Winnipeg theatre show stars girl in wheelchair

Every child's favourite books are coming to life at Prairie Theatre Exchange.

The show is called Portage &Munsch: 50 Below and features five Munsch classics adapted for the stage by Debbie Patterson. She's chosen wintry themed stories including 50 Below Zero, I Have to Go!, Pigs, A Promise is a Promise and Zoom!.

I felt like there are so many kids in schools who are dealing with mobility issues and they rarely get to see themselves represent.-Debbie Patterson, playwright

Zoom! is about a little girl in a wheelchair. Debbie Patterson had always wanted to adapt this story for the stage. Then director Sharon Bajer suggested the character be in a wheelchair for the whole show.

"I thought it would be really interesting for other kids to see someone in a wheelchair," said Bajer. It could reflect someone they know or give them a greater understanding of what that might be like.

Patterson explained that one reason they wanted to do this is that last year when the company was on tour, during the audience participation, the actorscalled a child up to participate, not realizing he couldn't walk. After the show, he returned to thank them, using a walking device. Hishelper explained that he hated using the device and that this was the first time he'd asked to use it. The actors were very touched by the experience.

"I felt like there are so many kids in schools who are dealing with mobility issues and they rarely get to see themselves represented," said Patterson, who herself is dealing with multiple sclerosis.

"I think it normalizes mobility issues in a way that not a lot of our entertainment does."

She said the dynamic on stage doesn't actually change just because a character is in a wheelchair. In fact, they don't draw attention to it at all.

"She fights just as hard for what she wants as everybody else," said Patterson. "The other characters just expect her to pull her own weight and to work with the group like everybody else, and she does."

Kelci Stephenson, who plays the role of Berti in the wheelchair, agrees. "We don't treat Berti as something precious just because she's in a chair, she's treated as an equal."

Stephenson says it's been a challenge to take on this role. "It's been a learning process. It puts a lot of strain on my body. I'm using a lot of muscles that I don't normally use in that way."

The stage of PTE is well equipped to deal with an actor in a wheelchair, but Patterson admits they may face some problems on tour if the stage is at a different level from the audience, as the actors need to have close contact with them.

Stephenson is prepared to take it in stride. "It's exciting. It's fun," she said.

"I think we just want to show that people are different and that it's okay. Whether someone has a handicap or not,they're still able to function just as well as other kids. It's really cool."

Portage &Munsch: 50 Below plays at Prairie Theatre Exchange through Jan. 5 before touring schools and other towns in Manitoba.