초록 열기/닫기 버튼
This paper aims to discuss the meaning of the body in disability theatre, primarily focusing on its performativity. Disability theatre has only recently come to scholarly attention. Because disability dramas emerged with the rise of the civil rights movements in the 1960s, early scholars mostly concentrated on identity politics—sometimes in a humanitarian effort to “properly represent” disabled persons in forging a group identity. This paper discusses Susan Nussbaum’s No One as Nasty (1995) and Martyna Majok’s Cost of Living (2016) with a slightly different focus. This study starts with the observation that performativity is critical to discourse on disability, after which it examines the two plays within the framework of performance theory. Although the plays are set apart by 20 years, they share meaningful commonalities in that they highlight the indispensable relation between the disabled body and theatricality. As the two plays develop, they address the ontological dilemma that postdramatic theatre faces—the question of representation and presence. The 2000 performance of No One as Nasty featured a non-disabled actor who underwent a rigorous training to “realistically represent” disability. The play further delves into theatricality by staging imaginary figures with whom other “real” characters interact. Although Cost of Living featured disabled actors, the kind of disability characters have is different from that which the actors have, which brings us back to the question, “Is the disabled body on stage representation or presence?” Through a careful comparative analysis, I will identify the moment wherein the disabled body in both plays ceases to function as a referential sign.
키워드열기/닫기 버튼
disability theatre, the body, representation, presence, performativity
