Marking his 35th anniversary at La MaMa, Dario D'Ambrosi's Italian company Teatro Patologico returns to New York with the staging of Euripides’ Medea. The production combines professional actors, who perform in English, with a chorus of 14 actors with diverse abilities, including epilepsy, neurological disabilities and down syndrome.
D'Ambrosi's Rome-based school of theatre works with differently abled students, allowing them to express themselves on the stage. Performances will run through Oct. 18.
"It’s very exciting to see such a diversely abled group of artists on La MaMa’s stages telling new and old stories, showing us in a fresh way what it means to be human," said artistic director Mia Yoo in an earlier press statement. "We are very pleased, particularly on the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, to share this work with our audiences."
Also slated for October, La MaMa will continue to explore the experiences of differently abled performers with its presentation of Gardiner Comfort's acclaimed solo play The Elephant in Every Room I Enter. Comfort's work recounts the details of his week at the Tourette Syndrome Association National Conference in Washington, D.C., and share his experiences of his life as an actor living with the neurological disorder. Performances will run Oct. 15 - 31.
La MaMa presents an average of 70 productions a year, with the 2015-16 season listing more than 60 productions already. The stages are located on East 4th Street, in Manhattan's East Village. For more information visit LaMaMa.