Sounding a Crip Aesthetic
Transforming the Sonic in Samuel Beckett’s Not I
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22123738 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Megan Johnson (0000-0003-3790-5180, York University), Megan A Johnson (0000-0003-2525-8289, York University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 67-84 |
| Publication date | 2021-03-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Performance Matters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2369-2537 • E-ISSN: 2369-2537 |
| Publisher | Consortium Erudit (PUBLISHER • CA) |
| DOI | 10.7202/1075801ar |
| OpenAlex | W3128002388 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 17 |
This article analyzes a recent production of Samuel Beckett’s play Not I performed by Jess Thom, a neurodiverse performer most well known by the moniker Touretteshero. Not I is a monologue of twisting and fragmented text revered for the physical, vocal, and emotional challenge it presents to performers and audiences alike. This article takes up the aesthetic, material, and sonic changes made to the play in the Touretteshero production, which serve to reimagine and reconstruct the “sonic profile” of the work. Together, these changes enact a crip aesthetic that illuminates the often-hidden exclusionary structures that permeate theatrical practice. Specifically, this article describes the material changes made to the production in the service of increased accessibility for performer and audience, how Thom’s vocal tics interact with Beckett’s already fragmented text, and how the production’s integration of sign language interpretation extends how we conceptualize sound. Through this analysis, Thom’s performance emerges as a revolutionary contribution to contemporary disability arts that reimagines the value of disability and the possibilities for sound in performance
Aesthetics · Art · Linguistics · Performing arts · Political science · Politics · The arts · Visual arts · Law · Philosophy · Samuel Beckett and Modernism · Theatre and Performance Studies
In the break
The Antitheatrical Prejudice
Sound Studies Meets Deaf Studies
Only Her Mouth Could Move”
Chronic Conditions
Disability theatre and modern drama
Desiring Disability Differently
Disability Art and Re-Worlding Possibilities
Distending Straight‐Masculine Time
Six Ways of Looking at Crip Time
Introduction
From Sound to Sound Space, Sound Environment, Soundscape, Sound Milieu or Ambiance
The Bodymind Problem and the Possibilities of Pain
Hearing Difference across Theatres
In a Queer Time and Place
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |