Performing disability history research to 21st Century Audiences

International Federation ofTheatre Research 2012

Santiago, Chile

Dr Sonali ShahCentre for Disability Studies

University of Leeds

Biographical narratives/Life stories in research

Preservation of our past Enabling emancipatory research practice Inform younger generations of past cultures

and practices – evidence of social changeEnsure accurate representation of the lives of

oppressed minorities i.e. disabled people ‘History is owned and documented by those in

power, and invisibility and silence are cornerstones of oppression’. (French & Swain, 2000)

Textual stories Disabled people’s memories preserved through

written texts – interview transcripts, academic analysis

Textual narratives directed at academic audiences Textual linear narratives permits literal reading of the

storyOne dimensional nature of textual representations

prevent the mapping of relationships, social spaces and time

Separation of body from narrative reduces impact of emotions, interactions, individual/ collective cultural experience

Performing TextTransform social science research into something

accessible for non-academic audiences Facilitate embodiment of narratives to help

develop understanding of social issuesRecover multiple dimensions of lived experience

lost in textual narratives Bring research alive to enhance the knowledge

base of younger audiencesEmbodying historical narratives can change

traditional perspectives shaped by social structuresHelps to encourage strategies for resistance and

social change

‘Theatre is a form of knowledge; it should and can also be a means of transforming society. Theatre can

help us build our future, rather than just waiting for it.’ (Boal, 1992:xxxi)

Project AimsIncrease disability awareness and equality in schools

Encourage children to engage with disability stories from different times and work with disabled actors

Advance children's and teachers' historical understanding of disabilityEngage with real stories to learn about different

historical worldsBuild school children’s capacity as historical agents:

provide opportunities for them to embody and manipulate stories of disability history and culture in English society

Produce extended TIE Pack for 100 English schools

Background/Inspiration: 2 projects

Project 1 (funded Nuffield Foundation) : Based on qualitative interviews to chart the socio-historical changes impacting lives of people with physical impairments since Second World War to the present day

Project 2 (funded by AHRC) : Workshop project to explore performance potential of qualitative life history data

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9RAt6tBXwo

METHODSInterdisciplinary and cross-sector team -

academics, theatre practitioners, disabled actors, disability and education practitioners, secondary schools

Tool that cross disciplinary, methodological and epistemological boundaries of social studies and performance studies.

Provide space for school children to explore real problems and devise innovative solutions through embodiment of socio-cultural conversations

Process Stage 1: Talking Heads

Life story interview transcripts translated into dramaturgical material

Disabled actors perform life story monologues for Talking Heads film

Bear witness to real life testimonies - using Brechtian style delivery

Dan’s StoryWhen I first left school, because all my family to sea, my Dad was in the Navy, my first cousin, Tony, who was just like a brother. he decided that when he left school he was going in the Navy and I said, “So am I” and I can remember, we both went down to the recruiting office in town, walked in, “I want to join the Navy,” the bloke looked at me and he says, “You can’t join the Navy”’ I said “why? I want to join the Navy.” He said “you won’t be able to march.” I said “they don’t march in the Navy, that’s the Army.”

He said, “no, I’m sorry.” And that then really, I think that brought, that was the first time it brought it home to me that, it would stop me doing something I really wanted to do. And I really wanted to go in the navy, because all our family’s gone to sea, either on trawlers, in the Navy, in the Merchant Navy, and I’d really set my heart on going in the Navy, and I’d come out of there, and I thought, bloody hell, marching, what do you have to march for?

Stories are (re) interpreted and (re) presented Narratives are representations, involving

interpretation and selection in their construction (the ‘telling’), in their consumption (my ‘reading’), in their reproduction (my ‘re-presentation’), and in their further interpretation (your ‘reading’).

(Thomas, 1999: 7)

Stage 2: Workshop methodsTheatre pathway

Process of devising short play – reading story, organise characters and actions into scenes

Installation pathwayMulti-stage process to transpose textual

narrative, via movement, sound and visuals, into a performance narrative

The Pilot Schools 3 mainstream secondary schools with performance arts

focus: Cathedral Academy of Performing Arts – 6th form –

ages 16-19

Garforth Academy – KS 3 Drama – yrs7-9 – ages 11-14

Cockburn School

Some feedback from schools‘I will be a bit more aware in life about disabled

people, they do struggle’.‘It was probably worse in the 1940’s than the

80’s because of the new discrimination act’.‘No access in the 40’s compared to the 80’s’‘Performance is better as we got to show our own

opinions through it’. ’Performance allows us to show how emotional

we thought our story was’.‘Good to know how disability and the behaviour

towards disability has changed overtime’.‘I found it easier to take stuff in by doing it

through creative tasks. I don’t understand just reading it off paper but creatively I understand better’.

Performance of Dan’s story via installation method

Conclusions and challenges Research process has potential to distort ‘real’

stories as (re) presentation is tinted by disciplinary lens

Success of workshops need right combination of facilitators, school interest and teacher enthusiasm

Development of methods influenced by several variables: objectives of project, abilities of facilitators, time allocated and socio-cultural environment of schools

Presence of disabled facilitators increased disability awareness among school children

Personal identities of disabled facilitators impact how they teach children about disability histories

Children’s performances shaped by their imaginings of disability and history

Thank you for listeningDr Sonali Shah

s.l.shah@leeds.ac.uk