Description
Book SynopsisI 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.
Table of ContentsAbout This Book Foreword Play Script Cast of Characters Setting Time Portrait I: Vera Portrait II: Vakas Portrait III: Alina Portrait IV: Sergei Portrait V: Rudak Portrait VI: Anya Photos Ethnographer’s Essay: Rituals of Vulnerability Introduction Background a. Words for Disability b. Disability in Russia c. Defining Performance Ethnography d. Performance Ethnography and/in Anthropology Staging Disability: Interdependency and Crip Time Making I Was Never Alone or Oporniki: Origins and Writing Process Representing Russia on the North American Stage Making I Was Never Alone or Oporniki: Casting and Rehearsing Access: Disability Theatre in Practice Conclusion Afterword Appendix 1: Performance Ethnography Exercises Appendix 2: Disability Terminology Appendix 3: Russian and Soviet Historical References Appendix 4: Suggestions for Reading this Work in the Classroom Appendix 5: Prop List and Dramaturgical Note Appendix 6: An Ethic of Accommodation Appendix 7: Glossary and Pronunciation of Russian Words
