For Jenna Bainbridge, performing in the ensemble of Shauna Taub’s historical musical “Suffs” as an ambulatory wheelchair user came with a few unexpected hurdles — the costumes.
Some of the wardrobe challenges were understandable, like making sure that the gloves she wore onstage were reminiscent of the style that a woman marching in the Woman Suffrage Parade in 1913 would wear — and also leather so Bainbridge could maintain a strong grip on her wheels. Or, putting her in form-fitting skirts with less fabric so that nothing rubs against her wheels.
Making these accommodations for Bainbridge was easy with the help of the costuming team — but as they searched for examples of how wheelchair users dressed, they instead uncovered the erasure of disabled people from that time period.
“Suffs” tells the story of the Women’s Suffrage Movement from 1913 until the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, giving women the right to vote.
Bainbridge’s presence onstage as a member of the ensemble does something history books cannot — it puts disabled people in the fight.
“I know that disabled women marched as part of the 1913 march on Washington. I know it in my heart, but we don’t have evidence”, Bainbridge said. “We don’t have proof, because we’re missing from that history. We were not in the photographs.”
So, for the actress and singer, becoming the second wheelchair user to perform in a Broadway musical has a more powerful meaning than it would if she were in any other show.
While performing, Bainbridge is telling others with disabilities, “Just because you don’t see yourself in history doesn’t mean you weren’t there.”
One of her roles in “Suffs” is playing former Tennessee Congressman Harry T. Burn, who cast the deciding vote in favor of ratifying the 19th Amendment of the Constitution.
Historically, Burn changed his vote in favor of women’s suffrage after receiving a note from his mother Phoebe Burn imploring him to vote “Aye!” and empower women.
Bainbridge gave Phoebe all the glory for persuading her son, but also reflected that there was something powerful about being a visibly disabled person “running out of stage left” and making such an impactful vote.
Although Burn wasn’t visibly disabled, through playing him in her body, Bainbridge said, “I think there is something really beautiful in that showing, ‘Yes, I am disabled, and I am intelligent, and I think for myself, and I’m strong, and I am strong-willed.’”
She said she hoped that the audience could watch her in that scene and connect the idea that strong people can be disabled, and “these two things do not cancel each other out.”
Stepping into the spotlight on Broadway, Bainbridge can show aspiring disabled performers that they can get there one day too, and her advice to them is simple: “be tenacious.”
In an industry full of rejection for everyone, Bainbridge said disabled actors hear the word “no” more than everyone else.
The actress said she hopes that people with disabilities can come to see “Suffs” and realize that it’s possible for them to follow her and Ali Stroker, the first wheelchair user to perform in a Broadway musical, onto the Broadway stage.
“Progress is possible, not guaranteed,” Bainbridge said, quoting a line in the show while speaking about disability issues.
Where representation in the entertainment industry is concerned, Bainbridge proves the quote is true every night performing at the Music Box Theater. She watched Stroker perform at the Tony’s in 2016 with the cast of Deaf West Theater’s “Spring Awakening,” and knew she could be on Broadway.
In a show oozing a message of female empowerment, perhaps the most powerful moment comes when the leads of the all-female cast sing a song called “G.A.B,” which stands for “Great American Bitch.”
The song is all about turning a negative label into fuel for positivity, something Bainbridge said she (and all disabled people) do every day they dare to be confident.
“Just existing in my skin and feeling confident, I feel like is a Great American Bitch moment every day,” she said. “Being like, ‘I feel gorgeous, and I feel hot, and I’m taking the streets in my wheelchair.”
Embracing this confident feeling, Bainbridge said, “I feel like such a badass, anytime I can make the world a little bit more accessible.”