Theatres of Learning Disability: Good, Bad, or Plain Ugly?

This is the first scholarly book to focus exclusively on theatre and learning disability as theatre - rather than advocacy or therapy. Matt Hargrave provocatively realigns many of the (hitherto unvoiced) assumptions that underpin such practices, and opens up a new set of critical questions. Stemming from a close engagement with the work of several very different theatre companies - including Mind the Gap (UK); Back to Back (Australia) - and unique solo artists such as Jez Colborne, this book shifts the emphasis from questions of social benefit towards a genuine engagement with aesthetic judgement. Hargrave examines the rich variety of contemporary theatrical practices in this field and spans a wide range of forms such as site specific, naturalistic and autobiographical performance. The book examines ways in which the learning disabled performer might be read on stage, and the ways in which s/he might disturb assumptions, not least about what acting or artistic authorship is. This is an important and timely study for all upper-level theatre and performance students and scholars alike, as well as a provocative contribution to debates within disability studies.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Tim Wheeler Acknowledgements Prologue: Of moths and methods PART I: THE SURROGATE 1. The end of disability arts: theatre, disability and the social model 2. Pure products go crazy: the aesthetic value of learning disability 3. On quality: disability and aesthetic judgements 4. Genealogies: the cultural faces of learning disability PART II: A PROPER ACTOR 5. Nobody's Perfect: disability identity as masquerade 6. The uncanny return of Boo Radley: disability, dramaturgy and reception Conclusion Envoi: The Bartleby Parallax Sources and bibliography Appendix Notes Index

About the Author :
Matt Hargrave is Senior Lecturer in Drama and Applied Theatre at the University of Northumbria, UK. As a writer and theatre practitioner he has worked with many leading theatres and cultural providers including Northern Stage, New Writing North, Mind the Gap, National Association of Youth Theatres, The Forge Arts and Education Agency, Helix Arts, Sheffield Crucible, Dead Earnest Theatre, and Arts Council England. His previous publications include articles in journals such as Theatre, Dance and Performance Training and Research in Drama Education.

Review :
'Matt Hargrave's new book provides an outstanding overview and in-depth analysis of the different theatres of learning disability. It demonstrates an acute sensitivity to the social, political and aesthetic questions raised by practitioners of what has emerged as an important area of contemporary theatre and performance. Theatres of Learning Disability pushes the boundaries of the field and asks the difficult questions about how we discuss and value the artistry of actors, creators and participants.' - James Thompson, University of Manchester, UK