Actor Katy Sullivan got out her running legs to prepare to play Richard III. In Shakespeare’s tale of the manipulative, deceitful would-be king of England, Richard is portrayed as a hunchback, which integrates with Sullivan’s physicality: she has two prosthetic legs.
“There is a line in the opening soliloquy where Richard said, ‘Sent into this world before my time, scarce half made up.’ We’re leaning into the fact that I was born without the lower halves of my legs, so I am sort of scarce half made up.”
Under Chicago Shakespeare Theater director Edward Hall, Sullivan said she had the opportunity to explore all aspects of her physicality through Richard III. Instead of portraying the king as a weakling, Sullivan, a Paralympic track champion, wanted to show his physical strength, which is why she made sure to hit the gym with her running blades and to lift weights to get into character.
“I think one aspect of [Richard] that is so fascinating is that he’s a warrior. He is someone to be reckoned with on the battlefield. So, I have been spending a lot of time trying to make sure that whatever is thrown at me in terms of physicality, that I am capable of accomplishing it.”
Hall, making his debut as artistic director after joining Chicago Shakespeare in the fall, previously directed Sullivan the 2022 UK premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Cost of Living. After that experience, Sullivan said she told Hall, “Anything that you want me to do, the answer is ‘Yes.’ I will read the phone book with you.”
While Sullivan and Hall know that audiences may take a moment to adjust to the first woman with a disability to portray Richard III — with no pronoun changes, in masculine clothing — Hall believes that the main audience takeaway is how contemporary the 16th century play feels.
“I hope a story about a ferocious fight for power played out against the backdrop of a divided nation with a central character who is both charming and ruthless will resonate with Chicago audiences,” he said. “For someone who has never seen Richard III but who has perhaps watched or heard of Succession or Game Of Thrones, the reaction might be: ‘Wow! Shakespeare got there first!’”
Sullivan began her acting career in Chicago after she graduated from college in 2002 and now maintains a home in the western suburbs to stay close to local family. She has enjoyed returning to the local theater scene. “Chicago is such a theater town,” she said. “I have seen some of the greatest performances with 49 other people in a storefront. To me, it’s a community of people that are truly in it for the art. It is just a community of people of just like, ‘Oh, let’s do a play,’ which is beautiful.” Told with a dash of dark humor, Hall’s production Richard III is set in a sanitarium, aimed to leave audiences wondering what’s real and what Richard III has conjured in his mind. “Which I think is one of the most beautiful things about Shakespeare is that you can do so much with time and place because originally, it was on a blank stage with no set pieces that used very minimal props,” Sullivan said. She said future Chicago Shakespeare audiences and actors should prepare for Hall’s big, bold ideas. “He said in rehearsal the other day, ‘I would rather you fail spectacularly with commitments and fall on your face than for you to have any hesitancy.’ I think that that is such an exciting new perspective to be brought to the city.”
While proud to represent what actors with disabilities can accomplish, Sullivan said that her aim is that it doesn’t take long for audiences to forget that they are watching a woman in prosthesis play Richard. “I hope that by page five they’re just in, they’re into the story,” she said. “I hope that people come to this show with open minds and open hearts to go on the ride with us because it is going to be unsettling and fun, and I think it’s going to be pretty wild.”
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Sullivan also recommends supporting the following organizations committed to supporting and uplifting people with disabilities:
RespectAbility — a nonprofit committed to fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community. Donate now.
Challenged Athletes Foundation — a nonprofit with a mission to provide opportunities and support to people with physical challenges, so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. Donate now.
Claire Zulkey is a writer based in Evanston, IL, where she was born and raised. Her writing has appeared in local publications like Block Club Chicago, the Evanston Roundtable and Chicago Magazine as well as national publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Atlantic.
