Allida Kelliher | Staff Writer | akelliher2@mail.smcvt.edu
St. Michael’s College theatre department is putting on an original play by Sadie Chamberlain, ’25, titled, A Taste of Freedom. Chamberlain, a person with cerebral palsy, uses her life experience to create a story aimed to inspire all.
“A Taste of Freedom uses the power of the human imagination to explore the internal complexities of life as a disabled person,” Chamberlain said.
Cassie Vanderhoof, ’25, Keria Comtois, ’26 and Jayden Choquette ’10 will star alongside Chamberlain in the play.
Lighting designer John Devlin, sound designer Jojo Carter, ’26, and stage manager Kailey Palmer have also been working on the play.
Along with stage manager Amanda Lyons and Professor Peter Harrigan, director of the St. Michael’s College theater department.
Chamberlain said the two lead roles of the play resemble herself with two separate voices, the male lead helps create an effective banter between the three.
The dialogue came naturally to Chamberlain when writing the play, she said.
“The setting is what I believe makes the characters unique, because it is imaginary,” said Chamberlain. “It allows the characters to be silly and metaphorical. Through them, you get to see the complexity of living as a disabled person in a nonconventional way, and that is something not a lot of art surrounding disability talks about.”
Chamberlain collaborated with Harrigan to revise her script. She got confirmation that the play was going to be performed in March of 2024.
“A good scary” is how Chamberlain describes the transition from writing the play, to acting in it. It has been a unique experience for Chamberlain, seeing her idea come to life.
Through the writing process, Chamberlain wanted to make sure the play was relatable to everyone, not just people with a disability.
Her personal experience was a guiding tool while writing the play. Chamberlain wanted the language, humor, and overall message to shine through.
“There is no shame in exploring your frustration, as long as you do it in a way that helps you come out stronger than you were,” Chamberlain said. “I think for a lot of disabled people, it is very taboo to be publically frustrated, and so if you can live in balance with pride about who you are and have a full acknowledgement of your difficulty, that’s a really important thing and will reach everybody. Everybody has a challenge in life.”
The stage directors took inspiration from Chamberlain’s script when designing the set.
The latest update on the stage is that the walls have just been put up, which is a big step in helping the play come together.
The play will be held in Mccarthy Arts Center from November 6 to 9, at 7 p.m.