December 7th, the Region of Waterloo was the home to the first ever {dis}ABILITY Unleashed show. The show took place at the prestigious Centre In The Square – Studio Theatre and though we didn’t fill the seats to capacity, we made a good start!

The idea for this show didn’t even exist prior to the end of June when I learned that July was Disability Pride Month! I was so excited to learn about July and immediately started googling and search for events in my Region and found NOTHING…zip…zilch…nada! I was so disappointed! I wanted a chance to speak, to volunteer, to meet other people with disabilities and yet, there was nothing for me. I decided then and there, I was going to change that, I didn’t know how, but I knew things couldn’t remain the same.

After doing some research, I learned that the US started Disability Pride Month in 1990, but that Canada only brought it into law in 2023! So, I guess it’s not THAT surprising that people hadn’t yet picked up the ball and run with it, but who was going to start?? I decided then and there, it would be me. I knew I had a LOT to learn. I knew nothing about applying for grants, bursaries, etc. and I also had little event creation experience. I spoke with Ben Gorodetsky at Pinch Arts and ask him about applying, costs, budgets, etc. Little did I know that those conversations and his belief in me, who lead him to speak with @Lisa O’Connell with Pat The Dog Theatre Creation #patthedogpdc who contacted me in September and ask me if I wanted to run my show idea in December. After I picked my jaw up off the ground and squeaked out a “yyyYYEss?!?!”, {dis}ABILITY Unleashed was born!

In just under 3 months I found and auditioned musicians, poets, comics, authors, and artists, all the while participating in 4 choirs, several concerts, swam 1 km for the CIBC Run for the Cure and raised $3297 dollars for Cancer research. All of these things impacted my fragile health, and I lost several weeks to backlash and exhaustion.

I had to learn how to communicate with co-producers, the venue, and performers. It was interesting as each stakeholder had very different and distinct needs.

I also had the pleasure of being featured in Cambridge Today, Mike Farwell‘s Radio Show/Podcast, on CBC Morning Show – with Craig Norris, on What’s Buzzin with Chris & Cam on RogersTV, and Your Region This Week on RogersTV. This kind of media attention was hard to attract but with determination and persistence, I was really pleased with how many opportunities there were. It again showed me that disability is an important topic in our community.

My show also attracted the notice of City and Regional Councillors in Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener, and Waterloo, so much so, there is already talk about holding more shows in 2025!

Special thanks also to @Kimberly Sproul of Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region for your assistance in trying to help us acquire an ASL interpreter and be an energy giver in the final week when I needed it most!

The show wasn’t a complete sell out, but enough people came for it to be enjoyable, interactive, and a sense of community. I was so thankful for Ken Roche RMT, Emily Akerman, Siyobin Blanco, Connor Wilde and Alex Keefe from Something Wilde and the {dis}ABILITY Singers which consisted of CJ Janzen, Matt Hunter-Tribe, and Spencer Yates, who made this show amazing and all gave stellar performances! Our authors Richard H. Stephens and Lauren Dawn Davidson sold a number of books and Emily Ackerman also successfully sold many of her amazing artworks.

Here’s some photos and videos from the show: https://photos.app.goo.gl/koqoozc2rVW6pC2ZA

December 7th, 2024, marked the first of what I hope to be many shows in the future. If you are or know of someone who is disabled and would like to perform in a show, and artist, author, craftsperson, etc. please have them reach out to me at cj@cjjanzen.com as I have a feeling I’m going to need a LOT more folks this year ❤

Thanks once again to everyone who participated in this event, who cheered me on, who believed in my and my dream and turned it into a reality! I don’t know where this will take me in the future, but I can envision so much more. A festival, a conference, school interactions/shows, and so much more!

If you or your company would like to help sponsor a show, please reach out! I’m willing to travel, to work with your communities, and to elevate, celebrate, and create new opportunities for persons with disabilities ❤

🌊🌊Oceans of Love🌊🌊

CJ Janzen | The Singing Speaker

Creator and Producer of {dis}ABILITY Unleashed