“I didn’t expect it to be so good”: How Deb Roach’s show Criptonite is shattering expectations

Rejecting "conditional approval" and low expectations, performer Deb Roach brings an all-disabled cast and crew to the stage in a glitter-drenched space adventure.

"I didn't expect it to be so good."

For Deb Roach, creator of the circus theatre show Criptonite, those words are all too familiar. Usually meant as praise, they instead carry a stinging reminder of the low expectations that still overshadow disabled artists.

Too often, she says, their work is judged against a different standard - "good for a disabled person" rather than just being "good".

It's an expectation she wanted to shatter.

After years performing with dance and circus companies that, while welcoming, were led by non-disabled producers, Deb decided it was time to create something for herself.

"Disabled artists are so often viewed through the lens of disability and artistry second, and it's really frustrating," she said.

"There's always an asterix. I hate conditional approval."

"I wanted to create a show where the work was judged on its artistic merit, and not whether it was impressive for a disabled person."

The result was Criptonite, a high-energy circus theatre production featuring disabled performers, including aerialists, singers and circus artists, in a fantastical world of robots, mermaids and unicorns.

"We were just aiming for excellence," Deb said. "I'm very happy to report that we did achieve it."

The idea first took shape after Deb performed at an International Day of People with Disability event in 2024, where she met singer, songwriter and access consultant Dean Nash.

During their conversation, she admitted something she'd never told anyone before.

She wanted to build a production where everyone involved - performers, dancers, singers, stage crew, front-of-house staff, even the person selling the popcorn - identified as having a disability.

That conversation became the seed of what she now calls the Glimmerverse.

The show Glimmer premiered at Ground Zero by Brand X in Darlinghurst. Sydney Fringe programmers were in attendance and asked Deb if she wanted to produce a show for Fringe.

This was her chance to make Criptonite a reality.

First performed over two nights at Sydney Fringe in September last year and more recently with the support of Creative Australia in May, Criptonite takes place inside the Glimmerverse, a glitter-drenched galaxy where a time-travelling space explorer (Deb) encounters her co-stars.

The show involves pole dancing, aerial circus, singing and comedy blended into one seamless story exploring sexuality, belonging and what it means to find your place in the world.

Deb explains that it's really a story about belonging.

"It's really the story of being a disabled person and finally finding acceptance, just told in a very cute space alien kind of way."

There was another assumption Deb wanted to push back against, the idea that stories about disability must be tragic.

"My work is about being optimistic and helping people discover themselves," she said.

"That was the opposite of my life until my mid-20s. Then I just made a choice."

"I was going to take charge of the quality of my life, and that positivity was something that I had to make for myself."

The day after opening night, Deb was halfway through a workout when she suddenly stopped and cried. Covered in bruises from performing, she realised she was finally living the life she imagined for herself.

"I was able to go to the gym, go home, make my face into the character and prepare my body to tell the story and then go and share the art that I've always wanted to share," she said.

"It's the best."

"You know when you want something that badly, and then finally you're living it? I was just pinching myself, thinking, 'Holy shit, this is real.'

"It's exactly what I wanted and exactly how I imagined it."

Image credit: Scrambled Snapshots.