When Chloe Jackson (CAS ‘26), a musical theatre major at American University, began choreographing at ArtStream, she quickly realized that one movement does not fit all. One performer who uses a walker spoke up about a routine that didn’t quite work for them. Rather than seeing this as a setback, Chloe treated it as an opportunity to grow. She reworked the piece, shifting the focus to arm movements. It was a small adjustment in the moment, but it marked the beginning of a much larger shift in how she thinks about theatre.

ArtStream is a Maryland-based nonprofit that creates original performance opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization uses a devised theatre model, meaning productions are built collaboratively and shaped by the performers’ ideas, stories, and creativity. In that environment, Chloe did more than refine her choreography skills. She began to understand that inclusion is not a checklist. It is something that changes and grows as artists listen to one another. In another rehearsal process, she worked with a performer who is blind and adjusted her teaching style again, relying on touch and clear physical communication. Experiences like this reinforced what she was learning: art-making shifts when artists pay attention to who is in the room.

Back at AU, Chloe carried those lessons into an independent study on disability theory. She explored intersectionality and the ways disability connects with race, gender, and other identities. As part of her work as a student, she wanted to create something that would live beyond the classroom. Her final senior project is a living glossary for AU’s theatre program, an evolving resource designed to support more informed and inclusive creative spaces.

When asked what she intended her glossary to bring to AU, Chloe said, “I hope my living glossary will bring knowledge and inspiration to those who use it. I hope that the AU theatre community uses my resources to help include all and expand on the theatrical knowledge that they already have.”

Through both her creative work and her research, Chloe is thinking about what it means to build theatre communities that grow with the people in them. For her, inclusion is not a separate initiative. It is part of the artistic process itself.