Watch now: A Fearless Conversation looks at greater authenticity on centre stage

Why are there so few people with disability on our stages and screens? The final Fearless Conversation for 2022 puts the spotlight on authenticity in the Australian arts sector. Watch it here.

More people with disability should be given the chance to shine in the Australian arts spotlight, a leading Adelaide disability advocate says.

Gaelle Mellis, the creative director of Brighton-based disability group Tutti Arts, said people with disability had “grown up with symbolic obliteration on stage and screen”.

“We haven’t seen people like ourselves authentically represented or represented at all,” the winner of the 2020 Australia Council National Arts and Disability Award said.

Tutti Arts creative director Gaelle Mellis – and Fearless Conversations panellist – is questioning the lack of representation of people with disability on stage and screen. Picture: AAP/Brenton Edwards

“Stage and screen must reflect the diverse society we live in. Seeing ourselves represented ... is vital in forming our identity and finding our place in the world.

“There are more than 1.2 billion disabled people in the world. That is the biggest minority in the world – so why is there such a lack of representation on our stages and screens?”

Ms Mellis made the comments ahead of the recent Advertiser/Flinders University Fearless Conversation, which focused on authenticity and identity on the Australian stage and coincided with the inaugural Flinders Festival of Creative Arts.

She was joined by panellists Chris Hay, drama professor at Flinders University, director Nescha Jelk and First Nations actor, writer and director Carissa Lee for the roundtable forum, hosted by 7NEWS reporter Casey Treloar.

Noongar actor, writer and director Carissa Lee was also part of the final Fearless Conversation for 2022.

Themes up for discussion included recent cultural and social shifts on the Australian stage, the increased demand for authenticity in the performing arts during the past decade and an examination of the “identity positions” of artists, directors and producers – and how the stories they tell have evolved to meet the changing industry demands.

Ms Mellis said disabled characters on stage or screen were “often lacking or non-existent”.

“And if disabled characters are there, we are usually only seen as stereotypes which leads to assumptions and misconceptions about ourselves as disabled people and the lives we live,” she said.

“History suggests that a non-disabled Oscar-nominated actor playing a disabled character has nearly a 50 per cent shot of a win. We have had enough of non-disabled actors ‘cripping up’ already.”

Panellists for the final Fearless Conversation for 2022, hosted by 7NEWS reporter Casey Treloar, left. were director Nescha Jelk, Flinders University drama professor Chris Hay, Noongar actor, writer and director Carissa Lee and Tutti Arts creative director Gaelle Mellis. Picture: Keryn Stevens

The November Fearless Conversation was the last of the 2022 series, which brought together leading voices in roundtable discussions about the big issues facing the state.

MORE FEARLESS CONVERSATIONS

■ The social issues our next generation want to fix

■ How our state needs to adapt to climate change

■ The challenge of Indigenous reconciliation

■ Fixing behaviour in state parliament

■ Broadening opportunities for women

■ Fixing the National Disability Insurance Scheme