My name is Grace Cross. I am a junior and an acting major at the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts. I am also physically disabled and an advocate for accurate disability representation in the arts. Recently, our Musical Theatre department announced that their fall musical will be Newsies. I have created this petition so that APA will take it upon themselves to seek out, include, and showcase the talents of disabled people in musical theatre. If it is somehow impossible to find a disabled person to suit the role, I urge the removal of the role from our production. Having an abled person portray a disabled character is disrespectful and continues the legacy of our Academy ignoring minorities and profiting off of false and offensive representations. Crutchie’s character revolves heavily around his disability (his name is Crutchie for God’s sake) and to have a nondisabled person play him ignores the reality that a disabled person would bring to the character. The only way you would finally be able to do Crutchie’s character justice is to cast someone who lives the same way as him. I have had enough of disabilities being used as props. It is offensive to see the actor be able to abandon their crutch, and they are applauded for their “talent.”  This needs to stop.