Beautiful, Empty Seats: The Price of Inaccessible Art | Felix Ferris & Adrian Theisen | TEDxTWU
Textual accommodation, the process of altering the structure and form of a text in order to enhance comprehension and relatability across diverse audiences, is critical when adapting culturally significant literature for the stage. Accessibility in theater is an exercise in broadening the worlds that we create as storytellers—its characters, how we cast them, and other narrative strategies. Felix Ferris and Adrian Theisen discuss the logistics of bringing literature to life on a budget as Lamplight Theater Company, a non-profit theater based in Denton, Texas that seeks to bridge the gap between academia and modern audiences. Felix Ferris is a grant-funded playwright and the co-founder of a non-profit arts organization, Lamplight Theater, dedicated to adapting culturally significant literature for the stage. He holds a Master of Arts in Theater and is currently pursuing a PhD in Rhetoric at Texas Woman’s University, with a research focus on its applications in storytelling and narratology. His stage adaptations of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, Orpheus & Eurydice, and Beowulf have been produced at multiple venues across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, demonstrating his continued dedication to reinterpreting iconic narratives for contemporary audiences, with a particular emphasis on making these stories accessible and relevant. Felix's process for adapting texts draws from literary studies, performance theory, and critical pedagogy to bridge the gap between academia and the wider community.Adrian Theisen is a theater professional, an artist, and the co-founder of a nonprofit arts organization, Lamplight Theater, dedicated to adapting culturally significant literature for the stage. He graduated from TWU with a B.A. in Acting and Directing last December. With a passion for emotional truth and academic inquiry, Adrian's work interrogates how we construct shared identity through storytelling. He invites you to consider how narratives—inherited, group-constructed, or self-authored—can shape our sense of belonging. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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