I’ve been going to the theatre regularly for eight years. That’s eight years of falling in love with stories, characters, words, music and stagecraft. I love this industry, I really do – it brings so much joy to my life in a whole host of ways – both big and small.

I think an element of why I love the art form so much is the way it allows us to connect; we come to love shows because we can empathise with particular characters and perhaps see ourselves in them, represented by them. That thought though sparked a realisation: in all those eight years,I have never seen myself represented on stage – at least in the form of a disabled actor playing a disabled character (I’m looking at you, Nessarose in Wicked *yawn*)

And that’s why a casting announcement caught my eye last night: Storme Toolis has been cast in the titular role of the upcoming Trafalgar Studios production of A Day in the Death of Joe Egg. Now, I’m still apprehensive about seeing the play for a whole host of reasons; mainly given that it’s subject matter is a black comedy surrounding a couple whose daughter has a more severe form of my own disability– I’ve never been great with that genre and I’m just anxious it will touch some raw nerves. But, that being said, I wanted to take a punt as I believe great theatre challenges, and provokes emotion, not forgetting it’s at one of my all time favourite theatres and featuring a cast led by Toby Stephens, whom I adore and have wanted to see onstage again since his incredible turn in Oslo.

Storme’s casting marks the first time in the play’s history (it was originally written in 1967, and has been staged numerous times over the years), where Joe has been played by an actor with a disability. That for me is pretty momentous and gets me so excited. Living with my disability, I (and I suspect some other disabled people out there) consistently feel like I’m marginalised by how inaccessible society is, and that even though representation is getting better, my voice and experiences aren’t being sought enough. There are a multitude of able bodied actors, especially in Hollywood, being cast in disabled roles. It’s hypocritical of me to say I out and out disagree with this, as some of these performances I’ve really enjoyed – (Eddie Redmayne, James McAvoy, Sam Claflin and Bryan Cranston spring to mind), but it does get quite wearing and perpetuates this tiresome myth that we have nothing to offer. I understand why the industry works this way; to producers you want your work to be seen and get bums on seats, and a familiar name helps do this, but I believe that art, especially theatre, can and should be doing more to promote better representation, both behind the scenes and onstage: it’s wonderful that more people are embracing and wanting to tell these stories; it promotes discussion and raises awareness, but all too often it’s happening at the expense of our input which would make the work better informed, and be more powerful because of that.

I had a really fun discussion with an actress at Stage Door a few weeks ago about this issue, wherein she and my friend I was attending the show with introduced me to the new Broadway production of Oklahoma! The role of Ado Annie is played by Ali Stroker, the first actress using a wheelchair to appear on a Broadway stage; I think she’s phenomenal, and so did the judging panel for the 2019 Tony Awards: Ali won Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

I wholeheartedly believe that the arts industry isn’t being intentionally discriminatory; the trouble is a lack of awareness and knowledge, something I want to see change, and I’ll help do that in any way I can. Decisions like casting Storme and Ali are, I believe, an awesome step in the right direction. More please!