Feature: TUBU FEST: DISABILITY SHORT FRINGE THEATRE FESTIVAL at Ground Floor Theatre

For its third year, TUBU FEST returns to Ground Floor Theatre with a simple but transformative idea at its heart: theatre is richer when everyone has a place in it. TUBU (Theatre for Us By Us) is a disability-led festival centering short plays written by playwrights with disabilities and bringing those works to life through collaborations with Central Texas actors, directors, designers, and technicians. Across three evenings, audiences will encounter twelve plays spanning wildly different subjects, styles, and perspectives because disability theatre, like theatre itself, is not one kind of story. I recently had the opportunity to reach out to Liz Ross, the Executive Director, about TUBU FEST’s beginnings, the continuing work of creating genuinely accessible theatre, and the remarkable community that has grown around it.

BWW: TUBU stands for “Theatre for Us By Us.” What need did you see in the theatre community that led you to co-found the festival, and what did you hope TUBU could provide that wasn’t already there?

Liz Ross: TUBU FEST is a festival co-founded by people with disabilities for people with disabilities to show the theatre community what is possible. What it is like for playwrights with various types of disabilities to have their works on the stage produced by a disability theatre festival where disabilities aren't camouflaged. We wanted to create a space where disability theatre could thrive, grow and educate. Most theatres are not fully accessible spaces in so many ways, and there needs to be open dialogue about how to do this so the community feels welcome without feeling like a costly hindrance. Where accessibility is automatically integrated and people with disabilities are thought of as the experts of their experience instead of the afterthought.

BWW: TUBU centers plays written by people with disabilities, but those plays don’t necessarily have to be about disability. Why is that distinction important to the festival’s mission?

Liz Ross: Great question. It is important to showcase the breadth of topics that people with disabilities discuss and the other communities we are a part of. It is important to remind people that having a disability or being a part of a minority community doesn't mean that you are required to be an advocate, educator and authority for all disabilities or your own 24/7. It is important for people to be reminded that we are nerds that want to write about sci-fi, have relationships, complex family dynamics to navigate and so much more that may or may not have anything to do with our disabilities. At its core, it's about finding a space for community to be yourself and showcase your work.

BWW:  This year’s festival features twelve short plays presented across three evenings. What drew you to this particular collection of works, and what excites you most about the range of voices and stories audiences will encounter?

Liz Ross: We have a Play Review Team that reads all of the submitted plays, meets and discusses them in depth to select which plays will be featured in the festival each year. We were very happy with the variety of topics covered this year, ranging from climate change and Medieval times to heartfelt dramas and a meet-cute, among so much more. There is something for absolutely everyone. The beauty of a festival is that each play is so distinctly different from the next, offering a broad variety one right after the other. They all touch on important issues and are very fascinating. I'm incredibly proud to showcase the playwrights' work with the local artists and designers.

BWW: Accessibility is built into TUBU for both artists and audiences, from rehearsal and backstage accommodations to accessible performances and materials. What have three years of producing the festival taught you about what genuinely accessible theatre requires?

Liz Ross: Three years has taught me that there is always more to learn and improve. To be receptive to feedback from the community about how we can improve so that everyone can succeed. Genuine accessible theatre requires education, time, funding and resources. The greatest way to succeed is to lean into hard conversations, address pain points, and ask questions like, "Is this an unaddressed accommodation?" because accommodations aren't static; they evolve and people often are figuring them out, especially in the theatrical process. It is important to check in with people to get updates if things have changed and create a situation where everyone can feel successful. Accommodations and accessibility are not open for judgment. Since the world is not constructed for people with disabilities, people find community with our festival and a lot of feelings can be shared here, which is beautiful. It's important to hold space for one another and respect boundaries.

Lastly, documentation, communication and resources are everyone's friend. The community will always want more available accessibility, and you will almost always feel like you don't have enough because if documentation or resources don't exist of exactly what you are looking for or need, you are creating and routinely revising them. You will not always get it all perfect 100% of the time, but making an effort and being receptive/asking questions makes all of the difference.

BWW: TUBU brings playwrights from around the world together with Central Texas actors, directors, designers, and technicians at Ground Floor Theatre. What happens artistically when all of those people and perspectives come together?

Liz Ross: Oh, it's incredibly beautiful. I'm overwhelmed by the artistry, love and support from everyone for this festival. So many local theatres, festivals and other organizations come together to support what we are doing. Several directors and playwrights partner to take the play to Frontera Fest, a local festival that comes up in January and February. I am often brought to tears by the beauty and gratitude of it all. It is a special thing for the artists to get into the theatre, see all of the design elements come together, have it click, see photos and go, "WOW! Look what we've done!" Then when the show happens there's so much excitement and it's explosive. Several people have been involved since the beginning because they have such a passion for what we do and refer people back to us. People bond and learn that their dreams can really come true. They can be directors, actors, stage managers, etc., and that accessible theatre is possible.

BWW: As you enter TUBU FEST’s third year, what are you most proud of so far, where would you like the festival to go next, and what do you hope audiences carry with them when they leave this year’s festival?

Liz Ross: I would love for us to be able to create training for other theatres where we can share our experiences, create a "Theatre in a Box" so TUBU could be in other cities, and provide more training, resources, and infrastructure for our artists.

I hope the audience remembers the festival and comes back every night and every year after! I want everyone in the audience to be moved and educated about something. I am a huge believer that theatre is great when it impacts your heart and your mind, however you experience theatre. If it changed you in some way, got you to grow a little, I know we made a difference, that our festival changed the world. I genuinely believe that's what we are here to do.

BWW: Is there anything else you'd like BroadwayWorld readers to know about TUBU or TUBU FEST that I've not thought to ask about?

We deeply believe in accessible theatre, including accessible tickets, meaning our "Pay What You Can" Tier, which is our all-encompassing discount option. We would rather have you attend the festival every single night at the price that you can afford, no questions asked, no explanation needed, no guilt. We just need to ensure you have a ticket. If you want to come to see our show, get a ticket. There is a price available for you to attend every single night. We want you here.

My thanks to Liz Ross for sharing not only the story of TUBU Fest, but the vision that continues to shape it. TUBU is twelve short plays across three evenings, but it is also a joyful, ambitious demonstration of what theatre can become when accessibility is woven into the process from the beginning and artists with disabilities are trusted as the experts of their own experiences and the creators of their own stories.

And those stories are waiting at Ground Floor Theatre: funny, thoughtful, surprising, challenging, heartfelt, and wonderfully varied. Come for one evening, or better yet, come back for all three. Support these playwrights. Celebrate these artists. Experience the work. And take TUBU at its word when it offers perhaps the simplest and most important invitation a theatre can make: “We want you here.”

3RD ANNUAL TUBU FEST

Devised by TUBU Artists

Theater Company: TUBU, hosted at Ground Floor Theatre

Venue: 979 Springdale Rd #122, Austin, TX 78702

September 24-26: 7:00 p.m.

Running Time: 2 hours

Tickets: Pay What You Can