Blue Zone Productions, a Los Angeles-based theatre company formed by performers with disabilities, reports that it will stage "'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Jan. 24 -- March 1. Robert David Hall, best known for the role of Dr. Al Robbins on CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," will join actors Ann Stocking, Teal Sherer and Paul Haitkin in the production. The play will be performed at the NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood."Our goal is what any actor would have. To put up the best version of 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' that we can. It just so happens that three of the four actors in this play are performers with disabilities. But, that's not the main thing about this play," actor Robert David Hall explained.
"We're working every day with our director Sara Botsford and we've got hundreds of pages of dialogue to learn, it's just like any other theatrical production. We've got to put our heart and soul into it. We've got only so many days until we go up. Although the audience will see that the characters are people with disabilities, it's not really going to be mentioned. It's just a part of the reality of life, just like it is out in the real world. Fifty-four million people have a disability of some kind or another and all we're trying to do with Blue Zone and this production is to put out a stellar production that a lot of people want to see. Are we trying to prove something? Yeah, we're trying to prove that there are a lot of good performers with disabilities.
"All actors have to pay the same dues. They have to learn their lines, they have to learn their blocking, and they have to tickle the audience's fancy. That's what we're going to do." Hall, who is best known for the role of Dr. Al Robbins on the CBS hit television show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," will be performing on stage at the NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood beginning January 23.
An intimate theatre, this is a chance for Hall's fans to see his range in the theatre along with actors Ann Stocking, Teal Sherer and Paul Haitkin.
"I love 'CSI' it pays the mortgage and I hope it goes on for years. I have a need as an actor to test myself and stretch the boundaries. Also, I want to be a part of Blue Zone Productions and help this theatre company grow. Producer Danny Murphy is a dear friend of mine. Ann and Teal, well, we've known each other for years. I'm in an odd position because I'm one of two or three people with disabilities who makes a living in show business. While I think I deserve some of my good fortune, I want to take the opportunities I've had and have them rub off a little bit on this production," Hall said."I'd like to see Blue Zone become an important theatre where actors with disabilities around the country will want to study and audition for Blue Zone and be a part of the company. That's off in the distance, but this falls into part of the SAG, AFTRA, Equity 'I AM PWD Campaign.' We're saying, 'Hey casting people, hey producers, there are plenty of actors with disabilities who are fully competitive with anybody else.' Maybe some of those folks will see this play, and that would please me a lot."
Director Sara Botsford says her inspiration for this particular choice in productions resulted after meeting with Ann Stocking: "This is a great play and the reason I wanted to do this play is because I met Ann. She actually auditioned for 'The History of Bowling,' which she was not right for, but I thought she'd be a great Martha. This is a play where disabilities should not matter at all, and what we're finding in the script, it sort of enhances moments and makes them even more alarming. Some of the things that they say to each other, the couple, things George says to Martha, adding the disability factor into it, changes it."
Botsford noted, "Mainly we're doing the play. We don't want it to be about people with disabilities, however, they are people with disabilities and we need to honor that in the production. We're trying to incorporate that reality into the reality of the play. So far, it just enhances the dynamic between the characters. It's a really important thing to have this company, give work to people and do great theatre."
"I think it's a humongous task we've undertaken," actress Ann Stocking said, "but I would never get to do this part unless we put it up ourselves. I would never be cast as Martha simply because of considerations about my disability and I'm a classically trained actress. There's no reason, I feel, that I shouldn't be able to do great roles. When people see the production, I want to be careful to say we're not changing a word; we're just doing the play. And whether it's meaning is changed or people see the play differently because of our disabilities, I have no control over.
"I personally think the play is illuminated in a really beautiful, wonderful way by having us do the production. There are resonances that came out at the first table reading. After we did the table reading, we were all blown away. There are so many elements that I relate to with Martha as Martha has been pushed aside and Martha feels like her husband settled on her. She feels unwanted and unloved, and while that's not an integral part of having a disability, it's part of it. I hope people see the humanity of the characters and the universality of what we go through as people and that it can definitely translate. We're in all walks of life," Stocking said.
Actress Teal Sherer hopes the show is a successful production as people see the talents of performers with disabilities: "We want to create an excitement and a good reputation for the company. We have a wonderful cast, the director is amazing, and it's great to be working on such a dense, deep play. Right now we're doing table work, mapping out the beats and the action. It's rewarding, we're all being creative, coming up with ideas, and brainstorming. It's a great process. We're not changing any of the script, but the fact that we are disabled adds another layer to everything and it's great. It really brings out some of the themes in a different way. We're not going to shy away from the fact that we are disabled. It's going to be how it really is in life. I'm in a wheelchair and if my husband wants to help me on the couch, he will. If Robert David Hall is adjusting one of his prosthetic legs during the play, that's okay. We're going to say this is who we are; we're not going to hide it. These characters would be in this situation if they were disabled."