CELEBRATE AND SUPPORT ENTERTAINERS WITH DISABILITIES!

(photos from Facebook)

About 5 years ago, I met a most amazing man when I was producing seasons 3 & 4 of a web series called Child of the '70s; David Zimmerman. David does it all... casting director, actor, acting coach, producer, director, writer... you name it. 

On top of all that, David has the biggest, most genuinely kind heart of gold and I, along with so many others, just adore him. 

David has a passion for promoting inclusion in the entertainment industry. He conducts workshops called "Meet the Biz" at the Performing Arts Studio West with a very diverse group of students of all ages, races, sexual orientation and disabilities including paralysis, down syndrome, blindness, cerebral palsy, deafness, dwarfism, autism and more. The workshops are led by a wide range of celebrities from film, television, music, theater and industry business people like producers, directors, casting directors, publicists etc. 

I've gone to a couple of the Meet the Biz events and they are amazing. I wish I could go to more, but they're during the day when I'm working. The moment you walk in the room you feel an electrical surge of happiness and love. Nobody is judging anybody and everybody is sweet, kind and supportive of each other. The talent in the room is endless.

I went to their stage production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I've seen that play countless times over the years - it's among my favorites. Their production of the play was by far my favorite of them all. No other organization or theater troupe has done that play with such heart. 

I have noticed in movies and television, it's rare to see an actor with a disability in a role unless the story is about the disability. I can only speak for myself, but I know many people with various disabilities and I honestly can't remember having a single conversation with any of them about their disability. We have the same kind of conversations and interactions I have with anybody else. I would like to see more performers with disabilities in the same roles anybody else would get. It's slowly getting there. Hopefully casting directors, producers and directors will more frequently consider actors with disabilities for their projects. 

As always, with anything entertainment related, money is a factor. The workshops are low cost or free for the students, but everything else involved costs money; space rental, interpreters, insurance, materials etc.  

David has a GoFundMe page set up seeking donations for the Meet the Biz workshops. Please take a moment to look it over and make a donation. If you can't donate, please share it with other people who may be able to help out. Believe me, if I could afford to fund a full season, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but I can't. Not many people can. It takes a village. 

If you want to know more about Meet the Biz, I'll provide some links below for you to check out. Thank you for stopping by. 

Links

 Meet the Biz website

Meet the Biz Facebook

David's GoFundMe page