The Apothetae and Lark Initiative to Present TELETHON!

The Apothetae, a theater company dedicated to the production of full-length plays that explore and illuminate the "Disabled Experience," and The Lark, an international theater laboratory based in New York City, are thrilled to announce their partnership in launching The Apothetae and Lark Initiative.

The Initiative, currently in the development stages, includes plans for annual convenings of Disabled artists with the theater field at large, a workshop for Disabled writers, and The Apothetae and Lark Playwriting Fellowship, which will provide a Disabled writer with a two-year cycle of support for the generation and development of a new work to essay and challenge popular perceptions of the "Disabled Experience."

In addition to the artistic and career support of The Apothetae and The Lark during the writer's residency, plans for the award include $40,000 in financial support, a $10,000 opportunity and resource fund, and a $10,000 production enhancement fund.

To raise awareness and support for this program, The Apothetae and The Lark will produce "Telethon!" 2016, a virtual, theatrical event consisting of regular video posts to The Lark's blog during the month of September.

Through these efforts, The Apothetae and The Lark, with the aid of Steering Committee members Claudia Alick (Community Producer, Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Shirley Fishman (Resident Dramaturg at La Jolla Playhouse), Jack Reuler (Artistic Director at Mixed Blood Theatre), and Howard Sherman (Senior Strategy Director and Interim Director at Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts), will provide an unprecedented platform of support for Disabled artists. The needs for a higher and more intentional level of advocacy were articulated during conversations that occurred during the first national convening of Disabled artists and the larger theater community, held by The Apothetae and The Lark in May of 2015, and out of which this Initiative was borne. While topics of equity, access, and inclusion in the theater have recently gained increasing prevalence, Disability is only just beginning to enter the conversation. By affording Disabled writers the space and resources required to take the necessary risks, The Fellowship aims to aid in the generation of work with the power to revolutionize the cultural dialogue surrounding Disability.

"We are an incredibly rich and diverse community with many stories to tell." says Gregg Mozgala, Founding Artistic Director of The Apothetae. "The Disabled community needs space to nurture its talent and experiment."

To raise awareness and support for The Apothetae and Lark Initiative, The Lark and The Apothetae will produce "Telethon!" This virtual, theatrical event will take place throughout the month of September, and will consist of regular posts on The Lark's blog. Each week, The Apothetae and The Lark will publish new videos created by members of the community, inspired by The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon. This annual broadcast, held from 1966 until 2010, was hosted by actor/comedian Jerry Lewis to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The event has faced criticism not only for using Disabled people as a fundraising tool, but also for focusing the public's attention on medical cures to "normalize" Disabled people instead of addressing issues like providing accessible buildings, transportation, and employment opportunities. The MDA Telethon is an important part of Disability History in the 20th and early 21st Century United States. The Apothetae and The Lark see this as an opportunity for Disabled artists to begin to reclaim agency and ownership around their stories, images, and bodies. Confirmed participants so far include Ryan Haddad, David Harrell, Anita Holander, Gregg Mozgala, Evan Ruggerio, Pamela Sabaugh, and Jessica Yates.

"The Lark and The Apothetae are ready to launch this initiative as soon as we have funds in place," says Lloyd Suh, Director of Artistic Programs at The Lark. "We're hoping that by announcing our plans in this way, it will help us to identify key partners who are interested in contributing to this important work."

As both organizations continue to raise the profile and support for this program, The Apothetae and The Lark encourage anyone interested in getting involved or staying updated to sign up for The Apothetae and Lark Initiative's dedicated email list.

To watch the "Telethon!" videos, visit www.larktheatre.org/blog regularly during September to check for new videos, post your thoughts in the comments section, and join the conversation.

Finally, for those interested in getting involved with "Telethon!" and The Apothetae and Lark Initiative, there is also the option to donate by visiting www.larktheatre.org and entering "The Apothetae" in the "Notes Regarding Gift" section of The Lark's donation form.

The Apothetae is a company dedicated to the production of full-length plays that explore and illuminate the "Disabled Experience." To do this The Apothetae focuses on newly commissioned works by both established and up and coming playwrights, and plays that already exist in the theatrical canon featuring characters with disabilities or dealing with disabled themes: Oedipus, Richard III, The Elephant Man, etc. By making visible the human impact of disabled people throughout history, The Apothetae believes empathy can be practiced, perceptions changed, and new communities forged through the collaborative and transformative power of the artistic process.

An integrated company, The Apothetae employs both actors with disabilities and non-disabled actors from the larger New York Theater scene, from regional theaters around the country and the world. Non-disabled actors and playwrights will be asked to write and say the things about the disabled experience that they think they should not. Disabled actors must respond instead of reacting. Only through honest interaction and collaboration, can habitual perceptions be altered and new ways of being and seeing one another achieved.

For more information about The Apothetae, visit www.theapothetae.org.

The Lark is an international theater laboratory, based in New York City, dedicated to empowering playwrights by providing transformative support within a global community. Founded in 1994, The Lark provides writers with funding, space, collaborators, audiences, professional connections, and the freedom to design their own processes of exploration. The guiding principal of The Lark's work is the belief that playwrights are society's truth tellers, and their work strengthens our collective capacity to understand our world and imagine its future.

Last year, The Lark served 929 artists, including 106 playwrights, partnered with more than a dozen theaters and universities, and welcomed 2,618 Audience members to 32 public presentations. In the past three years 121 Lark developed plays moved on to 281 productions in 111 cities around the world. In order to provide economic flexibility to writers at different stages of their careers, The Lark has created a portfolio of major playwriting fellowships. The Lark continues to offer a free and open submission process that allows any and all writers to submit to our Playwrights' Week program and maintains free admission to the public for all readings and workshops. Plays substantially developed at The Lark include The Mountaintop by Katori Hall, Guards at the Taj by Rajiv Joseph, brownsville song (b-side for tray) by Kimber Lee, and Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau.

For more information about the artists, initiatives and plays of The Lark, visit www.larktheatre.org.