RespectAbility Entertainment Professionals Lab, Summer 2023
April Aguilera
After earning a BFA in the lucrative career of Musical theater, April Aguilera started a family in her current city of Savannah Georgia. Her second daughter, Paloma, was born with the unexpected birth diagnosis of Down syndrome and nothing was ever the same again. April processed her daughter’s diagnosis through creating, and opened her one woman dramatic musical, A Sea Full of Stars, in New York in 2019 and was invited to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe when the world came to a screeching halt. April was then accepted into The Savannah College of Art and Design to pursue a graduate degree in screenwriting. While in graduate school she shot her multi Student Emmy award-winning drama film, For Paloma. April currently has two other films optioned, and has worked in film and television coordinating for Showtime and Array.
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After an extensive search and interview process, 20 individuals were invited to participate in the Virtual Cohort of RespectAbility’s 2023 Entertainment Lab taking place August 14 – September 21, 2023. This 6-week Lab aims to develop and elevate the talent pipeline of disabled entertainment professionals working behind-the-scenes in television, film, and streaming, while connecting them with industry professionals and creatives. Participants include people with physical, cognitive, sensory, mental health, other disabilities, and multiple disabilities ranging in age from the 20s through the 50s. The Lab is a recipient of The Roddenberry Foundation Impact Award and is made possible with support from The Harnisch Foundation and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Charitable Trust.
