People with spinal cord injuries are using their personal stories of challenge and triumph to create a new performance that will premiere in Birmingham, Alabama.
This original work for the stage, “From Where I Sit,” is directed by Suzanne Costello in residence at the University of Alabama at Birmingham through UAB Arts in Medicine. Inspired by a writing program for people with spinal cord injuries, the project includes participants from across the country who have spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis or transverse myelitis and joined together on monthly Zoom sessions to share stories, lyrics and poetry of life in a wheelchair.
“From Where I Sit” will be performed three times. A free preview performance will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at The Lakeshore Foundation. RSVP for the preview performance.
See “From Where I Sit” at UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 10, as part of the UAB Disability Arts Festival celebration and resource event. A second performance will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 11.
Tickets to the UAB performances are Pay What You Choose with registration. Donations are encouraged to help bring new entertainment to the community, but all are welcome to attend. Simply register for the performance of your choice, May 10 or May 11, at AlysStephens.org. For questions or to request accommodations, contact
At 6 p.m. Friday, May 9, UAB Arts in Medicine will present an anthology release party and artist, administrator, advocate and legislator John Killacky with his talk, “Leaving the World of the Temporarily Abled,” at UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, 1221 10th Ave. South. The evening of conversation, art and poetry will begin with readings from the “From Where I Sit” anthology, which highlights the voices and artwork of writers with mobility disabilities. The collection is edited by Birmingham Poet Laureate and UAB Arts in Medicine Artist-in-Residence Salaam Green. Killacky will share his personal journey of becoming paraplegic 29 years ago due to complications from spinal cord surgery.
“From Where I Sit” grew out of Costello’s ongoing partnership with UAB. The collection of poetry, stories and lyrics written by participants who gathered monthly on Zoom meetups, was transformed into an incredible, spectacular performance by Costello, with Elizabeth Vander Kamp and critically acclaimed actress, singer, composer and lyricist Anita Hollander.
Costello previously created and directed “Raising Our Voices” at UAB in 2021 which featured Birmingham community members impacted by cancer and was presented at the Alys Stephens Center. That same year, UAB Arts in Medicine and the UAB School of Health Professions’ Department of Occupational Therapy initiated an expressive writing program research study for individuals with SCI in Birmingham and across the country. The program was a resounding success, and UAB Arts in Medicine invited Costello to create an original performance work based on the participants’ writings.
Costello joined Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater in New York City in 1979 and became its artistic co-director in 1984. During her career with the company, she has been highlighted as a performer, choreographer, teacher and rehearsal director. As director of arts and education and of arts and health care programs for the company, she coordinates and facilitates the many community projects SPDT has come to be known for nationally and internationally.
Listening to shared stories, poetry and lyrics about life in a wheelchair empowered Nancy Hanson to realize she was not alone, she says. Participating was an amazing experience, and meeting others in the study and hearing their experiences and writings has been nothing short of cathartic, says participant Rhonel Cinous.
“Hearing some of my own thoughts and experiences echoed by people across the country/world truly bought me a sense of camaraderie,” Cinous said. “My hope is that the audience truly gets to experience all the emotion, trauma and resilient moments we all conveyed through our writing.”
The UAB Disability Arts Festival, presented by UAB Arts in Medicine, celebrates the work of artists across all genres from the disability community. By providing a platform to amplify voices and experiences, the goal of the festival is to promote understanding and accessibility, raise awareness of health disparities, and invite policymakers to discuss issues that affect quality of life for disabled individuals across Alabama.