Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
9-2025
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Theatre and Performance
Advisor
Jean Graham-Jones
Committee Members
Peter Eckersall
Elizabeth L. Wollman
Subject Categories
Disability Studies | Theatre and Performance Studies
Keywords
disability theatre, community building, transnational, dramaturgy, space, aesthetics
Abstract
“Disability Theatre Communities” examines how communities are constructed in, through, and around contemporary international disability theatre performances. It explores ideas of community formation and intersection across three case studies to elucidate the various ways in which disability theatre artists, productions, companies, and organizations attract, engage, and educate variable artist and audience communities. The project analyzes Rome, Italy’s Teatro Patologico and its Integrated Theatre of Emotion, a theatrical training program for neurodivergent performers; Wales-based writer, theatre-maker, and dramaturg Kaite O’Reilly, whose international collaborations center d/Deaf and disabled performers and foreground audience accessibility; and the biennial BIT (Blind in Theatre) International Festival in Zagreb, Croatia, hosted by Novi Život Theatre of the Blind and Visually Impaired. These subjects reflect different types of theatre communities, a range of theatrical material (original work, adaptation, and devised work), and the wide spectrum of disability in transnational and international works from the first two decades of the twenty-first century.
“Disability Theatre Communities” argues that community is not a peripheral concern in disability theatre. Community is cultivated intentionally by artists and institutions and experienced by audience members in and through the act of performance. Community becomes a framework through which artistic, social, and political objectives might be realized. Although disability theatre performances necessarily change and mean differently to different communities when they travel, disability theatre in any context can be a powerful tool for bringing together multiple peoples and multiple communities from across the spectrums of disability and normalcy. However, the goals of disability theatre communities are not limited to access and inclusion within theatrical spaces. The aims of these communities often extend beyond the stage because of artists’ express goals to influence public discourse and policy.
Recommended Citation
Hill, Joseph Paul, "Disability Theatre Communities: Engaging Artists and Audiences in Contemporary International Performance" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6435
