VSA celebrates artists with disabilities. The VSA special event united VIPs in politics and theater (Laura Bush, Ben Vereen, Ronan Tynan) with 125 professional performers and visual artists worldwide. The 3-hour show was held for one night at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, in 2004.

 

An international cast of disabled artists in a concert hall on a single night makes for a highly complex project. I worked with the talent, incorporating each person's unique disability accommodations into my designed costumes. I crewed up to accommodate 125 fittings and alterations on a single rehearsal day before the show. I designed sets of wheeled scrim shapes that would reconfigure throughout the show. Each act looked unique through different shape configurations and lighting effects such as color, changes, shadows, projections, and surprises. In the photo below, you can see the roll-down paper scrolls used for live painting on stage!

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As co-writer, I suggested we write the script with an overall story including "act-pockets" throughout. The resulting report was called The Magic Crayon. The magic crayon grew larger and larger, demonstrating the power of the arts to create change and help people move past their perceived limitations. The costumes we designed in layers to begin in black and white, adding pops of color whenever characters used the crayon. And as they did, the crayon prop lit up, the scenery shifted to a new look, and the next featured act took the stage.