Theatre Major Lands Full-Time Position Improving Accessibility for Diverse Casts, Audiences

BRISTOL, R.I. – Combining their love of theater with their passion for advocacy, senior Korbin Johnson has spent the past nine months training theater companies in how to accommodate neurodiverse audiences, casts, and creative teams, with the goal of making theater significantly more accessible for the neurodivergent community.

This work is part of their part-time role as the associate director of Neurodiverse Inclusive Certified Entertainment (NICE) at Spectrum Theatre Ensemble in Providence, R.I., a position they will begin full time after graduating later this month.

“Once I graduate, I’m taking the lead on the training program,” said Johnson, a Theatre major and Arts Management minor, from Natick, Mass. “Theater has really helped me express myself and my neurodiversity.”

Johnson’s work with Spectrum began with an internship during the fall of their sophomore year – a connection they made through a former technical director at RWU. After the internship ended, Johnson was hired at Spectrum as an executive assistant, a role they still hold, in addition to acting for the company. Spectrum’s mission is to create professional opportunities for autistic actors and playwrights as well as make entertainment venues more accessible so all people can enjoy live entertainment.

“Recent studies show that one in seven people are neurodivergent,” said Johnson, who is autistic. “That’s a huge part of the population that’s underrepresented and under-accommodated.” As they explained, the neurodiverse community does not just include people with autism. Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder also fall under the term.

As part of their work with NICE, Johnson said they assist theater companies in improving accessibility while maintaining the artistic integrity of a show. That may look like giving people special glasses, headphones, or warnings of any loud noises or flashing lights so they can self-adjust during a play.

In addition to working at Spectrum, Johnson said they would also like to continue acting.

Reflecting on their past four years at RWU, Johnson speaks highly of the faculty and classes within the Theatre Department and said the department’s study abroad program was a big draw for them. As part of the study abroad program, Johnson spent three months in London during their junior year. Their group saw approximately 40 plays including at the Royal National Theatre, the Young Vic, the Barbican Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, as well as many famous West End Theatres – the Haymarket, Aldwych, Savoy, Fortune, and Wyndham. Students on the trip also visited museums, art galleries, and historical sites in the city.

“I really loved the experiential learning aspect of it and just being completely immersed in the culture,” they said. “I learn so much better going to an art museum or going to a historical site and actually seeing the history for myself rather than learning about it in a classroom from a lecture. I absorb more that way, and it’s more fun.”

At RWU, Johnson was a member of the Stage Company Club, Neurodiverse Network, and Ballroom Dance Team. They also acted in several plays and musicals at RWU this year including “Oklahoma” and “Murder at the Grey's Hound Mansion.”

Outside of RWU, Johnson has participated in public speaking engagements, including giving a guest lecture to medical students at Boston University that focused on treating autistic and chronically ill patients. In April, they spoke at The Arc of Massachusetts’ 2024 Transition Conference about their experience being neurodiverse.

Johnson’s time at RWU was one of growth. “I’ve learned so much over the past four years and have really come into myself as a person and figured out where my values lie,” they said. “The classes played a big part (in preparing me for what’s next). I’ve used things so far in my career from classes that I didn’t expect to.”

Growing up, Johnson said, they had a difficult time in school, but that all changed when they began their journey at RWU.

“Roger Williams was my way of re-finding my love of learning, learning in a safer environment, finding new friends, and enjoying life,” Johnson said. “It was very much a healing process for me. I’ve found a lot of community at RWU and pockets of people I’ve connected with.”