DOCUMENT

8 | THE REVIEW JAN–APR 2024 Opening the stage to actors with disabilities Overcoming stage fright as a teenager has led to an acting career for Lily Edmonds and an opportunity to lead the way. By Melanie Louden Actress Lily Edmonds says her proudest moment isn’t being on stage or in front of the camera. “It’s less about me and more about the movement that I’m part of, which is changing people’s minds about disabled people on screen and stage – authentic representation. “I really get the proudest about making people understand that disability isn’t just a character and having stage fright. Her love of acting grew, so she spent two years at Corelli School of Arts before going to Unitec where she studied a Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts – majoring in Acting for Stage and Screen. It is believed she was the first wheelchair user to go through the program in its more than 30-year history. trait and that we are all just human at the end of the day. Just because I’m sitting down and you’re standing up, it doesn’t make me any less of a human.” Lily is a 27-year-old Auckland resident who lives with Cerebral Palsy and is a full- time wheelchair user. She began acting at Henderson High School, west Auckland, despite being “really nervous”