‘I Am You’ takes the stage at BPP

Even though Stone Belt client Shirley Freeman cannot speak, she doesn’t feel held back.

“Often people treat me as though I have a mental disability because I am non-verbal, and they automatically believe I have a low IQ,” said Freeman, one of the playwrights of the play “I Am You,” using gestures and expressions interpreted by IU senior Michelle Davenport. “This does not limit me, and I believe this is a disability of our society. I have the intelligence to accomplish whatever tasks I set my mind to.”

Stone Belt clients will bring songs, letters and biographical stories to life while performing “I Am You” at the Bloomington Playwrights Project.

Stone Belt is a not-for-profit organization that provides services to people with developmental disabilities in southern Indiana.

The organization partnered with BPP to present the monologues written and performed by individuals with disabilities. The play will take place at 7 p.m. Monday at BPP, featuring monologues written during the past year by nine of Stone Belt’s clients under Davenport’s supervision.

Breshaun Joyner, education director of BPP, said she feels the stories told on Monday will be compelling.

“These are voices that are not often heard,” she said. “Or when they are heard, they are not often understood or dismissed.”

Davenport, who has been interested in helping people with disabilities since high school, approached Stone Belt with the idea to do this play.

“I’ve never been more excited about anything in my whole life,” Davenport said. “It’s really a way for individuals to speak out in the community and tell us who they are.”

About 20 clients from Stone Belt are involved with the production, with some of them working offstage. In addition to the monologue performance, Stone Belt client Mark Summitt will play piano for opening music while other clients serve as ushers to help seat attendees. The Stone Belt cooking class is catering the post-show reception. The night will also feature a display of mosaics created by clients.

While some clients have never performed onstage before, client Steven Rock said he’s not nervous at all about the performance, in part because he did a Christmas play for Stone Belt last year. He said his prior onstage performance has helped him prepare, and he is excited to perform on Monday.

Stone Belt client and performer Sandy Gaskins said she’s a little nervous about the upcoming play but hopes the community will like it. She has been working on her monologue for more than a year, and it is expected to be one of the longer performances, ranging from 10 to 15 minutes in length.

Davenport said she hopes the play will raise awareness of people with disabilities in the community and showcase that they can accomplish anything.

“We hope it will make people think, and that it can cause something bigger,” she said. “Individuals with disabilities can go anywhere and live fully and not be segregated.”

Joyner said she is excited to be partnered with the Stone Belt organization. Joyner said one of BPP’s goals is to form artistic partnerships with groups such as Stone Belt that are not related to the arts and help give them an outlet.

“We want to celebrate and promote and present plays and new voices,” she said.

Davenport said she is excited about the project in part because she thinks it will be an eye-opener for community members who attend.

“All people are the same, and we want to show this to our community,” she said. “We want the focus on the play not to be about disabilities, but their abilities. It’s not about their disabilities, but it’s about the things they are doing in the community and the things they love. None of the monologues are for sympathy or for people to pity them.”

She said she also thinks the play will be evocative.

“We hope it’s an event that will touch people’s lives and help the clients in a powerful way. and people will feel empowered,” she said.