Jeffrey Stevens, who has Charcol-Marie-Tooth disease, is seen here in Sigmund Romberg's "The New Moon" in Tulsa, Okla.

Yet some seek out even more drama. Not the everyday variety but the magical kind experienced by those who work in the world of theater and performance.

The people profiled in this article are all involved in some creative aspect of drama. Some, like the students at the National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped in New York, are in an environment that's warm and accepting to people of different abilities.

Outside such sheltered environments, prejudices against people with disabilities still exist, and even thrive. For all the beauty it evokes, the world of performance can be fiercely competitive and unfeeling, particularly to those who are starting out.

That's why having a thick skin and an unshakable belief in oneself are crucially important for any aspiring actor or playwright, perhaps especially so for one with a disability. Of course, talent and a dedication to one's craft are of paramount importance, too.

Several of these individuals found that if one path didn't quite work, there'd be another path leading in an unexpected direction. Tenacity is key.

Shakespeare told us all the world's a stage. That may only have been a metaphor, but, with any luck, time will prove that the world of performance and theater is vast and varied enough to embrace everyone, disabled and able-bodied alike.

Paul Kahn: Playwright

Playwright Paul Kahn, who has myotubular myopathy, draws on his knowledge of psychology and the visual arts when conceiving his dramatic work.

Paul Kahn, 53, has been affected since birth by myotubular myopathy, a slowly progressive neuromuscular disorder also called centronuclear myopathy. He uses a power wheelchair and a ventilator.

Kahn is a multifaceted individual. He's a free-lance writer who recently interviewed renowned scientist Stephen Hawking; author of books about children with disabilities; editor of several newsletters; painter; community organizer; and an experienced counselor who has used his skills to help MDA develop local support group programs in the Boston area.

He's also a playwright. His training in psychotherapy has helped him become aware of the psychological component of playwriting.

"I'm really interested in what makes people tick," says Kahn, who

lives in Auburndale, Mass. "Playwrit-ing engages that interest, and also engages my interest in language and in the visual arts." He emphasizes the importance of conceiving a play visually, and draws on his experience as a painter when deciding how action will be staged.

"I think that live theater is an exciting art form. I like movies and television and other media, but they don't have the same effect that live theater has, when things are just happening in the moment. It's very intimate and depends on the skill of the actor. They can be 3 feet away from you, but they're in a totally different imaginative world."

Years ago, Kahn collaborated on a play called "Twisted Figures," which was produced by a company called Underground Railway Theater in Boston.

"They specialize in theater work that is relevant to social issues," Kahn says. "They developed this piece about the role of mass media, and they brought me into it because they wanted to include something about disability and the way the media stereotype disability."

Kahn paid tribute to his family heritage in a work titled "Home," which incorporated traditional Yiddish stories from the Eastern European world from which his grandparents emigrated. Actors using American Sign Language were employed in the production to illustrate a parallel between the use of sign language and his grandparents' use of the "private language" of Yiddish.

Kahn collaborated with his wife, Ruth, on a video production called "Key Changes: A Portrait of Lisa Thorson." Thorson is a jazz singer who was determined to pursue her performing career after she became a wheelchair user due to a spinal cord injury.

Currently, Kahn is working on a dramatization of an autobiography written by a woman named Connie Panzarino, who has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). It's called "The Me in the Mirror" and is scheduled to be produced by Underground Railway Theater in March.

The actress selected to portray Panzarino, Lori Frankian, also has SMA. "She is very excited about doing this," says Kahn of the actress.

Actress Lori frankian will perform the leading role in Paul Kahn's dramatization of the life of a woman who, like Frankian, has spinal muscular atrophy.

"It's going to be extremely challenging for me," says Frankian, who has been meeting with Panzarino on a weekly basis to obtain a deeper understanding of the character she'll be playing. Frankian, like Panzarino, uses a power wheelchair, but the effects of Frankian's SMA have been far less severe. Part of the challenge of the role has been to represent the degree of disability accurately.

In addition to being an actress herself, Frankian works as a marketing counselor for other actors, advising them on "the business of the business." She believes that actors with disabilities aren't fairly represented in the industry, and is incensed when she hears of disabled character parts being given to able-bodied actors, a practice she says still goes on.

Frankian and others have already participated in a staged reading of Kahn's play. Kahn finds that he benefits greatly from hearing his work read.

"The play becomes alive, and the actors teach you because they ask you questions. 'Why is your character doing this?' And then you think, 'I guess I'd better know that.'"

Kahn believes that, as theater has been enriched by contributions from black playwrights and representatives of other minority cultures, so can it benefit from the unique life experiences and perspectives of people with disabilities.

"People with disabilities have certain compelling insights about time, mortality, the frailty of the body, what it means to be dependent or independent. There are various areas in which we can move a little closer to the truth. We have intense stories to tell."

Kahn suggests that those interested in playwriting seek out drama programs at universities. He learned dramatic writing from tutors that he hired and worked with individually.

He has little or no inclination to be an actor.

"I'm totally modest and shy. I don't have that desire. However, I do have the desire to direct, if the opportunity were to present itself. When you write, you have your own vision of how it should be done. I would like to try it."

Angela D'Arezzo: Actress in Training

Angela D'Arezzo, 39, is a free-lance model and aspiring actress who lives in New York. D'Arezzo, who has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy and uses a power wheelchair, studies acting at Manhattan's National Theatre Work-shop of the Handicapped.

Angela D'Arezzo who has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has gained confidence and poise from her training with the National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped.

"I've been taking classes there for a few years," she says. "At the end of the semester, we do performances, possibly a monologue or a scene. When I first started, my first performance was a monologue. I was petrified. But now I can go on stage and it seems normal. I'm nervous, but I'm not petrified."

Recently, D'Arezzo performed a scene in which she played a young diva vying against an older diva; both roles were played by actresses in wheelchairs.

D'Arezzo says she's shy, although others don't often perceive her to be. As a result of her acting training, D'Arezzo felt much more relaxed and assured when she had to give a speech as part of her work as ambassador for the International Center for the Disabled.

The National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped's founder, Brother Rick Curry, is a Jesuit who was born with one arm. He came to New York in the 1970s to pursue acting. The wholesale rejection he experienced inspired him to create a haven where people with disabilities could have their acting abilities nurtured, tested and refined.

"The focus is on professionalism, to give students the performing skills but also the communication skills to excel, if not ultimately in the performing arts, then at something else in their lives," says John Spalla, the program's dean and general manager.

"The disability is a given in the class, and we don't spend a lot of time talking about it. We're there to do the work," Spalla says. "You have to learn to project your voice, to read material, understand it, memorize it."

As in D'Arezzo's case, increased confidence and self-assurance are frequent byproducts of the training.

In the last few years, the Manhattan program has spawned a sister program in Maine. For more information, contact John Spalla at (212) 941-9511.

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