Stone Belt to share human experience

Individuals with disabilities will take the stage this weekend to share their stories at the Bloomington Playwrights Project. The show, called “I Am You,” is a series of monologues written and performed by people with different handicaps.

The project is a collaborative effort between Stone Belt, an agency that helps individuals with disabilities, the Bloomington Playwrights Project, Theatre of the People and Trinity Episcopal Church.

The show, now in its second year, was started in 2008 by alumna Michelle Davenport. Amy Jackson, community engagement director of Stone Belt, said it began “very organically” with Davenport’s individual efforts and vision that grew into the monologue show it is today.

“They are monologues that share stories of their lives, and they really cover the whole gamut of the human experience,” Jackson said. “From friendship and love and family to loss and issues of independence and work and identity. Really, a very wonderful variety of the human experience is covered.”

Davenport said “I Am You” benefits not only the individual performers, but the community as well.

“The program was started to give voice to individuals with disabilities and to also grow in self-esteem and self-confidence,” Davenport said. “But the second part of my mission was for advocacy and awareness in the community because there are people who do not understand individuals with disabilities.”

Since its sold-out performances last year, the “I Am You” series has grown to include more performers from other Indiana counties. Directors from Theatre of the People and some IU students have helped the performers for the last six months to prepare for the weekend.

Junior Jamie Patton, one of the directors for the show, said she wants to pursue a career working with people with disabilities.

“Working with people with disabilities is really not that much different from working with anybody else. You just have to go about it in a different way,” Patton said. “You have to be creative and think of different ways that will help them get what they want to say out. Because they have amazing things to say.”

Davenport said she is excited to see how the show has evolved in the last year and said audiences should be aware the goal has always been to create understanding and a sense of community.

“We’re not trying to create sympathy,” Davenport said. “The event is for empathy. It’s to create understanding and awareness.”