Ellis Checkley as Gill and Izabela Brown as Nemo during rehearsals of Finding Nemo. Photos: Supplied.
Staging a live musical production of Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo JR feels like a perfect fit for Priya Joseph’s newly formed Black Cat Theatre in Wollongong.
Priya, who is working towards gaining her Master of Autism degree, will offer sensory-friendly performances of a show that features characters with disabilities and neurodivergent traits from the Disney company, which she previously performed for as part of dance troupes.
Priya said she started the fully inclusive and accessible theatre this year with the idea that everybody should have the opportunity to appreciate live theatre.
“It’s about anybody that doesn’t have a place or doesn’t fit in, this is the place they can come to and be themselves,” she said.
She said Pixar’s Finding Nemo was the first DVD her family bought, so the story was a special one for her.
“It’s based on the show they performed at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park,” she said.
“So it’s pretty new, it’s never been done before in the Illawarra, and I just needed something big and something to get it started.”
Priya said it was a touching story about fish Nemo and his underwater friends, featuring characters with disabilities and neurodivergent traits, underscoring the importance for her to improve accessibility to performances for all.
“When the movie came out, it was really special to the disability community because even though none of the characters said, ‘I am this’ or ‘I am that’, it still had that representation,” she said.
“Even with limb differences – or fin differences, because they’re fish – and characters that display neurodivergent traits in some way.
“Dory has short-term memory loss … and there’s a character that only uses one word to communicate.
“All these different characters are so special to have in the media and to have for children to see themselves in shows.”
To ensure all children can access the production, Priya is putting on two sensory-friendly performances as part of the nine-show run.
She said they would be aimed at those with sensory needs, including people on the autism spectrum, those with disabilities, young children, and first-time theatre-goers who may be easily frightened.
“That inclusivity is definitely a goal of mine, to keep it possible for anybody to come and see the show,” she said.
“With those sensory-friendly shows, we’re going to eliminate the strobe lighting, the sound will be a little bit quieter, and our lights will stay a bit lighter.
“Even for little kids that get easily frightened with villains and things like that, it’ll be easier in these shows for them to watch it.
“When I go and watch shows or I’m involved in shows – mostly family and children shows – so many kids need to leave halfway through because it’s just too scary for them or because of being in the dark theatre.”
Priya said she was studying a Bachelor of Primary Education and, once completed, would start the Master of Autism course.
“It’s definitely a big interest of mine, and I hope to use that in my teaching in the future, even if I’m not in special education but in the regular classroom,” she said.
“I think it’s so important for teachers to have that knowledge, because so many children fly under the radar and they need help too.”
Priya also has a strong connection to the Disney company, having performed with dance troupes at Walt Disney World Orlando, Disney California Adventure Park and Hong Kong Disneyland.
“I started dance lessons when I was two, and I’ve been lucky enough to visit multiple Disneylands and to perform,” she said.
“We did a few parades, and then we did our own individual shows in different places in Disneyland, down in Main Street and at Universal Studios too.”
She said with a lot of theatre companies in Wollongong looking for talent for shows, she was pleased with the response to auditions.
“I was a bit nervous we weren’t going to get the numbers I needed, but in the end I was almost shocked at the amount of talent that came through,” she said.
Priya said with a 40-strong cast of children aged six to 18 years from the Illawarra and surrounds, they were now being put through workshops to hone their skills.
“The show is a part of our junior program, and we provide lessons on every single part of the theatre they would need to know to develop a high standard,” she said.
“So they’ll go into the show feeling 100 per cent confident they know what they’re doing, and they’ve got the support they need.”
Workshops are being led by NIDA graduate Kane McCarthy and show director Lily Savelli.
Book tickets for Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo JR Live in Wollongong, to be held from 28 September to 1 October at Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts, Lysaght St, Fairy Meadow.
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