Let The Angels Fall

They otherwise may always, again—be children in need of constant care/supervision.

The Kids of Widney High are, in the end, entertainers. They want to be in the public eye making people happy. They know there will be all manner of audience members at their shows—some of whom may be laughing with them, some of whom may be laughing at them, some of whom may walk out in disgust.

Cubas has in the past wondered aloud, “Do the audiences really like us? Or do they just feel sorry for us?”

What matters most is that they be allowed to express themselves fully, that they be allowed to be seen, heard, and enjoyed for all of what they have to offer.

And there’s also no reason that the stories of caretakers, of parents, of specialized therapists and special-education teachers can’t be told either: all of the pain, the humor, the confusion, the frustration, the fear. “Sensitive subject matter”? Sensitive… to whom?

My book may never be published. Our documentary about the Kids of Widney High may never be seen by any more than a thousand college students watching free screenings of a film they can’t see anywhere else.

But, I take solace in the late artist Margaret Kilgallen’s view of how to pick oneself up when one feels down or like he or she doesn’t want to make art anymore: “Maybe someone else can learn from what I’m doing.”

Yes, I know it will happen. I know that the taboo will soon implode. I just hope that I am alive when this happens, and that I can be a part of it. Seems like it would be fun.

It has been so far…