A young Scottish actress with Down’s Syndrome shines in a play about love and diversity coming to East Kilbride Arts Centre next week.
Abigail Brydon, 28, plays the leading role in Downs With Love by Edinburgh-based Cutting Edge Theatre - a moving play which challenges perceptions about disability and relationships.
Fife-born actress Abigail plays Beth, a happy, confident young woman who quickly takes a shine to Mark (Calum Barbour) a singer in the local pub. But Mark is already falling for Tracy (Rachel Still), Beth’s support worker.
Now Beth loves Mark loves Tracy, and everything is getting complicated. But surely everyone has the right to fall in love?
Writer and director, Suzanne Lofthus, said: “I want to challenge perceptions about disability. Can we accept a couple, one of whom has a disability and one does not, and if not, why does that make us uncomfortable?”
Touring during Down’s Syndrome Awareness Month , the play comes at a time when issues around disability and relationships are being aired on prime time TV in the new drama series Ralph and Katie on BBC1.
The show stars Leon Harrop and Sarah Gordy, both professional actors with Down’s Syndrome, as a young couple beginning their life together.
Suzanne worked with Abigail on Downs With Love to incorporate some of her life experiences, from the discrimination she faced at an amateur drama group to her love of Coronation Street and the musical Phantom of the Opera .
Abigail said: “Parts of the show are based on my experience. It’s important to show people what it’s like for someone with a disability because the same things might happen to other people.”
Abigail studied acting and performance at Fife College, and met Suzanne after joining the INSPIRE programme, created by Cutting Edge Theatre to offer drama training to young disabled adults.
Suzanne added: “Things are better than they used to be but there’s still a long wayto go. We need to see more positive representation of learning disabled people on our stages and screens - but we can’t just talk about it, we have to do it.“
Abigail and Alexandra are out there doing just that, telling a real life story, challenging the audience about their perceptions and also showing the world what they can do.”
Downs With Love includes integrated BSL interpretation in every performance with actor and BSL interpreter Rachel Amey joining the cast to play Julie, Beth’s confidant.
Downs With Love will be performed at East Kilbride Arts Centre on Saturday, October 29 at 7.30pm. Tickets are on sale from the venue on 01355 261000 or via the SLLC box office.
Audio files to help visually impaired audience members are available on the Cutting Edge Theatre website.
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