A crowd of theater students and enthusiasts buzzed in DePaul’s Student Center in Lincoln Park on Feb. 20, 2025. Streaks of green and pink clothing stood out against the tan walls of the building with attendees sporting the primary colors of Elphaba and Glinda, the two lead characters in 2024’s “Wicked,” one of the biggest films of the year.
A film as ubiquitous as “Wicked” makes even supporting actors stars, and the guest of honor that evening made that clear. Actress Marissa Bode, who made her feature film debut as Elphaba’s sister Nessarose last autumn, soon rolled out onto stage to rapturous applause.
Jackson Field, a local theater enthusiast and DePaul student, has been a “Wicked” fan since childhood.
“My love of theater started with the show ‘Newsies.’ Grand Rapids had all these touring Broadway shows and as a theater kid it was super cool to go and see them professionally done,” Field said. “‘Wicked’ came and I went with my family. It was unreal — it’s like the story of ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ but so much more than that.”
Getting guests like Bode to DePaul is an event in itself. Courtney James, the Director of Student Involvement, has to wrangle up guests based on student interest.
“We’re constantly looking at what students are interested in, what they’re looking to do, any experience beyond the classroom,” James said. “It’s about getting speakers that do resonate with our students and that are of interest and that fit our space.”
Bode, who is a paraplegic due to a car accident at age 11, found a connection with her character Nessa due to their shared impairment.
“Staying true to who I am and obviously true to who (Nessa) is, I think that’s something I absolutely relate to,” Bode said. “Representation is important; it is to feel seen and heard. That’s something I felt with other people I’ve looked up to for years, like actress and model Jillian Mercado and Lauren Spencer, who’s also an incredible wheelchair actress … seeing them do what they’re doing made me feel less alone.”
Nicole Kactioris, a DePaul student and avid Ariana Grande fan, shared Bode’s admiration for the film’s representation of marginalized groups.
“I think it’s wildly refreshing, especially to have it be authentic,” Kactioris said. “I’ve never consumed any of the books, but her character has consistently been incorrect.”
Bode’s performance marks the first time a disabled person has played the role of Nessarose since the stage show began in 2004. Karen Razal, a theatre student at DePaul, was engaged with Bode’s activism through her role.
“I’m really happy that Marissa got the chance to come to DePaul and talk about her experiences, especially as a disabled person,” Razal said. “For her to talk about issues like 17 states trying to abolish the 504 makes me feel more aware about what’s happening in the country right now. I never would’ve known otherwise.”
Bode is referring to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a piece of legislation which made discrimination against disabled people illegal and mandates certain accessibility options for those who cannot traverse as easily as able-bodied people.
In the past few weeks, 17 states have filed lawsuits against the federal government, arguing that former President Joe Biden’s addition of gender dysphoria to the act in 2021 makes the legislature unconstitutional. The lawsuit would not just remove dysphoria from the list of protected disabilities, but repeal the act entirely.
“So many powerful disabled people fought so hard to get that to pass when it did, and now here we are again,” Bode said. “Call your representatives, put pressure on them … reach out to your disabled peers and ask how you can make your spaces more accessible. Watch ‘Crip Camp.’ Organizing within your local spaces, in your local communities as well, is incredibly important.”
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