From TV to Broadway – Performing on Stage in a Wheelchair

Cyd Blakewell and Michael Patrick Thornton in “Obliteration”

Actor Michael Patrick Thornton, paralyzed since age 24 after a spinal stroke, has performed from his wheelchair ever since. Known for his role as Dr. Fife on ABC’s “Private Practice,” Thornton made his Broadway debut as Lennox in “Macbeth” (2022) and Dr. Rank in “A Doll’s House” (2023), starring Jessica Chastain. He has been cast in multiple productions at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, such as “Richard III,” where he became the first actor to play King Richard wearing a robotic exoskeleton.

He is currently starring in the Chicago production of “Obliteration,” a dark comedy in which he opens with a 10-minute monologue based on the question: “How did you end up in a wheelchair?” Thornton’s response comes straight from personal experience.

Playwright Andrew Hinderaker says the play is based on Thornton telling him that “he’s so annoyed by the question that he just makes stuff up. He makes up crazy stories.”

This fall, Thornton returns to Broadway to play Lucky opposite Keanu Reeves and Andrew Winter in a revival of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” – hailed as the “greatest of 20th century plays” by The New York Times. The drama will run from September 13 to January 4.

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