OOPS! by John Feld, directed by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard. Presented by Crippled Toronto at the Workman Theatre (1001 Queen West). Aug 3 and 11 at 8 pm, Aug 13 at 2 pm.
Rating: NNNNN
Leesa Levinson wants audiences to share laughs with people in wheelchairs.
Levinson, who’s lived with MS for years, is one of the troupe presenting Oops!, a comedy by John Feld that looks at three wheelchair-bound people who plan to rob a bank during a disability parade. It’s presented by Crippled Toronto, a group of actors with disabilities.
“The piece reminds people not to take life so seriously it pokes fun at what we all try to accomplish, battle or overcome,” says the performer, who works with a number of groups, including ACTRA Toronto’s diversity committee, advocating a higher public profile for those with disabilities.
Levinson plays Maggie Klein, a woman who loves the trio’s boss, Weiss, because he’s a rebel who wants to change the system and make able-bodied people aware of what the disabled have to face.
“She’s a love child,” offers Levinson, going into character by raising her voice an octave, “the kind of person who cares about everyone and, while not quite ditzy, is a little light in the brain department.”
Levinson was studying theatre when she was diagnosed with the degenerative disease, and in retrospect realizes that moving to a wheelchair gave her independence. A disability advocate for years, she recently helped spearhead the Access 2 Entertainment card, which gives free or discounted cinema tickets to the disabled and their support people.
“We thought a few hundred would apply for the card, but within a year nearly 20,000 people registered for it. There’s a clear need and demand by a culture that wants to be part of society and share its stories.”
She admits that the comedy in Oops! is occasionally bitter, “but the tongue-in-cheek quips will make you hoot most of the time.
“Comedy is a great tool for awareness I hope it helps the able-bodied to see the disabled as everyday people who do everyday things.”
