Blue Zone Productions at NoHo Arts Center: "CSI" Actor Hopes "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Gains Attention for Performers with Disabilities

"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."

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."

Sherer encourages people to see the play, because performers with disabilities are rarely seen performing a classic play such as, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

I think it's going to be a neat experience for the audience - seeing talented actors with disabilities. I think there's a curiosity about people with disabilities and what they do in their day-to-day lives," Sherer explained. "We're excited that Robert David Hall is involved. His success as a series regular on 'CSI' and the celebrity of him, helps our cause. It should bring a lot of people out here to see the show which will be great, because this is a town where name matters."

Actor Paul Haitkin, who has performed on television shows "Passions" and "House M.D.," says his experience has been wonderful.

This is a really talented group of actors and we have a great director in Sara Botsford. I recently did a play, George Bernard Shaw's 'Arms and the Man,' and I've done a little bit of TV, but here I get a whole character. I get an arc and it's been fantastic. These are some of the most talented people I've ever worked with. I'm in this play because it's good material and they're good actors. It would be great if the field was level for performers with disabilities, because it's kind of stacked against them. But, I'm doing the play for much more selfish reasons," Haitkin said with a smile. "They're good actors and I wanted to work with them."

The bottom line for Hall is dedication to the craft of acting. "We're responsible to put on the best play that we can and let the chips fall where they may. They may love the play, but hate the actors, or they may love the actors, but hate the set. I want people to see the play and comment on it. Ann Stocking is going to be a wonderful Martha; Teal Sherer as Honey is great; Paul Haitkin as Nick is wonderful; and we're really at the beginning of the rehearsal process. It's a lot of hard work. You read the play together, you dissect it, and you learn your lines. The pressure is that Edward Albee is one of America's great playwrights. It's not like some unknown playwright. You have to be spot-on and you're being judged against everyone else who performed in 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' It's not easy. Most people remember the film with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, but recently Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin did it on Broadway. Uta Hagen and Arthur Hill did it originally on the Broadway stage and it's one of the most powerful plays ever written. Actors want to test themselves against great plays and this is an opportunity," Hall stressed. "In my acting career, I have had to audition for so many disabled characters, the disabled veteran, the disabled activist who chains themselves to something. Even now actors with disabilities are only seen as only qualified to play the occasional disabled role. I played so many disabled characters to learn my craft in TV, but the truth of the matter is that you can't have a career as an actor unless you're playing mothers, fathers, lovers, cops, judges, unless you're playing real people. Guess what, there are a lot of people with disabilities in the real world who are college students, lovers, crooks, geniuses, etc. We don't go around with a big sign that says 'I am disabled. Caution.' We're human beings and I want to be a part of the movement that gets us judged by the quality of our work. Don't assume because I have some sort of disability, physical or otherwise, don't assume that I can't do something. It's been a long haul for me. I want it to be better for younger kids who have talent. I want them to have a fair shot at the audition process."

When it comes to opportunity, Hall admits there are some elements that have been denied to people with disabilities.

Everybody likes to talk about diversity and people think that only means people of color. There has been enormous discrimination against people of color in this country and around the world. But, diversity also includes people with disabilities. I've seen more opportunity in the corporate world for people with disabilities than in the entertainment world and we're trying to change that." Hall added, "I'm grateful to the writers, producers and cast members on 'CSI' who treat me just like any one of the other actors. My character is part of a team. Acting starts with the theatre and this is where I came from. In this business, either you find a way to get better through no pay theatre or no pay independent projects. I used to read copy for the Braille Institute. I want to be a part of the craft and encourage other folks that they might actually have a career. If you absolutely have to do it, the fact that you're disabled shouldn't stop you."

Actors Ann Stocking, Danny Murphy and Teal Sherer founded Blue Zone Productions in 2007. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" opens on January 23, 2009, at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Boulevard, North Hollywood. Ticket information will be available soon through www.BlueZoneProductions.com.

Photo by Rick Scarry:

Front row left to right - Teal Sherer and Ann Stocking. Back row left to right - Paul Haitkin and Robert David Hall.