Podcast Summary: All Of It – Under The Radar's "Watch Me Walk"

Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guests: Anne Gridley (Performer, Writer), Eric Ting (Director)
Date: January 22, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of All Of It, host Alison Stewart sits down with performer Anne Gridley and director Eric Ting to discuss their new theatrical piece, Watch Me Walk, playing as part of the Under the Radar Festival at Playwrights Horizons. The conversation centers on Gridley’s autobiographical solo(ish) show, which openly explores her experience with hereditary spastic paraplegia—a rare, progressive disease—and her journey to staging a production that blends humor, vulnerability, and reflection on disability, family legacy, and the power of theater.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins of Passion and Collaboration

• Anne Gridley’s Start in Theater:

  • Anne fell in love with performing in middle school, drawn to the sense of community and shared goal that theater provided (02:33).
  • Before theater, she wanted to be a veterinarian (02:47).
  • Quote: “It just saved me, the theater... all coming together toward a common goal that was so beautiful and moving and fun... I just started it and I stayed with it.” — Anne Gridley (02:51)

• Eric Ting’s Journey to Directing:

  • Came to directing via puppetry, which offered a sense of creative control, but ultimately found his passion in collaboration (03:13).

• How Anne and Eric Met:

  • Introduced through Eric’s wife, Mei, who was a grad school classmate of Anne’s (03:33).
  • Eric was a longtime admirer of Anne’s work, especially noticing her presence in the Nature Theater of Oklahoma company:

    “There was just something about the way Anne took the stage that grabbed you by the throat and never let go.” — Eric Ting (03:48)

2. One-Person Show: Embracing and Redefining the Form

• Anne’s Feelings About Solo Performances:

  • Anne admitted she used to dislike one-person shows, finding them easy to mock until realizing her discomfort was rooted in self-doubt (04:22).
  • Quote: “I think part of what I disliked about it is the fact that I was afraid ... I didn’t think that I could actually do it.” — Anne Gridley (04:39)
  • The show is “one-ish person”—Anne insisted on casting two other performers to sidestep the format and involve more collaboration (05:23).

• Creative Process & Direction:

  • Eric and Anne discussed how deeply personal, autobiographical work requires both vulnerability and structural distance.
  • The show includes recorded audio from Anne’s mother—connecting personal and family histories full circle through theater (05:53, 06:30).

3. Challenging Audience Perceptions & Accessibility

• Opening Sequence: Making Disability Visible:

  • Anne spends the first several minutes of the show crossing the stage, inviting the audience to observe her walk with intention (07:15).
  • Purpose: To let the audience fully experience and normalize her movement, moving from discomfort or anxiety to acceptance (07:22).
  • Quote: “I think it’s important to let people settle into my way of moving... until it becomes normal.” — Anne Gridley (07:22)
  • Time was experimented with; the settled duration is about three minutes, “where you get what the title of the show is” (08:26).

• Director’s Perspective on ‘Crip Time’:

  • Eric highlights the idea of “crip time,” redefining the audience’s relationship to time and presence when watching someone move differently (08:33).

4. Blurring the Line: Performer vs. Character

• Anne plays herself, not a character, bringing raw authenticity to the role (10:01).
• Eric found it helpful, both as friend and director, to differentiate “Anne” from “Anne Gridley” (the character) in creative discussions to manage the emotional demands of autobiographical work (10:13–10:29).

5. Script Development and Inheritance Themes

• Development of the Show:

  • The concept started as a title with no script; pressure from an invitation to present at CUNY’s Prelude Festival spurred Anne into writing (12:24).
  • “I had the idea for the title for years, and I had written nothing... So then I sort of had to mad dash write something.” — Anne Gridley (12:24)
  • The process began with doctor’s notes as writing prompts; the mother’s audio was integrated later, which Anne describes as the “golden ticket” that “cracked open” the narrative (13:42).

• Family Legacy and Inheritance:

  • The play evolved from being purely about Anne’s diagnosis to deeply examining what is inherited—physically, emotionally, and perceptually—from those who came before (11:08, 13:42).

6. Disability Representation and Theater Process

• About Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia:

  • Anne describes the disease as one affecting the upper motor neurons; signals between brain and legs are miscommunicated, affecting balance, agility, and strength (15:35).
  • She uses supportive Doc Marten boots instead of more rigid medical orthotics, emphasizing both practicality and style:

    “They’re really supportive. I just feel very supported in them. And they look very cool.” — Anne Gridley (17:57)

• Care and Adaptation in Performance:

  • Anne’s condition can fluctuate daily, so the show and her co-performers are prepared to adapt and support her as needed (22:24).
  • Eric: “There’s been a part of this work that has been about how do we care for each other… that elasticity built into it to allow for and adapt to Anne’s needs on any one day.” (22:24)

7. Infusing Theatricality & Humor

• Science Section & Theatrical Tricks:

  • The show turns scientific explanations of the disease into theatrical fun, including mascot costumes and interactive songs (18:15–19:23).
  • Costume design supports metaphorical exploration of Anne’s relationship with her body post-diagnosis.
  • Moment of sketch comedy: referencing “Deep Thoughts” from SNL to represent her pre-diagnosis anxieties (19:44).

• Collaborative Casting Choices:

  • Actors Alex Gibson and Keith Johnson were chosen for their musical and physical talents, infusing the show with levity and variety (20:30).
  • Notably, they bring unique skills: Alex led a musical history of disability bit, Keith brought baton-twirling inspired by his father (21:26–22:09).
  • Anne: “We will celebrate you,” highlighting a spirit of inclusion and validation in the process (22:09).

8. Experimental Theater and Festival Context

• Why Under the Radar?
  • Anne: She’s performed at the festival before, but felt her work belonged here because stories about disability are still rare in public performance contexts (24:03).
  • Eric: The show serves as reconciliation—with diagnosis, family, and oneself—pushing boundaries of personal storytelling in theater (24:58).
  • Quote: “I think of Anne’s play as a play about reconciliation...reconciliation with a family history… one’s own dark moments. And how do we reconcile those with the light ones?” — Eric Ting (24:58)

9. Emotional Heart of the Show

• Hardest Part for Anne:
  • There’s a spot in the “slideshow” section where Anne’s voice cracks every night—an emotional touchstone in the performance (24:43).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “It just saved me, the theater... all coming together toward a common goal that was so beautiful and moving and fun... I just started it and I stayed with it.”
  — Anne Gridley (02:51)

• “There was just something about the way Anne took the stage that grabbed you by the throat and never let go.”
  — Eric Ting (03:48)

• “I think part of what I disliked about it is the fact that I was afraid ... I didn’t think that I could actually do it.”
  — Anne Gridley (04:39)

• “I think it’s important to let people settle into my way of moving... until it becomes normal.”
  — Anne Gridley (07:22)

• “Crip time...for someone with a disability, time is—and their relationship to time is—different.”
  — Eric Ting (08:33)

• “I don’t know how to play a character of myself.”
  — Anne Gridley (10:01)

• “I had the idea for the title for years, and I had written nothing... So then I sort of had to mad dash write something.”
  — Anne Gridley (12:24)

• “The golden ticket that’s really going to crack open and sort of bookend the piece.”
  — Anne Gridley on the acquisition of her mother’s recordings (13:42)

• “[Doc Martens] are really supportive. I just feel very supported in them. And they look very cool.”
  — Anne Gridley (17:57)

• “That elasticity built into it to allow for and adapt to Anne’s needs on any one day. And so it was really important to us to cast two co-cast members...with a spirit of care.”
  — Eric Ting (22:24)

• “We will celebrate you.”
  — Anne Gridley to Keith Johnson (22:09)

• “I think of Anne’s play as a play about reconciliation... with a family history… one’s own dark moments. And how do we reconcile those with the light ones?”
  — Eric Ting (24:58)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:33 – Anne Gridley’s early love for performing
• 03:13 – Eric Ting’s pathway to directing
• 05:23 – Anne’s reasoning for the “one-ish” person show
• 06:56 – Anne’s walking sequence and director’s rationale
• 08:33 – “Crip time” and inviting audiences into disability experience
• 12:24 – Origin of Watch Me Walk script
• 15:35 – Explanation of hereditary spastic paraplegia
• 17:16 – Anne’s Doc Marten boots and accessibility
• 18:15 – The science section: costumes and comedy
• 20:30–22:18 – Auditioning Alex Gibson & Keith Johnson; celebration of individual skills
• 24:03 – Why the work belongs at Under the Radar festival
• 24:43 – The emotional crux of the performance for Anne

Episode Tone and Style

The conversation is candid, funny, and compassionate, mirroring the atmosphere Anne describes in her show. Both guests and host create a space that is playful yet deeply thoughtful, balancing discussions of disability, artistry, and the challenges of autobiographical theater.

For Listeners

Watch Me Walk runs through February 8th at Playwrights Horizons, presented by SoHo Rep as part of the Under the Radar Festival. More information and tickets are available at sohorep.org.

In Anne’s words, the show is about “reconciliation”—with diagnosis, family, and oneself, “reconciling those dark moments with the light ones.” (24:58)

The episode is a rich exploration of vulnerability, humor, and inventiveness in modern theater—challenging the audience to observe, reflect, and reconsider their notions of normalcy and care.