Our Mission

Always Greener aims to validate experiences of disability and develop better understanding in those without by:

  • Advocating for the talent and professionalism of people with disabilities onstage.

  • Busting myths spread by stereotyped representation.

  • Placing people with disabilities back in the driver's seats of their own stories.

  • Reframing public understanding of disability as socially-constructed.

  • Expanding thinking about disability relationships, work, and sexuality.

Media

Excerpts from the development process of Always Greener. Featuring performances by Garnet Williams, Joel Rodriguez, and Delaney Feener.

“We are a purposefully intergenerational team with diversity of gender, sexuality, and ability. This shouldn’t be a new approach, but to our knowledge - it is.
”
— Tekki Lomnicki, Artistic Director of Tellin’ Tales Theatre

Our journey (so far!)

  • The majority of the artistic team meets during a collaboration with Lyric Opera’s Chicago Voices Project in 2016.

  • Summer 2016: Telling' Tales Theatre and the majority of the artistic team meet during a collaboration with Lyric Opera's Chicago Voices.

  • Winter 2017: The artistic team is inspired to create a full-length musical to showcase the disability experience. 

  • Winter 2017: Tellin' Tales partners with our team to make the musical a reality! 

  • Fall 2017: We host content-gathering workshops where members of the disability community join us for story-staring, discussion, and artistic brainstorming.

  • Summer 2018: Noa/h Fields joins the artistic team as composer and lyricist. 

  • Fall 2018: Always Greener holds its first reading of the musical at Strawdog Theater.

  • Winter 2019: After more rewrites, we workshop the musical with actors and our director.

  • Spring 2019: We hold our first professional auditions for our sneak-peak preview performance of Always Greener.

  • Spring 2019: During the first week of May, we premiere an abbreviated version of the piece for industry professionals and Tellin’ Tales supporters.

  • Summer 2020: We complete a draft of a workshop production script.

  • Fall 2020: With our summer workshop canceled due to COVID, we begin plans to release portions of the musical in an audio format.

  • Stay tuned for future updates!

Thank you to our supporters!

Ken Brinkman Beth Ann Bryant-Richards Liz Cruger Paris DePaepe Stephen Donart Suzi Herrmann Carol Jungman Debra Kerr Rachel Kraft Suzanne & Stephen Machtt Mega MacNichols-Mahon Matthew Nelson Edward Oppenheimer Rosemany Postula Carrie Sandahl Barbara Schectman Robin Simon Rosemary Stuebi Eileen Tell Cheryl Turek Carl Ulaszek Ward Wilson Robin Wold Nancy Woodruff

And many others!