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Jamie Brewer Is the First Woman With Down Syndrome to Win a Drama Desk Award

Ellen Stumbo
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On Sunday, actress Jaime Brewer became the first person with Down syndrome to win a Drama Desk Award. Brewer won best featured actress in a play for her role in the Off-Broadway show “Amy and the Orphans.”

The Drama Desk Awards honor productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway, and are voted on by theater critics, journalists, editors and publishers. Beyond her theatrical performances, Brewer is best known for her role as Adelaide on the hit show “American Horror Story.”

In “Amy and the Orphans,” Brewer plays Amy, one of three siblings who reunite to attend their father’s funeral. The play is based on playwright Lindsey Ferrentino’s Aunt Amy, who was institutionalized for most of her life. The play tackles the effects and limitations of institutionalization as well as highlighting the horrific treatment endured by those who lived in them.

The play is also dedicated to Amy. “For my Aunt Amy Jacobs who is missed both for who she was and for who she could have been. (1964-2014),” Ferrentino wrote.

Mardra Sikora, a contributing writer on The Mighty, saw the play and wrote:

Our hero, Amy, has the opportunity to share her truths, too. I suspect, for many typical theater goers, this is the first time they have ever heard a person with Down syndrome speak these truths. Human truths about relationships, loneliness, fear, making decisions for oneself, and more… by the end, the audience is captivated by a powerful monologue full of passion and conviction.

Upon learning of Brewer’s win, Sikora told The Mighty, “Let me tell you why, because Jamie Brewer gave audiences a character they thought they knew, then, as the minutes went on, she transformed their perceptions and then, once newly secure, she transformed herself before their eyes. Well Done, Ms. Brewer, Brava!”

Others have joined in congratulating Brewer.

Sean McElwee, cast member of the Emmy Award-winning tv show “Born this Way,” had the opportunity to watch “Amy and the Orphans.”

Image of Jamie Brewer and Sean McElwee
image via Sandra McElwee

Regarding Brewers’ Award, McElwee told The Mighty, “It’s huge! Wow! She did a marvelous job. Her character is so good. I loved it a lot. She had the best part in the play.”

Image via Wikimedia Commons/RedCarpetReport

Ellen Stumbo
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Ellen Stumbo is the founder of Disability Matters, an organization with the mission to encourage every church to embrace disability. Ellen is a national speaker who focuses on issues pertaining adoption, faith, disability and parenting kids with disabilities. Ellen writes for several online platforms including Focus on the Family, LifeWay, MomSense, Not Alone, Mamapedia, Group, The Mighty and the Huffington Post. Her writing also appears in several book anthologies. Ellen blogs at ellenstumbo.com and you can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

ellenstumbo
Originally published: June 4, 2018
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