I would first gingerly search for it with my foot, locate it that way, and then stoop down to pick it up.

The director would have nothing to do with that; it wasn't theatrical enough. He had the actress go down on all fours and make sweeping gestures with her hands sort of like windshield wipers until she encountered the fallen object.

eSight: What was your biggest break? Who influenced you the most?

George Ashiotis: My biggest break was meeting Ike Schambelan in the very early 80s when Theater By The Blind was just being formed. Through his encouragement and mentoring, to say nothing of cajoling, I eventually became "associate artistic director" and then "co-artistic director." I learned a lot from him about the craft of acting -- and reluctantly about the administration of a theater.

In terms of "fame," I have had the good fortune of working with Woody Allen and Richard Harris. I did "Everybody Says I Love You" with Woody and "Julius Caesar" with Harris. Unfortunately I wound up on the cutting room floor along with Tracey Altman as far as the film goes, but sharing the stage with Richard Harris is an experience which will stay with me always.

eSight: What are the toughest disability-related roadblocks you've encountered during your career? How did you handle them?

George Ashiotis: I think the biggest roadblock for anyone with a disability is the attitude most able-bodied people have about us. There are times when that attitude seems insurmountable, and there is nothing you can say or do to convince a potential employer that you are capable and right for the job. Hell, there are times in the street that I can't convince someone that I don't need help.

I don't know what you do. It depends on the day, I guess. You have to learn to take everything in stride and move on! There are times when I feel so deeply discouraged and want nothing more than to hide myself away, but then I wake up the next day, and somehow I'm ready to try again.

I went for an audition some years ago to try out for a character who was written as blind. After the audition, I heard the director softly say, "beautiful." I was sure I got the role. I never heard from him. As Gladys Knight says, "You've got to keep on keepin' on."

eSight: How do you put Theater By The Blind in perspective? How has it evolved?

George Ashiotis: Theater By The Blind was founded by Ike Schambelan in 1979. It started as a group of sighted actors reading plays over the "In Touch" radio service. It then was a class taught by Ike at the Jewish Guild for the Blind, and, finally, when I came on board, in 1983, it became a small traveling company doing pre-existing material about blindness. For example, we would do scenes from "Butterflies Are Free," or "Oedipus." We also sang songs like "I only Have Eyes for You."

In, we added a writing component to our work and began producing our own plays. This was a knee-jerk reaction to the kinds of distorted images of blindness that was being promoted by Hollywood.

We wanted to tell our own stories and be real about the way blindness impacts on our daily lives. We were all tired of the Hollywood blind character who can't get anywhere without an escort, but somehow is able to jump into a car and drive recklessly off and come out without a scratch.

eSight: How do you know that you're educating the public about people with visual impairments through Theater By The Blind?

George Ashiotis: Through our main stage productions and through touring Performances, I get to meet audience members after the show who have frankly confessed their misgivings about what they were coming to see.

The fact that they stick around to meet me (a person who is blind) attests to the fact that the barrier which held them back is gradually beginning to fade. I am always happy to talk to people and encourage them to ask anything they want.

But our work is not only beneficial in terms of educating the sighted about the blind. We are also role models for other blind folks. The most flattering and touching thing anyone has every said to me after a performance is, "You make me proud to be blind."

eSight: Which Theater By The Blind accomplishment are you most proud of? Where do you see it going from here?

George Ashiotis: I see Theater By The Blind growing both in terms of increasing the amount of performances and the number of plays we do per year. We have a Theater Communications Group grant for $65,000 to do just that -- augment our performance run and go from a one to a two-play season, which we have begun to do this year.

We have also started to include theater artists with disabilities other than blindness. Of course, we will continue to do all kinds of theater from Shakespeare to Arthur Miller as well as original work -- always striving toward excellence.

eSight: What do consider the most important bit of advice you can give a young person who is visually impaired and who aspires to a career in the performing arts?

George Ashiotis: Be dedicated and determined. You'll meet a lot of resistance in your pursuit. It's easy to get discouraged. Your need to perform must be so huge that nothing can come between you and what you're after."

eSight: What is the key message you get from your current production, "The Rules of Charity?"

George Ashiotis: With some folks, a disability is visible and obvious, but just because a person is not in a wheelchair or using a cane doesn't mean they are not, in some way, crippled inside."

John Belluso said, "Everyone becomes disabled eventually if they live long enough."

eSight: In the light of your experience, how do you react to the following quote from George Orwell? "Most people get a fair amount of fun out of their lives, but, on balance, life is suffering, and only the very young or very foolish imagine otherwise."

George Ashiotis: Tough question! I think there is a great deal of suffering we all must endure -- maybe some more than others, but I'm an optimist, and I always try to make the best and get the most out of a given situation.

And, working in plays, putting on a "mask," has certainly helped me to cope with difficult times. When there was trouble around me, I was lucky enough to lose myself in the character I was portraying and at least fend off trouble for the duration of a performance. And, once you've punched a whole like that into trouble, it starts to defuse.

eSight: How can individuals with disabilities participate in Theater By The Blind?

George Ashiotis: Anyone interested in participating should check out our web site at http://tbtb.org. There's a "contact" link you can click on or you can write directly to me at gar@nycrr.com

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On behalf of Theater By The Blind, a not-for-profit, Off-Broadway theater company, I would like to invite you to see the NYC premiere of John Belluso's powerful play, The Rules of Charity. A half price ticket of $20 is available. Call or go to www.ticketcentral.com, and use the code CHAR when purchasing tickets. This is a fantastic opportunity to see the show at a discount. Regular price tickets are $40.

Theater By The Blind will present The Rules of Charity May 26-June 24 on Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues). John Belluso is a wonderful, disabled playwright who died tragically early at age 36 last year. His work has been done at the Public Theater, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Mark Taper Forum, Ensemble Studio Theatre and Trinity Rep. Confined to his wheelchair with cerebral palsy, Monty must rely upon his daughter Loretta to care for him. When a young man sparks the idea of romance in Loretta's life, she wants to move out of Monty's home and conflicts escalate.

Theater By the Blind (TBTB) performs with an integrated company of blind, vision-impaired, and sighted actors, and as The New York Times and Time Out have pointed out, when watching one of our productions, you can't tell who's who. We're not trying to hide blindness, but when you're expressive, disability disappears.

If you have any questions or are interested in becoming a part of Theater By The Blind in any way, please contact Matt Stuart, Director of Outreach at theaterbytheblind@yahoo.com

For more information about Theater By The Blind, visit their website at www.tbtb.org. We look forward to seeing you at the theater!

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