Madison Ferris is an American actress, best known for portraying Laura Wingfield in ''

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his Histrionic persona ...

''. She was the first wheelchair user to play a lead on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. Ferris moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, and got her first professional performance opportunity as a paid dancer at the

Joyce Theater The Joyce Theater (“The Joyce") is a 472-seat dance performance venue located in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. The building opened in 1941 as the Elgin Theater, a movie house, and was gut-renovated and reconfigured in 1981-82 to re ...

. Ferris performed in two dance pieces, ''Ballet (New York)'' and ''The Show Must Go On'' by French choreographer Jerome Bel.

''The Glass Menagerie''

Ferris was traveling in Australia when the casting notice for Sam Gold's revival of ''The Glass Menagerie'' was announced. Ferris flew back to the US for a callback, then was asked back again to read with the play's star, Sally Field. A short time after, Ferris was cast in the role of Laura Wingfield. Ferris made history as

's first lead actor in a wheelchair. The show opened with the house lights on as Amanda slowly brought Laura up the steps to the stage, right in front of the audience. In discussing how she gave Laura agency, Ferris says,

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferris, Madison Actresses from Pennsylvania Muhlenberg College alumni Living people American stage actresses 21st-century American actresses 1992 births People with muscular dystrophy American actors with disabilities