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Playbill for A Fierce Kind of Love
(Cover images: two young women in a dance move looking toward each other with their arms
extended and reaching forward so their hands touch. Also, Institute on Disabilities at Temple
University logo)
A Fierce Kind of Love
A new play by Suli Holum
Directed by David Bradley
The Institute on Disabilities at Temple University
The Institute on Disabilities at Temple University is one of the sixty-seven University Centers for
Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service funded by the
Administration on Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Established in 1974, The Institute learns from and works with people with disabilities and their families
in diverse communities across Pennsylvania to create and share knowledge, change systems, and
promote self-determined lives so that disability is recognized as a natural part of the human
experience. We believe in a society where all people are valued and respected, and where all people
have the knowledge, opportunity and power to improve their lives and the lives of others.
www.temple.edu/disabilities
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is a multidisciplinary grantmaker and hub for knowledge sharing,
funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, and dedicated to fostering a vibrant cultural community in
Greater Philadelphia. The Center fulfills this mission by investing in ambitious, imaginative arts and
heritage projects that showcase the region’s cultural vitality and enhance public life, and by engaging
in an exchange of ideas concerning artistic and interpretive practice with a broad network of cultural
leaders. For more information, visit www.pcah.us.
The Institute on Disabilities at Temple University presents A Fierce Kind of Love:

A new play by Suli Holum

Directed by David Bradley

Sound Design Christopher Colucci

Choreography Nichole Canuso

Scenic Design Colin McIlvaine

Lighting Design Lily Fossner

Costume Design Rosemarie McKelvey

Stage Manager Chelsea Sanz

Producer Lisa Sonneborn

Guest Producer Ken Klaus
Major support for A Fierce Kind of Love is provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
The videotaping and other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
[logos: The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, The Institute on Disabilities at Temple University and
Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)]
A Note from the Producer
Tonight’s performance is the culmination of a journey that began at a diner on Frankford Avenue-—
The Trolley Car. Some of you have heard this story before. I was having breakfast with two friends —
mentors really—who have taught me what it means to parent a child with a disability. As I listened,
enthralled, to the stories of Dee Coccia and Maureen Devaney (mothers with about 80 years of
disability activism between them) I blurted out, “We need to get these stories in writing before you die!”
There, in that diner on Frankford Avenue, the Visionary Voices project was born.
The project has taken on a life I would have never expected—oral histories, archives, a photographic
essay, audio interviews of people with disabilities living and working in segregated settings, and now a
play—A Fierce Kind of Love. My esteemed colleague Sue Swenson lost her son Charlie several years
ago. In a Listserv devoted to the inclusion of people with disabilities Sue was describing the love of a
child with a disability. She described it succinctly—it’s a fierce kind of love. And the play was named.
The telling of stories is, in many ways, an act of faith. The teller invites the listener in and, by listening,
barriers are broken down. A Fierce Kind of Love tells stories you may not know—stories of fierce
advocates like Leona Fialkowski, Ginny Thornburgh and Roland Johnson among others. Stories of
parents and children; brothers and sisters; teachers and friends. For forty years, these stories have
belonged to the disability community; tonight they belong to us all.
Celia S. Feinstein, Co-Executive Director, Institute on Disabilities at Temple University
A Note from the Director
Here Now
We began making this play with two days we called “Listening Days.” Suli and I met parents and
siblings of people with disabilities and self-advocates and long-time professionals who worked in the
disability community. We were ready to ask lots of questions. But we only had to ask the first one.
Everyone was that ready to share. We just had to listen.
Last month, another part of this project opened at City Hall—an exhibit of photographs and stories of
people with intellectual disabilities who live in Selinsgrove Center or work at KenCrest Services. The
exhibit is called, simply, “Here.”
Listen. Here. Here, listen. Listen—here.
That’s a pretty good way to enter into the audience of A Fierce Kind of Love. No matter how you got to
this room, or where you came from, or whom you are with, or who or what you know in regards to this
play, we celebrate that you are here. Now.
No matter how you listen—with ears, or eyes, or whole body—and whether you know some of these
stories from before or are hearing them for the first time, we’re grateful for your listening.
We’ve thought of A Fierce Kind of Love as an “event” as much as a “play.” The event of this diverse
cast. The event of names like Eleanor Elkin or Leona Fiakowski taking center stage. The event of
personal stories—some triumphant, some painful—shared for the first time. The event of people who
speak with voices and people who speak with hands, people who move on legs and people who move
on wheels all making something.
In making this play, way more than any other play I’ve done, I’ve become conscious of the wildly
varied ways we live in the world. Each of us with our abilities. Each of us with the things we struggle
with. Each of us with a fierce capacity to shut people out or let people in. And how hard it is to
embrace the event of being here, together. That’s all part of this story.
This is a story about all of us. It’s happening right now. Thanks for listening. We’re glad you’re here.
David Bradley, Director
Cast
(in alphabetical order)

Shawn Aelong

Charlie DelMarcelle*

Lee Ann Etzold*

Michael McLendon

Lori McFarland

Erin McNulty

Marcia Saunders*

Cathy Simpson*

Brian Anthony Wilson*
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers
Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 50,000 actors and stage
managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theater as
an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a
wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is
affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our
mark of excellence.
www.actorsequity.org
(Actors’ Equity Logo)
About the Artists

Suli Holum, Playwright
Suli Holum is an award-winning director, performer, choreographer and playwright based in
Brooklyn, NY. She is Co-Artistic Director of Stein | Holum Projects (SHP) with playwright
Deborah Stein. SHP projects include: Drama Desk nominated solo show Chimera, developed
at HERE, premiered at Under The Radar and toured to The Gate, London; Movers and
Shakers, recipient of the Loewe Award from New Dramatists and developed at UCSD; The
Wholehearted commissioned by ArtsEmerson, developed at FringeArts and supported by the
New England Foundation of the Arts National Touring Project; and Man Camp, currently under
construction. Holum was a co-founder of Pig Iron Theatre Company, developing original work
between 1995 and 2006 including as a creator/performer in Shut Eye with legendary director
Joseph Chaikin, and playwright for Gentlemen Volunteers, awarded a ‘Spirit of the Fringe’
Award at Edinburgh Fringe and published in Pig Iron: 3 Plays (53rd Street Press). Her first solo
show, The Lollipop Projects, was developed through an Independence Foundation Individual
Artist Fellowship and a Shell Fellowship in Drama from the National Institute of Education,
Singapore. Her other recent work as a devising writer of new performance includes Wandering
Alice with Nichole Canuso Dance Company and Oedipus at FDR with Emmanuelle Delpech,
Fighting for Democracy at the National Constitution Center, and One Beach Road with
RedCape Theatre, UK. Her work has been supported by Workhaus Collective, The Playlabs
Festival at the Playwrights Center, NACL, Perry Mansfield New Works Festival and Actors
Theatre of Louisville, the Swarthmore Project, the Creativity Fund at New Dramatists,
ArtsEmerson, New Georges, Clubbed Thumb, and Playwrights’ Horizons. She teaches at Pace
University.

David Bradley, Director
David Bradley is a director, producer and teaching artist whose work includes making plays,
leading a range of boundary-crossing artistic collaborations and exploring civic and community
themes through the arts. A long-time company member at People’s Light, his more than 30
productions include Row After Row, Of Mice and Men, The Crucible, A View From the Bridge,
Young Lady From Rwanda, Doubt, The Giver and three holiday pantos. David is Founding
Director of LiveConnections, which creates innovative, collaborative music programs for adults
and youth out of partner venue World Cafe Live. He’s Artistic Director of Living News, in its
10th season of dramatizing Constitutional issues at the National Constitution Center, where he
also directed the exhibition/theater hybrid Fighting for Democracy, written by Suli Holum. He’s
a frequent collaborator with Philadelphia Young Playwrights, leading a range of multigenerational collaborations, including directing The Lost Hour at the Kimmel Center for the
2013 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. David is a participating artist with Outside
the Wire, which creates theater projects addressing public health and social issues, and has
led and facilitated projects for them at conferences and military bases across the country and
in the Middle East. He teaches at Arcadia University and has taught at University of the Arts.
David is a graduate of Yale University. He lives in West Mt. Airy with his wife Margaret and
sons Jacob and Noah. For Michele and her parents, with love and appreciation.

Lisa Sonneborn, Producer
For over twenty years, Lisa’s documentary film and video work has been used to promote
social action in the disability community. As producer of the Institute on Disabilities’ A Fierce
Kind of Love and Visionary Voices projects, Lisa works to preserve the history of
Pennsylvania’s Intellectual Disability Rights Movement through oral history interviews with the
Movement’s leaders, the preservation of archival documents significant to the Movement and
public performance. Lisa hopes you’ll enjoy this unique telling of a largely untold civil rights
story. She has fierce love for this gifted group of artists and for all those who shared their
stories. For my family and for my father—love you most.

Shawn Aleong, actor, is excited and humbled to be making his debut with A Fierce Kind of
Love. Shawn is a graduate of Davison High school, where he was the Valedictorian of his
class. While at school, he was very involved in the music program, playing the xylophone for
school concerts and performing with the school choir. Shawn currently attends Temple
University, where he is studying law. He is involved with many campus organizations including
Temple Student Government, Temple Black Law Association, and the NAACP where he
serves on the State Board as Juvenile Justice Chair. He also serves on the board of the ARC
of Philadelphia. He is passionate about advocating for the rights of people with disabilities.
Shawn would like to thank his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for this amazing opportunity, his
mother Janice, his step-father Ivy, his family and friends, his Sharon Baptist Church Family,
the Institute on Disabilities, and his Temple University family. Special thanks to Celia, Lisa,
David and Suli.

Charlie DelMarcelle, actor, has appeared at: The Walnut Street Theatre, Pig Iron Theatre
Company., Theater Horizon, Delaware Theatre Co., Inis Nua, The Lantern Theatre, Azuka
Theatre Collective, EgoPo Classic Theatre, Commonwealth Classic Theatre, Delaware
Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare in Clark Park, White Box Theatre, and Amaryllis.
He is so very pleased and incredibly honored to have been part of this process. Special thanks
to Lisa, Suli, David, John, Chris, Colin, Chelsea and this incredibly supportive cast and crew.
Lee Ann Etzold, actor, is a Philadelphia-based theatre artist who has worked in the UK, Spain,
France, Czech Republic, and regionally in the US. She is a founding member of OBIE awardwinning physical theatre company, New Paradise Laboratories, and has also created original
work independently, and with Pig Iron Theatre Company, Headlong Dance Theatre, Lucidity
Suitcase Intercontinental, Charlotte Ford, and Tony Award winner, Bill Irwin (Barrymore Award
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play). A Virginia Tech grad, she studied clown in Paris,
completed the Lincoln Center Theater’s, Director’s Lab, in New York, and is a member of the
Young Vic Directors Programme in London. She is a teaching artist and has also directed new
works for Philly Young Playwrights, 1812 Productions, Brat Productions, Brian Sanders’ JUNK,
and is creating neighborhood art in South Philadelphia. So thankful for her loving family, this
beautiful cast, and this fierce project.

Michael McLendon, actor, is excited to be making his debut with A Fierce Kind of Love.
Michael is a graduate of Furness High School and Temple University’s Academy for Adult
Learning. While attending the Academy, Michael took an acting class, which is when his
interest in performing began.
When not performing, Michael works as an office assistant for the Institute on Disabilities at
Temple University. He enjoys relaxing at home and watching NetFlix with his fiancé Charlene.
Michael would like to thank David Bradley and Suli Holum for helping him to become a great
actor. He would also like to thank choreographer Nichole Canuso and all the Fierce cast and
crew.

Lori McFarland, actor, is looking forward to making her debut in A Fierce Kind of Love. As a
self-advocate, Lori is excited to be part of a play that explores the diversity of the disability
community. Lori wears many different hats when advocating for herself and others. She serves
on the Futures Planning Committee of the Office of Developmental Programs and she is a
member of Self-Advocates United as 1. Lori’s advocacy takes her to Harrisburg frequently.
When not advocating or performing, Lori keeps busy with needlepoint, shopping and reading.
She also works at APS Day Program and belongs to the Handicap Crusaders club of
Levittown. Lori would like to thank her support group, friends, co-workers and especially her
family for helping her to find the courage to become an actor. She would also like to thank her
mother, who is her guardian angel, for bringing her into the world.

Erin McNulty, actor, is delighted to be making her debut with A Fierce Kind of Love. While
attending St. Katherine Day School/Archbishop Carroll HS, Erin performed in 12 plays,
including Beauty and the Beast, Aida, Seussical and West Side Story.
Erin is a 2013 graduate of Temple University’s Academy for Adult Learning where her interests
included public speaking, interpretive dance and an acting class. While enrolled at Temple,
Erin became involved with A Fierce Kind of Love as a cast member from its inception.
When not performing, Erin also works at Giant and TJ Maxx where she works as a customer
service associate and an inventory clerk. Erin enjoys Special Olympics, music, bowling,
spending time with her girlfriends, watching Project Runway and numerous other activities.
She would like to thank Lisa Sonneborn, David Bradley, LeeAnn Etzold and all the members of
the cast and crew, as well as her parents.

Marcia Saunders, actor, has been an active member of the acting company with The People’s
Light and Theater since 1976 appearing in over 85 productions. She most recently played Mrs.
Jennings in Sense and Sensibility. Over the past four years Marcia’s has immensely enjoyed
participating in the many workshops that have helped to shape and create this final production
of A Fierce Kind of Love. A big thank you goes out to Lisa, David, Suli, Christopher, Nicole and
the entire creative staff and cast connected with this production. It’s been one joyful theatrical
ride!!

Cathy Simpson, actor, is a company member of People’s Light and the “Freedom Rising”
Company at the National Constitution Center. Her work in some local theaters include InterAct,
Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philly Shakes, Hedgerow Theatre, Arden Theatre, Wilma
Theater, Flashpoint Theatre and Theatre Horizon. Regional theater credits include, Arena
Stage, The Kennedy Center, Studio Theatre, Source Theatre, Wooly Mammoth, Olney Theatre
Center, St. Louis Black Rep, St. Louis Rep., Indiana Rep.
She is a three-time Barrymore nominee and a winner for the Freedom Theatre production of
The Old Settler, and a Kevin Kline Award winner for St. Louis Black Rep’s production of A
Song for Coretta. She has also been nominated twice for the Helen Hayes Awards in
Washington D.C. and won the Best Performer Award in Toyama, Japan. Her film and
television credits include, local television commercials, PBS Educational Series, Indy films as
well as First Run Films. This show is for my mother who dedicated her life to the education of
those with intellectual challenges!

Brian Anthony Wilson, actor, is honored to have been a member of this diverse and wonderful
cast from the beginning! Recent Theater: Driving Miss Daisy (Act II Playhouse), All My Sons
(People’s Light), The Last Jimmy (Grand Performances, L.A.), Hand’s Up (Flashpoint), Rage of
Achilles (Commonwealth Classic) and A Midsummer’s Night Dream (Phila. Shakespeare Co.).
Film/TV credits include : CREED, The Benefactor, Crooked and Narrow, When The Moon Was
Twice As Big, Zombie Killers: E.G., Assumption of Risk, Limitless / Blue Bloods, Broad City,
Do No Harm, Law and Order: SVU, The Sopranos and The Wire. Many thanks to David, Suli
and Lisa for this amazing opportunity. For my Family.

Kenneth S. Klaus, Guest Producer
Ken Klaus is a passionate supporter of Temple’s Institute on Disabilities Visionary Voices
initiative and is excited to be a sponsor of A Fierce Kind Of Love.
No stranger to intellectual disabilities, he grew up watching, learning and living with the
significant challenges of his extended family members. After decades of strife under extremely
harsh conditions, including an interminable stay at Ebensburg State School and Hospital, his
first-cousin with Down syndrome is now living happily and comfortably in a suburban
Philadelphia group home. She is safe and comfortable there and enjoys time with her sister,
who continues in the tireless role as her lead advocate.
As a lifetime resident of the Philadelphia area, Ken remains deeply committed to social justice.
He is a past member of the Board of S.C.A.N, Inc. (Supportive Child-Adult Network, or Stop
Child Abuse Now) and is now retired after a career in project management in the field of
Information Technology. He also serves as a volunteer for Surrey Senior Services of Devon,
PA.

Christopher Colucci, Music, Sound Design
Christopher’s recent projects include Metamorphoses (Arden); Disgraced (PTC); Peter and the
Starcatcher (Walnut); Smoke (Theater Exile). Christopher has received seven Barrymore
Awards for Outstanding Original Music and Sound Design as well as an Independence
Foundation Fellowship in the Arts in 2012. For more sounds please visit
http://soundcloud.com/cmsound and http://www.youtube.com/user/cmsound

Nichole Canuso, Choreographer
Nichole is the artistic director of Nichole Canuso Dance, which she founded in 2004. She has
performed and collaborated with Headlong, Pig Iron Theater Company, Theater Exile, Early
Morning Opera, Bill Irwin. Support for Canuso’s choreography includes grants from The
National Endowment for the Arts and The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and choreographic
residencies at Maggie Allesse National Center for Choreography (MANCC), Millay Colony for
the Arts (NY), BiLateral Exchange (Budapest, Hungary). She is currently on faculty at
Headlong Performance Institute (HPI) and Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training
(APT). She has big love for everyone working on this project.

Colin McIlvaine, Scenic Designer
Colin’s most recent design credits include: Smoke (Theatre Exile), Lights Rise on Grace
(Azuka Theatre), According to Goldman (Act 2 Playhouse), Three Christs of Manhattan
(Interact Theatre). Colin’s recent assistant and associate design credits include: Futurity (Soho
Rep/Ars Nova), Dr. Dog: Swamp is On (Pig Iron/Dr. Dog), Sunset 0639 (BalletX). In addition to
his freelance career, Colin is an adjunct lecturer at The University of the Arts. B.A. University of
Maryland; MFA Scenic Design Temple University.
www.colinmcilvaine.com

Lily Fossner, Lighting Designer
Lily’s theatre credits Include: People’s Light, Act II, TACT, Culture Project/Public Theatre,
Prospect Theater Company, NYU/Grad Acting, Chautauqua Theater Company, Berkshire
Theatre Festival, and Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Her dance credits Include: Doug
Varone and Dancers, Monica Bill Barnes and Company, and Wideman/Davis Dance. Opera
credits Include: Juilliard Opera Theatre, Glimmerglass Festival / Training: MFA, NYU/Tisch.
See Lily’s work at lilyfossner.com

Rosemarie McKelvey, Costume Designer
Rosemarie is a Philadelphia based costume designer. Locally she designs for Arden Theatre,
People’s Light and Theatre, Wilma Theatre, New Paradise Labs, 1812 Productions, Curtis
Institute of Music, and Villanova University. Rosemarie is a nine time Barrymore Award
Nominee and was awarded in 2007 and 2009. Rosemarie attended the 2011 Prague
Quadrennial Festival with The Philadelphia Theatre Initiative and was granted a fellowship
through the Independence Foundation to travel to London and investigate what new advances
in technology and science are being used in art and design. Rosemarie is an adjunct professor
at Moore College of Art and Design. rosemariemckelvey.com

Chelsea Sanz, Stage Manager
Chelsea is ecstatic to be a part of this production. Chelsea’s recent stage management credits
include: G4 Productions (Menopause the Musical and Motherhood the Musical), Theatre
Horizon (Lobby Hero, In The Blood, Holiday Show, Complete Works Abridged), The Lantern
Theater Company (Arcadia), White Pines Productions (Luckiest Kid/The Music You
Remember), Act II Playhouse/Society Hill Playhouse (ASM for RESPECT: The Musical
Journey of Women and On Golden Pond). Up Next: Fully Committed with Theatre Horizon.
Chelsea is a proud member of Actors’ Equity. Love to Mia.

Betsy Pierce, Assistant Stage Manager
Betsy is thrilled to be working on this production. Past shows include: Lantern Theatre Co:
Oscar Wilde: From the Depths (Board Op), Taming of the Shrew (Board Op), Arcadia (Run
Crew). People’s Light: My Mother Has 4 Noses (ASM), Dear Elizabeth (ASM), Pride and
Prejudice (ASM), Cinderella: A Musical Panto (ASM), Noises Off (ASM).

John Flak, Production Manager
John Flak is excited to be working on such an inspirational production and to being a part of
this amazing company. John has been a theater professional for over 26 years in Chicago,
Vermont, New York and Philadelphia. John is also a photographer and he loves to cook. Much
love and thanks to my family—Jenny, Rainey and Harper.

Seth Thomas Schmitt-Hall, Technical Director
Seth Thomas is the Technical Director at Abington Friends School, where he can corrupt
young minds with a career in the Arts. Seth is a freelance Technical Director, working in the
past with Spoleto Festival USA, Opera Philadelphia, The Bearded Ladies, and Pig Iron Theatre
Co.. He has also designed around the Philadelphia area including Lantern Theater, Villanova
University, Delaware County Community College, and the kids series at the Walnut Street
Theater. Education: Temple (BA) and Villanova (MA). Love to Sara.

Chris Sannio, Audio Engineer
Chris is a Philadelphia based sound designer, composer, and engineer. Proud to be working
with this group of artists, Chris also heads up the audio department at FringeArts and is the
audio engineer for Jazz it Up Philly. Recent engineering credits include Daniel Wohl’s
Holographic, Adam Rudolph’s Go Organic Guitar Orchestra, and ALT/MODE by Anonymous
Bodies featuring Chuck Treece and Ryat. Favorite design credits include Audi Feastival 2015
(FringeArts), Revolution and a Sandwich (Shakedown Project), Listen to Me (Bryn Mawr
College), and The Bald Soprano (Curio Theatre Company).

Hands UP Productions
Hands Up is thrilled to be partnering with the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University to
provide American Sign Language (ASL) accessibility for this creative, innovative and inclusive
production. As Hands UP Productions, Donna Ellis and Brian Morrison have enjoyed providing
ASL interpreted accessibility to many local theaters, Broadway tours, concert venues, museum
exhibits and many more cultural events throughout the Philadelphia region. They are looking
forward to beginning their 10th anniversary season this fall. Congratulations to the entire team
of A Fierce Kind of Love!

Brandice Mazick, ASL/English Interpreter
Brandice is a nationally certified ASL/English Interpreter who has been working in the
Philadelphia area for 17 years. She been interpreting specifically in the theater off and on for
the past 10 years. In her previous life, Brandice was a social worker and direct care staff
person for adults with intellectual disabilities and working on AFKOL has been a wonderful
moment of synergy between those two worlds. She is honored and humbled to have been a
part of this production and has enjoyed every moment of its evolution.

Kerry Patterson, ASL/English Interpreter
Kerry is ecstatic to be joining AFKOL for her first theater experience! She has been working in
the Deaf community for the past five years, and is a soon-to-be graduate of the Interpreter
Training Program at Community College of Philadelphia. This opportunity would not be
possible without the guidance and support from Brandi and Heather- you guys are AMAZING!
Most important, thank you to the incredible AFKOL cast and crew for an experience I will never
forget.

Heather Schmerman, ASL/English Interpreter
Heather Schmerman is a Chicago native and currently resides in Philadelphia. She has been a
professional American Sign Language Instructor and Coach for over seven years. She has
consulted with theater interpreters on more than 15 plays and musicals. Heather has been
performing in plays since 1988 and received theatre training at the Center on the Deafness in
Chicago, as well as acted in the CenterLight Family Theatre, the Apple Tree Theatre, the
Bailiwick Chicago Theatre, and the Youth Scholar Program at Gallaudet University. She has
enjoyed ASL consulting with the People’s Light & Theatre Company and the Broadway
Theater in Philadelphia for the performances of Cinderella, Porgy Bess, South Pacific, Annie,
Once, Sound of Music and many more. Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication
and is a certified American Sign Language Teacher’s Association member. Heather has also
taught workshops on non-verbal and visual communication in the medical field and other
professional environments. She is also fluent in Australian Sign Language and has provided
many Australian leadership workshops. A Fierce Kind of Love is Heather’s first collaboration
with the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University and she is thrilled to be part of the team!

Corrin Zimmerman, ASL/English Interning Interpreter
Corri Zimmerman is an interning interpreter who studied at the Community College of
Philadelphia. She is overjoyed to be working with Hands Up Productions for the very first time
for this production. The opportunity to combine her love of theater with her passion for
interpreting has been one that she will continue to cherish for years to come. Corri has
learned so much in her life from her sister, Erin, who has autism and OCD; her strength and
resilience has long been an inspiration. Working on AFKOL has been an amazing experience
which gave an incredible sense of community. It has been a honor to be a part of the show!

Liz Green, Community Engagement Consultant
Liz Green designs audience engagement and community performance programs with her
company Arts Approach. She is the director for the documentary theater company OnStage
Seniors at McCarter Theatre and a frequent Audience Experience Manager for Team
Sunshine Performance Corporation. Past partners include JJ Tiziou Photography’s How Philly
Moves, FringeArts’ presentation of Rimini Protokoll’s 100% Philadelphia, Shakespeare in Clark
Park’s Henry IV: Your Prince and Mine, and The Mendelssohn Club’s Turbine. She studied
performance and civic dialogue with Sojourn Theatre, documentary theater with Ping Chong
and Company, and is earning a Master in Social Work Degree at Temple University.

Roger Ideshi, Arts and Accessibility Advisor
Roger I. Ideishi, JD, OT/L, FAOTA is Program Director and Associate Professor of Temple
University’s Program in Occupational Therapy. He advises various cultural arts organizations
on building meaningful experiences for individuals with cognitive and developmental
disabilities. The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and the Smithsonian Institution
(Washington, DC), Imagination Stage (Bethesda, MD), Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh
Symphony Orchestra, and Andy Warhol Museum (Pittsburgh, PA), New Jersey Center for
Aquatic Science (Camden, NJ), People’s Light Theatre (Malvern, PA), Walnut Street Theatre
(Philadelphia, PA) are a few of the community organizations where he advises on arts and
accessibility.

Nick Jonczak, Box Office Manager
Nick is a freelance creative producer and production manager of artistic projects and events
ranging in scale and timeline. A 2015 graduate of the Pig Iron School for Advanced
Performance Training, Nick also performs and produces work with Almanac Dance Circus
Theatre (www.thealmanac.us). He serves as the production manager for the non-profit
Invisible River (www.invisibleriver.org), which hosts an annual all-day community event
culminating in a live aerialist dance performance on the Schuylkill River with more than 1,000
participants and spectators in attendance. Recently he founded Seven Engines
(www.sevenengines.com), which provides administrative and production support for
independent artists and events.

Michaela Moore, Box Office Assistant Manager
Michaela Moore is a Theatre Devisor/Producer/Performer who has premiered shows locally,
nationally and internationally. She is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the
Arts, has a graduate certificate in devised theatre from The Pig Iron School for Advanced
Performing Training and is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in devised theatre from The
University of the Arts. She is the founder of both All About Theatre Performing Arts School and
Camp Create, a comprehensive arts camp for children with intellectual, emotional and physical
disabilities. She teaches acting and theater devising to adult students with intellectual
disabilities and they teach her everything else. She is thrilled to be a part of A Fierce Kind of
Love.

Production Team
o Ben Levan, Master Electrician
o Joe Daniels, Carpenter
o Rajiv Shah, Carpenter
o Lucas Nguyen, Electrician
o Kelly Orenshaw, Electrician
o Erick Alfisi, Electrician
About our Partners

JJ Tiziou, Photographer
Jacques-Jean “JJ” Tiziou is a photographer specializing in portraiture and movement
documentation; he has never encountered an un-photogenic person in his life. He has been
recognized as one of Philadelphia’s “Creative Connectors” by Leadership Philadelphia, and is
the recipient of the Spiral-Q Artist Activist Award. His images are used both in corporate and
editorial contexts as well as arts and activism, and he also photographs weddings and hosts
house concerts. His 85,000 sq ft How Philly Moves mural at PHL International Airport was
recognized as one of the nation’s best public art projects by Americans for the Arts in their
2012 Public Art Network Year in Review. You can find more of his work online at
www.jjtiziou.net, www.HowPhillyMoves.org and there’s a message that he’d like to share with
you at www.EveryoneIsPhotogenic.com.
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Nicki Pombier Berger, Oral Historian
Nicki Pombier Berger is an oral historian working at the intersection of intellectual disability and
social change. Nicki is a graduate of the Oral History Master of Arts program at Columbia
University (2013), where she was a Graduate Fellow in the Future of Disability Studies Group
at the Center for the Study of Social Difference. The centerpiece of her Masters Thesis,
Nothing About Us Without Us, is an online collection of multimedia stories from self-advocates
with Down syndrome. She has presented alongside self-advocates about oral history and
intellectual disability to a variety of audiences, including individuals with Down syndrome and
their family members, oral historians, academics and advocates. Nicki lives in Brooklyn, NY,
with her two sons, Jackson, and Jonah, who has Down syndrome.
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Art-Reach
Art-Reach connects traditionally under-served audiences with cultural experiences so they
may enjoy and benefit from the transformative power of the arts. Art-Reach operates on the
belief that the robust culture of our region should be available to everyone, and proudly
partners with those cultural venues, human-service agencies, and individuals who agree. For
27 years, Art-Reach programs have empowered human service organizations to enrich the
lives of their constituents while continuing to deliver high quality service to their community.
Through those partnerships, people with physical and developmental disabilities, low-income
individuals, at-risk youth and the elderly in need, are all able to deeply engage with the arts
with the same confidence and convenience as their fully-abled counterparts. Art-Reach
collaborates with over 175 arts institutions and teaching artists, and serve the constituents of
over 170 human-service agencies in greater Philadelphia. Annually, Art-Reach serves over
17,000 individuals in our region.
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First Person Arts
First Person Arts’ mission is to transform the drama of real life into memoir and documentary
art to foster appreciation for our unique and shared experiences. First Person Arts (FPA) uses
personal stories as a catalyst for dialogue, healing, and community building. We work with
individuals from diverse neighborhoods and backgrounds, the region’s premier institutions and
artists from multiple disciplines to build a more tolerant, inclusive community through
storytelling. Our combined live and online audience is 133,000. Personal stories generated at
live events are disseminated to a broad regional and national audience through our weekly
First Person Arts Podcast, curated by an award-winning executive producer; and 255 raw,
unedited stories uploaded to our You Tube channel. The 12th Annual First Person Arts
Festival was nominated for “Best Philadelphia Event” in 2014.
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Animating Democracy
Pam Korza and Barbara Schaffer Bacon co-direct Animating Democracy, a program of
Americans for the Arts that inspires, informs, promotes, and connects arts and culture as
potent contributors to community, civic, and social change.
Pam Korza has consulted and offered workshops and presentations on the principles and
practices of arts and civic engagement for artists, cultural organizations, funders, and at crosssector gatherings across the country as well as at colleges and universities. Pam serves as a
National Advisory Board member for Imagining America, a consortium of colleges and
universities that supports public scholarship and practice to strengthen the public role and
democratic purposes of the humanities, arts, and design through mutually beneficial campuscommunity partnerships.
Barbara Schaffer Bacon, in addition to co-directing Animating Democracy, provides leadership
for Local Arts Advancement at Americans for the Arts. She has worked as a consultant in
program design and evaluation for state and local arts agencies and private foundations
nationally. Barbara served as a trainer/advisor in engagement and dialogue facilitation for
Pennsylvania Quest for Freedom Live and Learn Weekends designed to connect hospitality,
history, and the humanities to create unique travel experiences at Pennsylvania’s Underground
Railroad and the Civil War historic sites. She is president of the Arts Extension Institute, Inc.
and serves on the board of WomanArts, and is a member of the Massachusetts Cultural
Council.
A Brief History of Institutional Care in Pennsylvania
In the mid nineteenth century, the creation of specialized institutions to care for, educate and train
people with intellectual disabilities became the dominant nationwide political response to intellectual
disability. In the face of overcrowding and underfunding, however, this mission was quickly
abandoned. Institutions in Pennsylvania and across the country became large-scale custodial
warehouses. Two of Pennsylvania’s flagship institutions, Polk and Pennhurst, were designed to house
800 ‘patients’. Each grew to house more than three thousand residents at their peak. The
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania would eventually run 14 institutions for people with intellectual
disabilities, 5 of which continue to operate and are now referred to as State Centers.
From 1950 to 1980, Pennsylvania received national attention for both its institutional scandals and its
efforts at reform. To address problems of institutional abuse and overcrowding, in the 1950’s and early
60’s parents focused on institutional expansion and reform while also encouraging the growth of
community services as an alternative to institutional care. At this time, institutions and community
services were seen complimentary service systems, offering parents a range of options for their
children. By the late 1960’s, parents grew increasingly frustrated by the lack of institutional reform and
lack of support for community services. Many adopted a position of “No New Institutional
Construction”. This position encouraged deinstitutionalization and the provision of services in the
community, but allowed institutional placement for those who desired or “needed” it.
In the late 1970’s, parents and others became more adamant about deinstitutionalization, and they
fought successfully to close the Pennhurst State School and Hospital. Closures at Western,
Ebensburg, and Embreeville Centers followed. This litigation did not, though, close all Pennsylvania
institutions. Deinstitutionalization of those who wanted to be served in the community, the prevention
of “unnecessary” institutionalization, and the provision of community services were still prioritized,
rather than closure. In the 1980’s, the growing Self-Advocacy Movement demanded the right to
community inclusion and the end of segregated services. Many self-advocates and parents argued
that any place that denies choice and segregate based on disability should be closed, including large
group homes, day programs and sheltered workshops. As some parents sharpened their position to
focus the abolition of segregated services, though, other parents still saw a role for specialized and
segregated care, and they felt increasingly marginalized.
The successes of deinstitutionalization and community inclusion have been tremendous, but we also
see issues such as social isolation, lack of adequate supports, unemployment, and inadequate
medical care. While some parents press for continued expansion of community supports, other
parents continue to create and fight for specialized and segregated services. Rather than comfortable
alliances across families, parents are to some degree fragmented by different visions of rights, care,
and what it means to be included. Families and self-advocates continue to play complex roles in in this
evolving conversation.
–From Walking the Line between the Past and Future: Parents’ Resistance and Commitment to
Institutionalization, Allison C Carey and Lucy Gu
Significant Events in Pennsylvania’s Intellectual Disability Rights Movement
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1968 Suffer the Little Children
Pennhurst expose by NBC10 reporter Bill Baldini. Money allocated to improve Pennhurst.
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1973 Use of cages discovered at Polk Center
Superintendent dismissed, later reinstated to another institution.
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1971 Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children (PARC) et al. v Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania et al. Lawsuit demands access to education for all handicapped children.
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1972 PARC Consent Decree
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania states that education should be provided for all children
regardless of any physical or mental handicap.
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1977 Halderman v. Pennhurst State School and Hospital, 446 F. Supp. 1295 (E.D. Pa., 1977)
Asserts that the mentally retarded have a constitutional right to living quarters and education.
U.S. District Judge Raymond J. Broderick rules that the institution was guilty of violating
patient’s constitutional rights.
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1987 Pennhurst State School forced to close. Closures at Western Center, Embreeville follow.
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Early 1980’s Not in My Backyard
Communities protest group homes for people with intellectual disabilities. Many have political
support.
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1982 Speaking for Ourselves (SFO), Pennsylvania.
Self-advocacy organization for people with disabilities emerges as a distinct voice.
-1994 Roland Johnson, beloved leader of SFO dies at age 48.
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1983 Voice of the Retarded (VOR)
Parent group supports the expansion of quality community-based service options; opposes the
elimination of specialized facility-based (institutional) options.
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1991 Everyday Lives
Fundamental concept: with the support of family and friends, individuals with disabilities decide
how to live their lives and what supports they need. It also means that they are responsible for
their decisions and actions. Shapes statewide policy Pennsylvania for twenty plus years.

1999 Olmstead v L.C., 527 U.S. 581. United States Supreme Court case regarding
discrimination against people with mental disabilities. The Supreme Court held that under the
Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals with mental disabilities have the right to live in the
community rather than in institutions if, in the words of the opinion of the Court, “the State’s
treatment professionals have determined that community placement is appropriate, the
transfer from institutional care to a less restrictive setting is not opposed by the affected
individual, and the placement can be reasonably accommodated, taking into account the
resources available to the State and the needs of others with mental disabilities.” [1] The case
was brought by the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc. on behalf of two women with mental
disabilities.

1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The ADA is a wide-ranging civil rights law that is intended to protect against discrimination
based on disability.

2007 Sibling Leadership Network founded
Indicative of new interest in experiences of siblings. Mission: provide siblings of individuals
with disabilities the information, support, and tools to advocate with their brothers and sisters
and to promote the issues important to them and their entire families.

2012 Benjamin v Department of Public Welfare, Commonwealth of PA
Class action lawsuit alleges defendants have failed to offer community services to people with
intellectual disabilities who live in state centers. Claim this is a violation of the integration
mandates of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. Appellants are also
residents of state centers whose parents and guardians oppose community placement.

Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign
Over 500,000 online pledges to stop using the word “retarded”. Campaign led by a sibling.
Current Issues faced by People with Intellectual and Other Disabilities

Waiting Lists – 13,886 Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities are currently waiting for
community based services. 5,602 are in the critical needs category and 4,723 are in the
emergency needs category. The PA Waiting List Campaign has spent 17 years advocating for
the elimination of waiting lists; campaign is run by Vision For Equality. Read more at
www.pawaitinglistcampaign.org/

Pennsylvania is home to more than 142,000 people with intellectual disabilities.

951 Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities live in state centers.

2,057 Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities live in private intermediate care facilities.

7,577 Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities (ages 21-65) work in sheltered workshops.

8,626 Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities (ages 21-65) are served by Licensed Day
Services at Adult Training Facilities.

5,054 Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities are employed in the community.

33.5% Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities live below the poverty line.

Average national hourly wage earned by people with disabilities working in sheltered
workshops is $1.36.

Average monthly take home pay for a worker in a sheltered workshop is $175.

Unemployment rate for people with disabilities (ages 16-24) in the U.S. is approximately 77%.

450,000 people with disabilities working in sheltered workshops or taking part in segregated
day programs nationwide.

41,000 Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities live with aging caregivers.
Learn more about Pennsylvania’s Intellectual Disability Rights Movement at
disabilities.temple.edu/voices
Thank you
Special thanks to

and our Melissa Ann Barr

Allison Carey, PhD

Kevin Casey
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Christ Church
Neighborhood House
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Jen Cleary

Ginger DiLello

Sandie Dorsey

Anna Drozdowski

Suzanne Erb

Kelly George, PhD

Jennifer Goldberg

Amy Goldman

Abigail Guay

Susan Fullam

Sally Gould Taylor, PhD

Adora Hatten

Jenna Lastres

Amy Letson

Julie Long

Frank and Michele McNulty

Charlie Miller

Allison Richman

Debbie Robinson

Mary Beth Semerod

Margery Sly

Susie Suh

Kathy Sykes

Megan Thibodeaux

Janice Wertz

Ann Marie White

Temple University Graduate Occupational Therapy Students Fierce Volunteers!
Deep appreciation to those who shared their stories with us:

Pamela Abbott and Laurie Scoggins

Bill Baldini

Dee Coccia

Graynle Edwards, PhD

Eleanor Elkin

The Fialkowski Family

Nancy Greenstein

Bill Krebs

Carolyn Morgan
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Nancy Schwartz

Ginny Thornburgh

Karl Williams
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And many other families, siblings and self-advocates
(Christ Church Neighborhood House logo)
Neighborhood House is an arts incubator that supports artists and audiences by providing a platform for
the creation and presentation of new work. We are a program of Christ Church Preservation Trust, a
secular nonprofit that ensures the preservation of and strengthens the multiple communities that use
historic Christ Church properties as a place for community building, personal growth, education, and
artistic expression. For more information and upcoming events: www.neighborhood-house.com
afiercekindoflove.org
Join us for more A Fierce Kind of Love programming:
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Stories in Play – April 9
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Sib Slam with First Person Arts – April 13
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Here. Stories from Selinsgrove Center and KenCrest Services on view at City Hall,
Philadelphia through May 6
You can’t do this life alone.