Victoria Ann Lewis Explained

Victoria Ann Lewis
Nationality:American
Known For:Disability theatre
Notable Works:Knots Landing

Victoria Ann Lewis is an American theatre artist, actress, and scholar. Ann Lewis played Peggy on Knots Landing. She is the editor of Beyond Victims and Villains: Contemporary Plays by Disabled Playwrights.

Early life

Ann Lewis had polio as a child, leaving her right leg weaker. As a result, she walks with a limp and uses a leg brace.[1]

When Ann Lewis was 14, her parents enrolled her in drama school. She attended Columbia University where she pursued an MA in English literature. Ann Lewis has a Ph.D. in theatre from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Career

Ann Lewis is the founder and director of Mark Taper Forum's Other Voices Project.[2] The Other Voices Project teaches theatre to disabled people and educates the public about disability.[3]

In 1983, Ann Lewis produced, developed and performed in Tell Them I'm a Mermaid, a televised musical theatre performance exploring the lives of seven disabled women.[4] She later developed and performed in Who Parks in Those Spaces?, another televised special centring around disability.[5]

From 1984 to 1993, Ann Lewis played Peggy, the secretary, on Knots Landing. In 1993, she played Edna Miles in Light Sensitive at the Old Globe Theatre.

Ann Lewis edited Beyond Victims and Villains: Contemporary Plays by Disabled Playwrights, which was published by Theatre Communications Group in 2006.[6] [7] In 2010, her chapter "Disability and Access: A Manifesto for Actor Training" was published as part of The Politics of American Actor Training.[8] She is currently an Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of Redlands.[9]

Plays

Notes and References

  1. News: Churnin. Nancy. 1993-02-21. Theater : Seeing the 'Light' : Victoria Ann-Lewis wins acclaim in a breakthrough Old Globe role that she landed because of--and in spite of--her disability. LA Times. 2021-04-24.
  2. News: Conway. Ann. 1998-06-22. Night Proves Very Special for Disabled. LA Times. 2021-04-24.
  3. News: Arkatov. Janice. 1989-04-07. Taper Workshop Develops 'Other Voices'. LA Times. 2021-04-24.
  4. News: Oppenheim. Irene. 1985-12-01. Disabled Actors Reach Out on TV. H32. New York Times. 2021-04-24. . ProQuest.
  5. News: Smith. Steven. 1986-01-16. Acting Out Solutions for Disabled Youth. LA Times. 2021-04-24.
  6. Fox. Ann. Beyond Victims and Villains: Contemporary Plays by Disabled Playwrights (Review) . December 2007. Theatre Journal. Baltimore. 59. 4. 696–97. 10.1353/tj.2008.0010. 194072679. . ProQuest.
  7. Peithman. Stephen. December 2006. The Outsiders. Stage Directions. 19. 12. 62.
  8. Harrick. Steven. September 2010. The Politics of American Actor Training: Review. Theatre Topics. 20. 2. 193. 10.1353/tt.2010.0102. 143899629.
  9. Lewis. Victoria Ann. 2004-06-15. The Theatrical Landscape of Disability. Disability Studies Quarterly. en-US. 24. 3. 10.18061/dsq.v24i3.511. 2159-8371. free.
  10. Sandahl. Carrie. April 2001. 7 plays about physical difference. American Theatre. 18. 4. 22–27. . ProQuest.