Theatre and Disability

by Petra Kuppers

This succinct and engaging text examines the complex relationship between theatre and disability, bringing together a wide variety of performance examples in order to explore theatrical disability through the conceptual frameworks of disability as spectacle, narrative, and experience.Accessible and affordable, this is an ideal resource for theatre students and lovers everywhere.

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction

92 pages, Paperback

Published July 27, 2017

Reviews

[Sian Rodd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm... this is tricky to write about. I found this book really hard to get into. It was long and repetitive and often referenced things that I don't know, with very little explanation. However this book contained some really interesting ideas that have made me think about how I teach. For example the Alexander technique, which I regularly use and reflect on, may not work for disabled performers and students. Really interesting as it has triggered me to think about how I would teach.
So this is why I have put it as 3/5 stars as I think it had some really thought provoking ideas but some of them were lost is the lengthy descriptions and it didn't keep me reading.

'Disability is not a 'brave struggle or 'courage in the face of adversity.' Disability is an art. Its an ingenious way to live - Neil Marcus.

[luce goose · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book has saved my dissertation

[Nick Orvis · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Theatre and Disability," like all of the Theatre & Series, is a very basic introduction to critical thought on the topic(s) designed for a general audience. I found Kuppers's writing generally clear, lucid, and thought-provoking, and many of her descriptions of the particular productions and companies she's encountered were illuminating. That said, there were also sections where I felt that the book lacked a sense of cohesion or drive - perhaps this is simply the result of it being, as I said, a survey book produced for a general readership. It may be impossible given the limited size of each book in this series, but I wished for a little bit more of a deliberate exploration of the theoretical principles and concepts underlying her work, and (sometimes - not always) a bit less space devoted to descriptions of performances or companies.

All in all, though, a good primer on the subject - and it definitely made me curious to pick up a couple more of the (many, many) Theatre & books. They cover a lot of interesting topics!

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

As part of the Theatre & series, this is a concise introduction to the concerns and issues involved in theatre making and spectating by and for people with disabilities. Kuppers does a good job looking at the broad context of the theatre experience including issues of accessibility in theatres and performance spaces, challenges neurodiverse or seeing/hearing impaired audience members encounter, challenges distinct to performers with disabilities (including problems with a lack of hiring opportunities, even for shows featuring characters with disabilities), and the processes through which performers with disabilities make theatre in their own distinct ways. One interesting thread throughout the book is that theatre by people with disabilities is inherently political, but one of the goals is often to minimize the direct political focus and instead try to get audiences (and reviewers) to see performers with disabilities simply as people--to create performance of theatre spaces in which disability does not have to be the singular defining characteristic of a character.

[Ai Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid introduction both to ideas around theater and disability and ways of writing about it. I would have liked a little bit more around writing about audience and disability maybe from a performance studies or theater studies perspective, though Kuppers's pieces were interesting at the beginning especially about her own viewing embodied/"enminded" (embodyminded?) experience. But definitely very accessible and interesting, super short--I read in one sitting pretty much over the course of a morning--and could be really useful especially in the classroom.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relatively accessible introduction to the history, present and study of disability in theatre. I particularly appreciated the personal anecdotes regarding the difficulties surrounding adequate access.

[Amelia Feeney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am training to be a production designer and this has been very helpful when writing my assessments.
I have a chronic pain disorder and I enjoy reading about disability and inclusion within theatre.
I do wish this covered more of the experience of a theatre maker but I understand that to write about it you have to have experienced it.

[Elysse · Rating 5 out of 5]

A insightful academic book.

[Olivia Seward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disability is an art. It’s an ingenious way to live. - Neil Marcus

This booked slayed