Story

It began with discussions around the water cooler, observations thrown out in meetings, and asides shared between co-workers at Meeting the Challenge (MTC). The group was dedicated to helping everyday Americans really understand the people behind disability law – not to create sympathy, but to foster empathy. To help break down attitudinal barriers before installing the wheelchair ramp.

But what was the best vehicle for this message? The more they thought about it, the more the MTC staff realized that multi-media was the way to go. They had had success in the past with “Getting it Right,” a DVD that featured common sense answers about disability etiquette, and with “Breaking Down Barriers,” a DVD for school-aged children. Maybe their next effort could be more artistic — perhaps a play? Something that could be video recorded, extending the production’s life well beyond its stage run.

After researching available scripts, MTC realized none of them were quite right. At this impasse, synchronicity stepped in…

For years, Randy Dipner (a founding partner at Meeting the Challenge) had thought about how to help non-disabled Americans understand how disability affects everyday people. He thought a dramatic play might work, but none of the existing scripts he reviewed felt right.

Dipner first heard of Ping Chong’s work at a 2008 Denver arts conference, and was immediately drawn to the playwright’s chosen subject matter: Outsiders – those who begin life in one culture and then, either by choice or circumstance, become part of another. At that time, Chong had written nearly 40 community-specific plays, each a part of his award-winning Undesirable Elements series.

Unaware of Chong’s exalted status in the theater world, Dipner picked up the phone and called New York. “Had I Googled ‘Ping Chong’ first, I probably never would have called him,” Dipner says with a wry smile.

That initial phone call went well. Eventually, Ping Chong and Company travelled to Colorado Springs, where the group interviewed more than 20 potential cast members. When the six-member cast was chosen, Chong headed back to New York to write the Invisible Voices script. Chong and co-writer Sara Zatz pored over hours of videotaped cast members’ interviews, choosing common threads of dialogue and skillfully intertwining the six powerful voices.

In September, 2009, Chong and Company returned to Colorado Springs and began rehearsals. Invisible Voices was originally staged in Colorado Springs from October 1-17, 2009 at the Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater, a THEATREWORKS venue.

There were nine original performances, eight of which sold out.