Re-Thinking, Re-Imagining, and Re-Interpreting Disability in Brad Fraser’s Play 'Kill Me Now'

Abstract

Disability representation on stage is not a new concept and has been present in Western theatre since the Greeks. In recent years, disability scholars and activists are calling for a re-examination of how we create, stage and perform disability on our stages. To facilitate an examination of disability representation, this thesis explores Brad Fraser’s play Kill Me Now. Fraser’s play was the subject of controversy after it was staged in the United Kingdom in 2015. Dea Birkett challenged the text’s frame of disability representation and the lack of inclusive casting in her article in The Guardian. This thesis will examine Fraser’s text and endeavour to uncover how the disabled characters are constructed and conceived within this play. Additionally, an analysis of the 2017 co-production by the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and National Arts Centre will offer an opportunity to examine and possibly address Birkett’s concerns due to the inclusive casting of Joey—the first production to cast a disabled actor in this role. This thesis focuses on the dynamic of the father and son figures of Jake and Joey, exploring the dramaturgical questions of textual construction and performance, and how this text and its performance answers or falls short of the call from the disability community for more and better disabled representation onstage.