Full Description
I Was Never Alone or Oporniki presents an original ethnographic stage play, based on fieldwork conducted in Russia with adults with disabilities. The core of the work is the script of the play itself, which is accompanied by a description of the script development process, from the research in the field to rehearsals for public performances. In a supporting essay, the author argues that both ethnography and theatre can be understood as designs for being together in unusual ways, and that both practices can be deepened by recognizing the vibrant social impact of interdependency animated by vulnerability, as identified by disability theorists and activists.
Contents
About This BookForeword Play Script Cast of CharactersSettingTime Portrait I: VeraPortrait II: VakasPortrait III: AlinaPortrait IV: SergeiPortrait V: RudakPortrait VI: AnyaPhotosEthnographer's Essay: Rituals of VulnerabilityIntroductionBackgrounda. Words for Disabilityb. Disability in Russiac. Defining Performance Ethnographyd. Performance Ethnography and/in AnthropologyStaging Disability: Interdependency and Crip Time Making I Was Never Alone or Oporniki: Origins and Writing ProcessRepresenting Russia on the North American StageMaking I Was Never Alone or Oporniki: Casting and Rehearsing Access: Disability Theatre in PracticeConclusionAfterwordAppendix 1: Performance Ethnography ExercisesAppendix 2: Disability TerminologyAppendix 3: Russian and Soviet Historical References Appendix 4: Suggestions for Reading this Work in the ClassroomAppendix 5: Prop List and Dramaturgical NoteAppendix 6: An Ethic of Accommodation Appendix 7: Glossary and Pronunciation of Russian Words
