Dallas, TX

Dallas-based documentary pushes the boundaries of representation

Published

2 years ago

June 2, 2023

Dallas-based documentary pushes the boundaries of representation

According to Oxford Languages, representation is “the action of speaking or acting on behalf of someone or the state of being so represented.” The Dallas-based documentary Into the Spotlight is an honest film that challenges this definition as its subjects, adults with disabilities, speak and act on behalf of themselves. Their neurotypical parents, caregivers and friends do not speak or act on their behalf. In the film, the commitment to agency and authenticity sets this story apart from other documentaries addressing similar subject matter.

Into the Spotlight specifically reflects the work of the Spotlight Musical Theater program, one of the many programs offered by the Belong Disability Ministry of Highland Park United Methodist Church. Belong welcomes people of all abilities, ages and faiths to be a part of an adaptive, inclusive community and offers every program at no cost.

Belong Disability Ministry began in 1999, offering a respite program for children with disabilities and their siblings once a month. Kids who attend spend an evening at the church playing games and having fun while their parents or caregivers have an evening to themselves. In 2010, Spotlight Musical Theater had its first season. This past February, Spotlight completed its 12th production. The 11th production, In Our Hearts, is the musical featured in the documentary film.

Through Spotlight Musical Theater, a group of adults with disabilities from across the Dallas-Fort Worth area gather every Saturday for six months to create, rehearse and then perform a completely original musical. This unique model of creation and performance pushes the boundaries of representation as the actors do not fit themselves into the molds of preexisting characters or plot lines. They devise their own roles and story to share with the audience. Into the Spotlight captures the vulnerable thoughts and desires of individuals who so rarely get the spotlight. Alongside the actors, a professional artistic team and volunteers work to build the script, score, choreography, costumes, set pieces and props. This team effort fuels a process and production that seek to share the messages of acceptance, resilience and humanity.

With the opportunity to speak for themselves, the Spotlight actors normalize talent and skill in a community that is often viewed as unskilled or not talented. An actor’s drumming ability, singing voice or professionalism are not miracles. These are their abilities, the pieces of who they are. Into the Spotlight provides those of us who are neurotypical with an opportunity as well — the opportunity to abandon ableist tendencies.

Into the Spotlight premiered to a full house at the Texas Theatre during the 2023 Dallas International Film Festival and received a standing ovation from the more than 600 attendees. The film was awarded the DIFF Grand Jury Prize for best Texas feature as well as the DIFF Audience Award for best documentary feature, and audiences will get another chance to see the film in June when it will be screened as part of the “BEST of DIFF 2023″ award-winner screenings at Violet Crown Cinema in West Village on June 14. Additionally, the film will make its international premiere during the Ignite Film Festival in Marlborough, U.K., on June 21.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 7% of the total population of Dallas County is under the age of 65 and living with a disability. This is a group of almost 200,000 individuals whom many neurotypical people fail to consider or appreciate.

As the director of Belong Disability Ministry, I believe that Into the Spotlight has the power to impact the hearts and minds of its neurotypical viewers as well as empower its viewers with disabilities who may not have seen actors like themselves portrayed on screen. My hope is for audience members to witness the beauty of truth and light, however comfortable or uncomfortable, that persists when people with disabilities journey into the spotlight. Their success is not a miraculous inspiration, but a possible, appreciated and attainable accomplishment.

As a neurotypical woman, I have the privilege of advocating for the community of those with disabilities. I urge my fellow neurotypical readers to take the opportunity to listen to and learn from these talented actors who are embarking on the brave work of directly representing themselves honestly and openly.

Stephanie Newland is the director of Belong Disability Ministry at Highland Park United Methodist Church. She wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here.

Source link

Dallas, TX

Thunder sit SGA vs. Mavs due to sprained wrist

Published

4 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

Thunder sit SGA vs. Mavs due to sprained wrist

Tim MacMahon, ESPN Staff WriterJan 17, 2025, 08:15 PM ET
Close
- Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
- Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
- Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM

DALLAS — Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sat out Friday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks due to a sprained right wrist.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s scoring leader and an MVP front-runner, was a late addition to the injury report.

The Thunder opted to sit Gilgeous-Alexander after he had an abbreviated warmup routine.

Gilgeous-Alexander wore a wrap on the wrist after Thursday’s home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He said he felt some pain after falling during his 40-point performance.

“Was fine this morning and then came to the arena and was a little bit sore,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said before Gilgeous-Alexander tested the wrist during his warmup.

Gilgeous-Alexander played in all 40 games during Oklahoma City’s 34-6 start, averaging 31.6 points, 6.0 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks.

Source link

Dallas, TX

Dallas residents put city on notice after forcing it to waive governmental immunity

Published

12 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

Dallas residents put city on notice after forcing it to waive governmental immunity

The chair of the City Plan Commission is over his term limit, and Dallas has been put on notice.

Mike Northrup, an Old East Dallas resident and a lawyer, wrote to commissioners Thursday, citing rules in the city’s charter that set term limits for board members and commissioners.

“Your service to the City beyond your years of eligibility to do so is admirable,” Northup said in the email. “However, it is past time for you to step away from “the Horseshoe” and allow an eligible appointee to serve as a plan commissioner.”

“No one individual should be so important that his or her continued involvement puts the public’s business in jeopardy,” he said.

Northrup’s letter could have deeper implications after Dallas voters in November approved Proposition S, which waives governmental immunity and exposes the city to litigation if it violates state or local law.

Last month, Northup and a group of over 100 Dallas residents sent a letter to the City Council urging them to reappoint board and commission members who have overstayed their term, citing provisions in the city’s charter that set term limits.

“Every day that these individuals serve without authority to do so undermines the public confidence in the work product of the boards and commissions in question, and it puts that same work product at risk for invalidation,” the letter said.

It is not clear how many individuals have overstayed their terms. A city spokesperson said in December officials were in “receipt of the letter and will respond at the appropriate time.” City officials did not immediately respond to a follow-up call in May in January.

Typically, council members appoint volunteers to influential boards such as the City Plan Commission and the Park Board. The city’s charter states members who have served four consecutive two-year terms are not eligible to serve again on the same board until at least one term has elapsed.

Members serve until they are termed out or “until their successors are appointed and qualified,” the charter reads.

The December letter mentioned Shidid, who was first appointed in 2013 and has been the chair of the commission since 2019.

Shidid was appointed by council member Jaime Resendez, but the chair is picked by the mayor. Shidid did not respond to requests for comment after either the letter or the email were released.

Resendez, who appointed Shidid, told The Dallas Morning News “I will defer to the city attorneys for any legal conclusions or guidance moving forward regarding the letter.”

This year, the City Plan Commission grappled with several hot-button issues, such as Forward Dallas, the city’s updated land-use guide and the rezoning fight that has engulfed Pepper Square in North Dallas.

“What does it mean if the city’s business is led by someone that isn’t eligible to be there?” Northup said.

Northrup said he began drafting the letter following the passage of propositions S and U, which waive the city’s municipal immunity and mandate the city allocate 50% of any new revenue growth year-over-year to the police and fire pension system and other public safety initiatives.

The two propositions, Northrup said, represented “the mood of the public” and the letter supporters wanted to tell the city, “Here’s maybe a small thing to solve.”

Source link