Realwheels Theatre Presents New Work By Playwright-in-Residence Kirsten Kirsch

Following a national call for submissions for a playwright who lives with disability to participate in a residency that was to begin in early 2020, Vancouver's Realwheels Theatre named Toronto-based artist Kirsten Kirsch as the recipient of their inaugural Playwright-in-Residence Award.

Throughout her residency, Kirsch has been working on her first original play, Gimpy: A New Musical, and is looking forward to sharing this work with the arts community as well as fans, friends, and family via a free (donations welcome) virtual reading of the script to be shared on Wednesday, November 25 at 7:00pm PT at www.realwheels.ca/shows. Following the reading, there will be a live Q&A where attendees are invited to ask questions of the playwright and the other artists.

Gimpy: A New Musical follows Soren, a young woman with a disability living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who dreams of becoming a Broadway musical star. Despite her talent, the theatre world isn't ready to risk casting a person with a disability. Meanwhile, her father, the fictional mayor of Tulsa, insists she follow a more practical career path. Soren meets a musician who recognizes her songwriting talent and she discovers a different route to her dreams of being a performing artist, helping out her beloved town along the way. The universal themes in this story will resonate through the perspective of a person with cerebral palsy carving their own path in life. In addition to writing her first play, Kirsten Kirsch also plays the lead character.

Due to COVID-19, development work on Gimpy: A New Musical was mostly done online. Kirsten worked closely with Realwheels Theatre's Artistic Director Rena Cohen and dramaturges Liesl Lafferty, Susinn McFarlan, and Lynna Goldhar Smith.

For more information visit www.realwheels.ca.

Vancouver Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. MARY POPPINS: THE BROADWAY MUSICAL (Theatre In The Country)

18% of votes

2. JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (Metro Theatre)

16.4% of votes

3. WEST SIDE STORY (CTORA Theatre)

15.2% of votes

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