Leah Demeter

Choice of Abigail Breslin to Play Helen Keller Upsets Deaf and Blind Advocates
by Lindsay Robertson · October 30, 2009

On Wednesday, the producers of the Broadway revival of the play “The Miracle Worker,” about the early life of blind and deaf hero Helen Keller, announced that they’d chosen the young actress who will play her on stage this winter: 13-year-old Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin. The decision has unleashed immediate complaints from groups representing blind and deaf actors who feel that an actress from their community should have been considered for the role.

Sharon Jensen, executive director of the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, told the New York Times “We do not think it’s OK for reputable producers to cast this lead role without seriously considering an actress from our community.” Jensen recognizes the difficulty Broadway plays are having attracting audiences right now, but says “I understand how difficult it is to capitalize a new production on Broadway, but that to me is not the issue. There are other, larger human and artistic issues at stake here.”

For his part, the show’s producer, David Richenthal, claims that the production was unable to find a blind or deaf child actor with the star power to bring in enough of an audience to justify the show’s large budget, saying “It’s simply naïve to think that in this day and age, you’ll be able to sell tickets to a play revival solely on the potential of the production to be a great show or on the potential for an unknown actress to give a breakthrough performance,” he said. “I would consider it financially irresponsible to approach a major revival without making a serious effort to get a star.” The show will, however, be making an effort to find a blind or deaf actress to play Breslin’s understudy — but they won’t make any promises.

The original Broadway production of “The Miracle Worker,” which focuses on Helen Keller’s relationship with Anne Sullivan, the teacher who taught her to communicate, debuted in 1959 with the actress Patty Duke as its star. Later, movie and TV versions of the play starred actresses Duke, Melissa Gilbert, and Mare Winningham in the role of Keller, none of whom were blind or deaf.

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Rhianon Guiterrez’s take:
Abigail Breslin’s casting as Helen Keller in an upcoming stage production of the acclaimed play “The Miracle Worker” makes me angry that they didn’t EVEN audition deaf and deafblind actors, and I find David Richenthal’s claims to be damaging on multiple levels. Back in the day, there were few roles and visibility for performers with disabilities–and by casting Abigail in this role, this trend will continue. I realize that there are plenty of performers who are deaf and deafblind out there, but they are mostly known in smaller, niche circles. I DO believe that one should cast the best actor for the part in any production large or small, and I am aware of “star power” of larger productions which equals more butts in the seats and therefore more money. Why not just have a star director or star supporting role INSTEAD of a star lead performer? I strongly believe that casting an unknown in a breakthrough role WILL bring in a lot of people–through word of mouth. In my opinion, it’s more powerful to cast an unknown performer with the actual disability because this performer could both deliver an amazing performance while also becoming a new spokesperson for the deaf, blind, and deafblind people.

Helen Keller is too often seen as the wild child who said “Wa wa” and defied all odds. She has been elevated to heroism because of her disability. Helen Keller was a human being like the rest of us–with a brilliant mind and limitations. Her work was more accomplished LONG after the years of “The Miracle Worker” in terms of what she did on behalf of marginalized populations, including people with disabilities and African Americans. She was an important force in the disability rights movement, but she is NOT the only one. NEITHER is Marlee Matlin. It’s time to hear from others in the movement because we are out there.

I know that actresses in the past who were not deaf nor blind played Helen to great acclaim, like Patty Duke. Perhaps Abigail will do the same because she is a fine actress, but I still think that people should strive to not only entertain, but to educate. This is the perfect play because it is so well-known. Why not do a different interpretation, or just finally CAST a person with an actual, documented disability? When it comes to deafness, the continued stereotypes that I see and hear everyday convince me that the public is still uneducated about deafness and deafblindness. One person cannot do everything. Helen could not do everything, and Marlee, Linda Bove, and Deanne Bray (all well-known deaf actors) cannot do everything. We need more voices. Last weekend, I attended the Hollywood Disabilities Forum put on by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and Actors Equity Association (AEA) as part of the I AM PWD campaign. Their role is to increase visibility of and to get more performers and artists with disabilities employed in the entertainment industry. They stressed the importance of us speaking up, being confident, and of showcasing our craft.

So now I say: my friends, you know who you are. I’ve heard you and I have seen you, and I want you to speak up. Not once, but again, and again, and again. You CANNOT wait on the world to change.