Jerome Bel’s “Disabled Theater” was fascinating, entertaining, and very moving. I think that having a translator translate everything was very moving because you could see the facial expressions on the actors before you knew what they were saying. At one point, an actress looked down – seemingly in shame as she spoke in German. The translator then translated for her: “I’m sorry for my disability.” I wanted to tear up.
I absolutely don’t think Jerome Bel was exploiting the actors’ disabilities. I think he was giving them a second chance and a means by which they can believe they live a totally normal life. Once they all stated that as a profession, they were all actors, I imagined it must be hard for disabled people to find parts in shows. But you could hear in their voice that they were all very committed to being actors. Bel let them truly be themselves on a stage, in front of an audience, just as any non-disabled actor would do in a theater setting.
Every actor was thrilled to be called up onto stage to do their dance rendition. They all seemed to have so much fun showing their creations, and as an audience member, I was thrilled to see their performances. Their excitement, even the clapping and lip singing from the other actors during each performance, was contagious. I wanted to clap with them! Every actor made me smile. They had not a care in the world. They danced how they wanted to. They showed off their talents as best as they could and they had the power to control an audience.
What I don’t understand is why Bel would choose seven of the “best” performances to display. It was apparent that every actor was proud of his or her work, so it upset me at first to hear that some actors would not be allowed to perform their piece. I was relieved, though, when he gave the last three a chance. But as to why he even broke them up into groups in the first place confuses me. I thought the last three were equally as good, powerful, and moving as the first seven.
It just so happens that we have to perform a 3-5 minute dance performance as our final project. For me to choose my song and choreograph my piece took a long time. Hours and hours. I really tried to convey that my dad lives a normal life and then reflects on his days and tries to find things that could be made humorous. The actors we saw all also had to compile a 3-5 minute piece. Seeing that they were able to successfully do so and especially have fun with it showed me that they are just as capable of performing as non-disabled people are.
Overall, I think Jerome Bel is doing a beautiful thing. He is allowing these people that are probably always pitied to let their voice and body be “heard” saying that there is no need to pity them. I would highly recommend this performance. It’s a lot of fun and it made me feel warm inside.
– Kyle (Blog B)
