Donna On The Go Submitted For 8 Emmy Nominations
Making its second appearance at the Abilities Expo Los Angeles is the Emmy® submitted web series Donna On The Go starring Abilities Expo Ambassador Donna Russo.
The show was first conceived of by creator Peggy Lane to raise awareness for people with challenges. Donna On The Go is a light hearted look at some of them.
Funny Web Series about Disabilities Gains Traction in Season 2
Donna On The Go has a growing following and the celebrity support of Sarah Paulson, Margo Martindale, Leah Remini and Molly Shannon who raved about it in a cover story with Ability magazine.
In Season 2 of the acclaimed series, Donna takes on a neighbor who parks in her handicapped spot, navigates a runaway wheelchair, falls and needs help getting up, dances and impersonates So You Think You Can Dance judge Mary Murphy.
"Fall" was one of the most talked about episodes of the season. Both Donna and Peggy were submitted for Emmy consideration for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Series and Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Direction, respectively, for their work in this episode. The show itself was submitted for 8 Emmy nominations and is currently in pre-production for Season 3.
"Really!" was one of the funniest episodes in Season 2 about a series of events that led up to a runaway wheelchair. Donna even had a stunt double for that sequence. It was conceived of and directed by the legendary stunt man Vince Deadrick Jr. Vince has stunt-doubled for Jeff Bridges in many films as well as for Michael Douglas in groundbreaking stunt work on Romancing The Stone. The episode even has a reference to that film in a line of dialogue from Donna. See if you recognize it and post below!
"Really!" was also submitted for Emmy consideration for Outstanding Short Form Series.
Conceived of and directed by Craig Hutchison, "Garage" is about someone in Donna's building who repeatedly parks in her assigned handicapped spot. Craig hails from New Zealand where he is heavily involved in their Ministry of Health. He is also a founding member of the New Zealand Needs Assessment and Coordination Association. A oo-executive producer of Donna On The Go, Criag was submitted for Emmy consideration for Outstanding Direction for a Comedy for this episode.
"Dance," the season finale, features "Fall For You," a dance choreographed by Expo-favorite Tam Warner and first showcased at Abilities Expo Los Angeles in 2017. Tam directed this episode and was also submitted for Emmy consideration for Best Choreography.
Life Experiences that Led to Donna On The Go
Donna Russo was born with Turners Syndrome, a chromosomal disorder in which a female is born with only one X chromosome, and now has adult-onset FSH Muscular Dystrophy, a condition that slowly robs the muscles of movement. The two disorders are unrelated.
She started dancing at the age of 10 with ballet and tap and later added jazz, modern and acting classes.
Donna graduated from Mercyhurst University with a BA in Dance. She had her heart set on joining a ballet company, but found out that many considered her too short. She was still determined to dance, and found a place in the dance world performing as elves, aliens, dolls and monsters in television, film and music videos. She was on the national tour of Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Magic Camera as Alvin, performed in Lord of the Rings, Passions, Power Rangers and in many other roles.
Peggy Lane was a child actress and model born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue a record deal for her band Promise. Life took a curve and she wound up pursuing acting as well and eventually landed roles on such shows as Will & Grace, King of Queens and Seinfeld where she played a recurring role as a coffee shop waitress.
It was on Will & Grace where she saw the balance of teaching through humor. That show won many awards and changed many lives and, in the process, became an education for her. She patterns Donna On The Go after that model.
Peggy says, "There's a lot of talk about inclusion, but there's one group that isn't being recognized in film and television—and that's the disabled community." It is her hope that Donna On The Go will raise awareness for that community.
"The Abilities Expo is very meaningful to me, and it's important that Donna On The Go is part of this awareness and a part of the Expo for the disability community," says Donna. "I am proud that Donna On The Go represents the disability community in the entertainment industry. People can see themselves represented. I also love performing in the dance workshops."
Donna and Peggy are both excited to be back at the Abilities Expo Los Angeles this year. Meet them in person in booth #106. For more information, visit Donna On The Go at https://www.donna-on-the-go.com/ and on their YouTube channel.
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