Christine Bruno is an actor, director, teaching artist, and disability inclusion consultant for the entertainment industry. She holds an MFA from the New School and is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio. Christine has worked extensively in theater, film, and television in the US and abroad. She sits on the New York board of SAG-AFTRA and is chair of the union’s New York Performers with Disabilities Committee. Christine can be seen in the documentary series ABLE, streaming now on Amazon Prime.

Where are you based?
I have been a proud New York City-based artist since 1995.

What is your area(s) of artistic practice?
My primary artistic practice for the past 25 years been as an actor, but I also continue to work nationally and internationally as a director and teaching artist. While I have always defined myself as an actor first and foremost, I am also keenly aware that what feeds my soul and keeps me moving forward is my absolute passion for and devotion to the theater.

What training or experiences have shaped you as an artist?
Much of my training as an actor has largely been based in the Stanislavsky system, which instilled in me the importance of using all parts of oneself and one’s lived experiences as inspiration for one’s art. The practice of being fully present and engaged is intentional and lifelong.

What current projects you would like to share with VSA members?
Most recently, I starred in the world premiere of Bekah Brunstetter’s Public Servant, which ran Off-Broadway in June 2019. Theater Breaking Through Barriers commissioned the play in celebration of its 40^th anniversary, and I was fortunate to play an integral role in its development and give voice to the lived experience of disability in an accurate and authentic way from the outset.

As a direct result of the successful Off-Broadway run, talks are in place to adapt the play into a feature film and I have signed on as co-writer. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to continue to lend my voice and lived experience as we move forward and to expand my skills as my writer.

As an Inclusion Consultant, I will be working with Lawrence Carter-Long of The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund as co-editor of the Casting Society of America’s A-Z Inclusion Guide. The guide will be a one-stop, user-friendly resource for casting directors, show runners, and production staff that lays down a comprehensive foundation for strategic, measurable growth in the industry across key diversity and inclusion areas.

Who or what is currently inspiring you in your artistic pursuits?
I am thrilled to see doors finally opening and the work of my fellow disabled artists being recognized and celebrated in a substantive ways across all artistic disciplines -- from Ali Stroker’s groundbreaking Tony win to dancer/choreographer Alice Sheppard on the cover of Dance Magazine.

As I continue on my journey to live my life at the intersection of art and disability, I am most excited by the commitment I’ve witnessed among many of my younger disabled colleagues to place activism at the core of their artistic practice. Their works are powerful, provocative, and unapologetic expressions of their lived experiences that transform the artistic landscape and directly challenge audiences to view disability through an accurate and authentic lens.

How does disability influence your work?
I breathe, eat, and sleep disability inclusion and equity in arts and entertainment every day. As an actor, my mere physical presence on stage and screen is the embodiment of advocacy for inclusion and equity. I nurture and celebrate the “additional role” my lived experience affords me. I share this inherent advocacy with my colleagues from all underrepresented groups. I believe the more we know, the better allies we can be to one another, and the stronger and more impactful the art we make will be as a result.

My life and work as an artist and advocate/activist are guided by the principle of “Nothing Without Us.” The claiming and evolution of my disabled identity over time has been crucial to my growth as an artist, advocate, activist, and human, from one of inclusion to one of equity. I am interested in using my work to build solidarity among all cultures, to dispel myths and assumptions, and to disrupt American arts and entertainment by elevating disabled bodies, amplifying disabled voices, and highlighting disability narratives across all creative disciplines.

What advice would you share with emerging artists with disabilities?
The most important advice I can give to ANY artist is to be your own self-advocate. Don’t wait for others to ask what you need.

This is especially important for disabled artists. Remember, you are enough and you deserve to take your rightful place on the stage. Part of taking your rightful place is understanding your needs and articulating them. Just like your artistry, it takes practice, practice, practice. But, trust me, it pays off!

Follow Christine at www.Christine-Bruno.com and www.BrunoDisabilityInclusion.com, on Instagram @christinebrunonyc, on Twitter @hubbellg, and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/christinebrunonyc/.