Abstract:

This paper reviews three pieces of contemporary theatre which feature learning-disabled actors. It identifies particularities of a context which has remained critically under-represented. The paper identifies such practice as transitional: from the margins of disability politics to the mainstream of the paying audience. The overarching question is: by what criteria should the work of learning-disabled artists be judged? It examines what is meant by 'good' in a context which has been assessed more often by therapeutic or social outcome than artistic achievement. The paper opens a debate on the aesthetic properties of the work.

Keywords: theatre; learning disability

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/13569780802655764

Affiliations: 1: Drama, University of Northumbria, UK