senor grinch

i saw "how the grinch stole christmas" on saturday afternoon here in guatemala city, put on by a community theatre group. for those of you reading with bated breath, it was still about a grinch who stole christmas, despite the change in language delivery.

even though i suppressed a mild panic attack each time the actors traversed the obviously treacherous, sheet-draped ladder, and even though i had to adjust personally for the different cultural norms (cell phone talking, loud talking to each other), i liked it a lot.

and here's the principle reason why:
one of the teen-aged female cast members has a disability, down's syndrome, to be exact. she is probably the 4th person with a disability i've ever seen here in guatemala, both in the city and outside. people have told me that the majority of children with an obvious, visible disability are usually given to orphanages or institutions, which, isn't really anything new in the history of the world.

the hiding of people with differences is definitely not surprising at all, but to see her acting, dancing, singing and completely visible in a community theatre production was clearly something else. having been on stage a few times before, i know that there is NOWHERE to hide on a stage, that even if you think you're in the background, you're really not.

i had to surpress the urge to cry when i saw her up there. it was pretty obvious, even before i saw her facial features, that she was different. she wasn't performing the same actions as the others, other cast members often held her hand and she didn't move with the grace that the others her age had. but the director had given her a non-verbal role that she could do well, and others provided the visual and physical cues she needed to be a part of the production.

having worked with families of children with disabilities, i also wondered about her parents. how open, how out-of-the-box are they? what was their thought process in enrolling her in the group? were they trying to push an agenda or message? did they think she would enjoy it? and did they get as much joy seeing her up there as she exuded while on stage?

this is exactly what it's all about: including people. and this is why i absolutely despise the word "retard." i still tear up when i think about it.