Anne Gridley on 'Watch Me Walk': Disability, Performance, and Family Legacy

The Genesis of 'Watch Me Walk'

• 🎭 Anne Gridley, a seasoned performer, discusses the unexpected journey of creating a one-person show about her experience with hereditary spastic paraplegia.
• 💡 The show, titled "Watch Me Walk," delves into her midlife diagnosis and the realization that her mother and grandmother also had the condition.
• 🎯 The production is described as both funny and a gut punch, incorporating elements of dancing and singing.

Directing and Collaboration

• 🤝 Director Eric Ting shares his background in puppetry and his philosophy that directing is fundamentally about collaboration.
• 🌟 Ting and Gridley met through Gridley's wife, and Ting had long admired Gridley's captivating stage presence from her work with Nature Theater of Oklahoma.
• 🤔 Gridley initially had reservations about one-person shows, admitting a fear of performing solo, which led to the inclusion of two other performers, Alex Gibson and Keith Johnson, making it a "one-personish" show.

Exploring Time and Mobility

• 🚶‍♀️ The show begins with a five-minute segment of Gridley walking across the stage to allow the audience to acclimate to her unique way of moving and to confront potential discomfort or curiosity.
• ⏳ This extended walking sequence is designed to shift the audience's relationship with time, encouraging them to sit with and accept Gridley's mobility at its own pace.
• 🩹 While Gridley acknowledges the physical challenges and occasional falls, she emphasizes the ease of recovery in a theatrical setting compared to daily life.

Inherited Legacies and Personal Journeys

• 🧬 The play explores the concept of inheritance beyond physical conditions, including worldviews and legacies, particularly through the inclusion of audio recordings of Gridley's mother.
• ✍️ Gridley initially had only the title and a few doctor's notes when she began writing, with the audio recordings of her mother becoming a crucial element that deepened the family connection in the piece.
• 🧩 The inclusion of the audio recordings revealed a stronger connection to the women in her family than she had initially anticipated during the writing process.

The Role of Co-Performers and Thematic Depth

• 🌟 Alex Gibson and Keith Johnson were cast for their spirit of care and sensitivity to Gridley's needs, ensuring the show's elasticity to adapt to her physical condition daily.
• 🎶 Gibson's audition included setting the history of disability to music, leading to a song that was incorporated into the show.
• 🤸‍♂️ Johnson's unique skill of baton twirling, adapted to use a walking stick, added a visually striking and personally meaningful element to his performance.
• 💖 The show is seen as a process of reconciliation—with a diagnosis, with family history, and with oneself, bridging dark moments with light ones.