Partner for Purpose: This story is the final story in a five-part series highlighting how UBC faculty and staff partnerships create meaningful change, both within the university and beyond.

Tucked just off the main stage at the Massey Theatre, behind black velvet curtains, a different kind of work is unfolding on a Tuesday night in early 2026. A group of local actors/co-creators with intellectual disabilities is using theatre to make inclusive and affordable housing challenges impossible to ignore.

They are preparing for their next show, We All Need a Home, and they gather not only to rehearse, but also to practice claiming their space, using their voices and visibility through disability theatre—crafting stories of belonging, dignity and what it truly means to have a home.

Behind this initiative are UBC faculty members Drs. Rachelle Hole and Leyton Schnellert, co-directors of the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship.

“Over years of collaboration, we kept returning to the same realization—stories about disability are too often told from the outside, and filtered through systems, policies or academic distance.” says Leyton. “One question kept resurfacing: What would change if theatre began with the lived experiences of people with intellectual disabilities?”

In searching for that answer, the pair partnered with the Community Living Society, the Massey Theatre and theatre artists to bring this vision to life. What began as an idea grew into a partnership rooted in trust, curiosity and a commitment to shifting who gets to lead, creating a space where self-advocates aren’t just participants, but drivers of the work.

At its heart, the work becomes a collective story—shaped from the inside out by self-advocates who define the message and meaning in their own words.

Turning lived experience into theatre

“Theatre is the best way to tell this message,” says Aaron Pietras, a co-creator, actor and veteran of the productions. “Theatre is for everyone and it leaves the audience mesmerized. It keeps them on the edge of their seats because we get to tell our stories face-to-face. And I want everyone to hear this: It doesn’t matter where you’re from, your age, your language, your background or your disability… we all need a home.”

It’s prop-making night. The room is quiet but full of focus. Soft scrapes of crayons move across poster board, paint brushes clink gently against water jars, and markers squeak faintly as they press forward with purpose. Co-creators lean over their work, outlining letters and testing slogans aloud. “Housing is a human right!” Each sign will later be lifted in a staged protest scene reflecting the experience of people with intellectual disabilities navigating housing systems.

Dana Faris, another dedicated co-creator and disability theatre veteran, notes: “Being a co-creator is the best part. We don’t just perform, we create the whole show! We do the scripts, the sets, the lights… everything.”

“We all contribute,” Aaron adds. “That’s what makes it feel like family.”

Unlike many traditional productions built around fixed scripts and directors’ visions, disability theatre begins with personal stories. Co-creators then work through iterative workshops using movement, tableaux and scenario building to explore what matters most to them. Alongside this creative work, the members of the company collaborate with Leyton and Rachelle as co‑researchers, designing the feedback forms and analyzing data collected.

In this production, bringing inclusive housing research from UBC’s Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship into the room helped shape key messages and informed the iterative devising process. By shaping stories grounded in both lived experience and research for the stage, the ensemble creates work that audiences can understand, feel and respond to, expanding public understanding in the process.

Dana continues: “It’s not your typical theatre. We improvise as we go. It’s always evolving. We want the audience to interact, absorb what they’re seeing and then think, ‘What can I do now? How do I take action?’”

Inclusive housing and community impact

Access to inclusive and affordable housing remains a challenge for many people with intellectual disabilities.

“In British Columbia, the housing crisis disproportionately affects this population, often limiting opportunities to live in community settings with the adequate resources needed to live safely and with dignity,” says Rachelle.“Through this production, co-creators are raising awareness that inclusive housing is not only necessary, but also possible. The project highlights how creative, community-driven solutions can help shift public understanding about disability, housing and the mental health supports necessary for individual wellbeing.”

Actors are compensated with an hourly living wage that recognizes the value of their creative expertise and contributions—creating a space where people with intellectual disabilities are not just included, but recognized as storytellers, co-creators and leaders.

Voices at the centre

Inside the rehearsal room, titles matter far less than relationships. Decisions are shared. Scripts grow and evolve through improvisation and collective exploration. “Devised theatre is an iterative process that honours multiple ways of knowing and doing,” Leyton explains.

For Rachelle, the work reflects a broader philosophy of justice and community-led knowledge creation. “The most important principle is that the topic and the message come from the people most affected,” she says. “Our role is to listen, facilitate and support the power people already have to tell their own stories.”

Leyton agrees, noting that the process opens new ways for self‑advocates to express themselves. “What changes everything is when people have the time and support to really think through what they want to say—not just, ‘here are the barriers,’ but ‘here’s what could be different.’ That’s what disability justice looks like in practice: centering the lives and creating space for the leadership and expertise of disabled people to be change makers.”

Back in the workshops

What began as a quiet, focused space slowly fills with energy as the night goes on. This little rehearsal studio is a safe place to test ideas, try new character angles and sometimes shout them out to see how they land. Voices grow louder, laughter comes easier and confidence builds as co-creators shape their stories together through movement, conversation and imagination.

“This topic was my idea, and now it’s our play,” Aaron says, smiling. “Somebody freakin’ pinch me right now!”

For the self-advocate actor/co-creators, theatre is a place of pride and possibility. And woven quietly through each moment are Rachelle and Leyton, partners who offer guidance without taking over, and who believe deeply in what emerges when creativity and leadership are shared. Their commitment to this work makes rooms like this feel safer, fuller and more expansive.

It’s partnership at its most meaningful level. It’s people coming together to make space for voices that have always been there, ready to be heard.

More information

Upcoming performance details:

• June 2026, Massey Theatre, New Westminster

This project is jointly funded by:

• Vancouver Foundation
• UBC Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) Fund
• Community Living Society
• Community Living British Columbia 

This work is supported by significant in-kind contributions from The Massey Theatre, the UBC Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship, and the Community Living Society.