In March, Jenna Bainbridge will be the first wheelchair user to play the role of Nessarose in “Wicked” on Broadway. Her announcement comes months after Marisa Bode, who also uses a wheelchair in real life, portrayed Nessa in the blockbuster film.
“We need to hear disabled stories,” Bainbridge said. “We need to see them on our stages.”
Bainbridge is used to making history — last spring she was the first wheelchair user to originate a role on Broadway in “Suffs the Musical.” And yet she wasn’t always sure she’d get a chance to pursue acting as an adult.
“I probably won’t go into it because it’s hard to get cast if you’re handicapped,” she said in an interview at age 15.
According to a 2019 Actors Equity Association study, only about 1% of jobs are given to people with disabilities. Bainbridge believes casting should represent the American population.
“20% of the population has a disability,” she said. “Some of those are visible, and some of those are invisible. But we’ve always been here. Let’s include those stories on stage.”
Bainbridge is working to bring more visibility to actors like herself through her consulting agency, Consultability. Since launching in 2022, the agency has helped improve accessibility in dozens of theater spaces across the country and has hosted workshops to bring a more inclusive culture to theater companies.
Follow Bainbridge’s journey to “Wicked” in the video above.
