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Disability, Theatre and Power: an Analysis of a One-Person Play

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Disability, Theatre and Power: an Analysis of a One-Person Play DISABILITY, THEATRE AND POWER: AN ANALYSIS OF A ONE-PERSON PLAY A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research of Carleton University By Alan Mark Shain, B.A. In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Social Work January 2006 Copyright © Alan Mark Shain, 2006 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 0-494-13477-1 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 0-494-13477-1 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. i * i Canada Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT This study explores the connections that are being made between the Disability Arts and Culture Movement and the struggle for the equality and Human Rights of Disabled Peoples. A major goal of this study is to highlight arts and culture as a site of political struggle for Disabled Peoples. The analysis of a one-person play, Still Waiting for That Special Bus provides a case study of the use of theatre to challenge dominant frameworks which underlie disability oppression. The implications for social work are reflexive in nature which informs theory, research, education, training and practice when working with Disabled Peoples. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS With sincere thanks and appreciation to: Roy Hanes, thesis advisor, for your ongoing support through all phases of the project and for securing the additional financial resources which allowed me to complete the thesis, as well as to the other committee members for your interest and involvement Gillian Walker, interim thesis advisor, for your insight in providing shape and encouragement within the initial phases of the project Kirsten and Sidney Shain, mother and father, for your continued motivation and encouragement to carry out the research and writing, and for providing your home as a much needed retreat where I was well-fed while I worked Marcie Dorothy Ryan, my lover and partner in life, for your patience, your continued excitement and your pragmatic advice throughout the project, and most of all for your love and companionship that you give to me each and every day iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DEDICATION To all the artists, activists, scholars and lovers of the arts who devote time and energy to supporting and promoting the Disability Arts and Culture Movement. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv DEDICATION v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL APPROACH 14 CHAPTER THREE: LITERATURE REVIEW 32 CHAPTER FOUR: METHODOLOGY 48 CHAPTER FIVE: ANALYSIS 57 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION 99 REFERENCES 112 APPENDIX A [1-10] v i Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION It moves us, impassions us, emboldens us. Disability Art - for many of us, the stuff and business of our everyday and particular lives. But let's not underestimate the power of what has happened here in the past three days. Disabled artists and creators... have pushed back the demons of shame and humiliation ... have wrenched the cameras away from the distorting angles of mainstream media ... have bitten a goodly chunk or two out of the benevolent hand of charity. (http://www.s4dac.org/festivals/kickstart/2004/catherin e_frazee_keynote.html) Catherine Frazee made the above comments at Kickstart2 - the second international disability arts festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, in September 2004. This three-day event featured poetry, theatre, dance, comedy, music as well as painting, sculpting and photography. It brought together disability artists from across Canada and around the world. Across Canada there have been similar types of events over the past five years. The first Kickstart festival occurred in August, 2001, also in Vancouver. Every July, since the summer of 2000, the Disability Studies department at Ryerson University has been holding an evening of live performance. The Calgary SCOPE Society, which provides support to enable people with developmental disabilities to live in the community, has held four ‘Picture This’ festivals featuring international disability films since 2001. Several of their projects have used video and performance in organizing people with developmental disabilities to speak Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 out on personal and social justice issues.1 Stage-Left Productions, also based in Calgary, has hosted four performing arts festivals between 2002 and 2005. Stage Left Productions engage in professional artist - community collaboration. They “practice a highly specialized, socio-political performing arts model made up of Popular Theater and Theatre of the Oppressed techniques, coupled with interdisciplinary Performance Creation, to genuinely affect personal and social transformation in marginalized communities.” (http://www.stage- left.org/StageLeftMain.htm)2 The Canadian Abilities Foundation held a disability film festival in June 2004 and a performing arts festival in the fall of 2005, both in Toronto. , Several Canadian disability artists are known on the national and international levels. These include comedians Gord Paynter and Tyler Fortin, dance artists Spirit Synott and France Geffory, and theatre artists Alix Blume and Victoria Maxwell. As well, companies such as Theatre Terrific in Vancouver, training programmes such as Dance Ability in Ottawa, and exhibit halls such as the Creative Spirit Centre in Toronto support the on-going development of the work of disability artists.3 This growth in disability arts events and festivals over the past five years is a new feature on the Canadian disability scene. Although past disability conferences 1 1 For more information, please see www.calgscope.org. 2 For more information, please see www.stage-left.org. 3 For a more complete listing of disability artists and disability arts organizations, please see www.stage- left.org. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. and conventions have included artists in their focus on the struggle for Human Rights and equality4, disability arts festivals represent a different type of event. These are. arts events first and foremost, focusing on the artistic merits of the exhibits and performances, and on how this art translates into an expression of an emerging disability culture ........ This present study is very much intertwined with my own identity as a disabled person, as a student of Social Work as well as a disability artist. For the past 16 years I’ve been performing both stand-up comedy and theatre, touring professionally across Canada and around the world. I’ve attended several disability arts festivals and have met disability artists such as David Roche in California, Philip Patson in New Zealand, Mat Frazer in England, and Tony Doyle in Australia. These performers are all powerful forces within the international Disability Arts and Culture Movement. My work in comedy and theatre primarily focuses on the physical and attitudinal barriers which I face as a disabled person. I find that humour provides a bond between the audience and the performer. It enables me to 'attack' the audience's own perceptions of disability without alienating them. Comedy provides a sense that I am sharing my experiences with them, and that
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