Terry Galloway & Actual Lives Austin

For Terry Galloway, it was inevitable that she would work with Art Spark Texas. At the intersection of directing, acting, and disability, it was a perfect synchronicity.

As a visiting professor at the University of Texas at Austin, deaf, queer, performer, writer and director, Terry Galloway devised the Actual Lives workshops with Chris Strickling and Celia Hughes, and co-founded Actual Lives Austin.

Turning Everyday Moments Into Theater

Actual Lives Austin worked with people of all ages with disabilities, to write and then develop this richly human material for the stage. Beginning with first writing about quotidian moments in life, these moments were blended and crafted together to tell everyday stories.

From these sometimes deeply personal, sometimes hilarious, sometimes difficult stories and experiences, these performers gave audiences a glimpse into the performers' realities of living with a disability.

A New Way of Seeing the Work

When asked if Art Spark Texas changed how Terry sees herself as an artist, she quipped that, during an online Q&A session with Art Spark to talk about her performance with Actual Lives and as a solo performer, she realized Art Spark was an example of something Celia had been doing for years - changing people's lives through the practice of art.

The work is more than just the Actual Lives workshops and performances - it created a network of artists and audience members whose lives were enriched through this simple gift of theater-making; all of them sharing information, experiences, stories, and expertise with each other.

Connections That Last

It was also during this online conversation that Terry was reminded of the lasting connections that had formed and been enriched through this theatre community of writers and performers, telling their stories. She describes those connections as "electric and homey."

A Lasting Legacy

For Terry, Art Spark Texas is an organization that understands, supports, and nurtures a network of people with disabilities who find meaning and joy in using their imagination and skill to create work that inspires intense emotions, deeper connections, and belonging in a greater empathetic community.