Saint Michael’s College senior explores experience with Cerebral Palsy through original play

Promotional poster for “A Taste of Freedom,” an original play by Sadie Chamberlain ’25.

An original play by a Saint Michael’s College senior and an accompanying panel discussion will shed light on the lived experiences of people with disabilities.  

“A Taste of Freedom,” by Sadie Chamberlain ’25, is a theatrical exploration based on her life as a person with Cerebral Palsy. The play will run from Nov. 6 to Nov. 9 in the McCarthy Arts Center Theatre, beginning at 7 p.m. each night.

To accompany the play, on Monday, Oct. 28, a panel discussion titled “Freedom & Disability: Stories from SMC” will be held by the Department of Fine Arts: Theatre, the Institute for Equity & Justice, the Equity Studies Program, the Student Disability Advocacy Alliance (SDAA), the First Year Seminar Program, and the Office of Accessibility Services. The panel will be comprised of students, faculty, and alumni who will speak about their experiences of living with a disability. The discussion will begin at 4 p.m. in the Roy Room, and it is free and open to the public.  

Although the panel will address many aspects of being disabled, Chamberlain’s play will be a topic during the discussion.  

Imagining a Celtic landscape 

The root of the idea for the play goes back to when Chamberlain was younger. Growing up, when Chamberlain would play, she would imagine herself singing, and whoever heard her singing would not be able to see her disability.  

“A lot of times disabled people are expected to be very forward and upfront about their disabilities, which is a great privilege, but it can be frustrating at times to have to say that because we are also expected to be positive all the time,” Chamberlain said. 

Sadie Chamberlain ’25 gives a poster presentation on the play “Woman This and Woman That” at Saint Michael’s College in 2023. Chamberlain was one of the play’s performers. (Photo by Steve Mease)

Fast forward to 2021, and Chamberlain used a similar technique during a theater intensive. After an exhausting day, Chamberlain laid down and pictured herself in a Celtic landscape, sitting at a river, and there was a young man who did not see her disability.  

Similarly, the setting of the play is the human imagination, but it is set in Celtic myth. The story follows a maiden who is physically challenged and is coping with the physical and mental toll of that. The maiden has created another side to herself, the siren, who is not disabled, and uses the siren to escape. Throughout the play, the siren talks about what it is like to have a disability, through metaphors, which is enhanced by the mythical setting.   

“A lot of what the play explores is the mental toll of what happens when you are constantly upfront about having a disability, and what does that do to a person,” Chamberlain said. “It’s not all bad, it explores the full spectrum of emotions surrounding what it’s like to be a disabled person.”  

Developing the play 

Chamberlain used the ritual that formed her inspiration for the play during her transition to college. In the spring of 2022, one of the leaders from the theater intensive suggested she write it down, so she did. When she came back to school after the summer, she had a draft of a play. Theatre Professor Peter Harrigan asked if he could read it, and then he gave Chamberlain notes and edits. The two worked together, and the play is now on its third draft.  

“Sadie made many changes during the two-year incubation process that got us here, and we have made many more tiny adjustments to the script since we started rehearsal,” Harrigan said. “I appreciate the flexibility she has shown as we clarify and strengthen her vision.”  

Peter Harrigan

Harrigan, who is directing the play, explained it is not uncommon for students to write their own plays, but it is rare that they are selected to be produced as a major department production.  

“It is great fun to explore the world of a play through research and then try to create an engaging experience for the production team and audience,” Harrigan said. “This play is original and has never been produced before, which makes the process all the more intriguing.” 

While she has always enjoyed writing, this is Chamberlain’s first time writing a play.  

“It is just so wild because you never expect your first crack at anything to be any good,” Chamberlain said.  

Art is interpretative, Chamberlain said, so the audience can take away what they wish, but there are a few things she hopes the audience takes away from the performance, including that “being disabled is not a lesser way of being, and sort of contrary to that, it is okay to love your identity as a disabled person and still want to experience a different way of living.”  

“What I really hope the audience takes away from the play is the joy in a disabled existence,” Chamberlain said. “It’s not a hokey joy, it’s a rich deep appreciation for all that being disabled is. It’s not just one emotion, it’s many things. What an honor it is to feel every emotion. I hope that people see that joy and see that self-reflection, they see a whole rounded human being.”