Disability explored, exposed and exhibited

So why is the Dis:cover ! conference important? The convenors of this conference feel that it is important to move toward even greater inclusion for people with disabilities. And perhaps equally, to challenge people’s views on disability. This is in fact an area of great importance in the disability debate, which is often overlooked and underestimated. Leading experts in the disability field have long-argued that in our society, it is largely a question of shifting public perceptions (of disability) in order to widen the options for people with a disability.

The conference is also delighted to announce an exciting late addition to the line-up of speakers. Mat Fraser, actor, writer, musician and sometime TV presenter will be speaking at the conference, after completing a run of his new show Thalidomide!! A Musical at the BAC in London. Most of Mat’s self-devised work as a performer has dealt in some measure with the social construct that is Disability. A construct that Mat, as a comedian, actor and TV presenter has had to meet and mess with every day of his life. Mat is looking forward to engaging in a day of debate, discussion and enlightenment.

It is Mat’s unashamed and un-politically correct “messing” with the hot issues of disability that led him to write Thalidomide!! A Musical. The public in its London run received the production with delight, awe and horror. Mat Fraser explained how he had come to write the musical; “Whenever I’d talk about it in a pub people would laugh into their pint, so I knew I was onto something. I wanted to write songs and I wanted to address serious issues about disability in a refreshingly non-politically correct way. People deal with adversity through comedy… it’s the best way to get across a message.”

Quizzed about the Wolverhampton councillor who had labelled the show “sick” and “exploitative.” Fraser responded warmly, “Yes. I’d like to thank him for doubling our bookings. That must have really annoyed him. It is sick and offensive, but very funny…it has been very well received on its national tour.”

In a recent interview, Fraser was clear that in an ideal world, he would simply be seen as an actor. “It’s what I am… I’d like to play a variety of roles; the father; the neighbour; the lawyer. Not to always have disability dictate the part … I may be playing Puck…(in)… A Midsummer Nights Dream.”

Mat Fraser also sought to respond to The Guardian’s Lyn Gardner’s critical review of Thalidomide!! A Musical. In his reply, also published in the same paper, Fraser responded to what he saw as the theatre critic’s anxieties about hard-edged politically incorrect jokes about “flippers and Thalidomide.”

“I’m sorry it wasn’t the show Gardner wanted it to be, and that she took such a worthy stance at what is…(essentially)… a bit of un-PC fun, designed to make people laugh, and perhaps learn a little bit. I think it’s time disability came out of the browbeaten closet, complete with cross-dressing and prosthetics, self-mockery and, as Gardner herself does admit, “laugh-out-loud shocking humour,” Fraser replied.

What Mat Fraser will bring to the conference is his refreshingly personal and insightful experiences “at the coalface” of having a disability and being an actor and theatre-maker in the public spotlight. According to Fraser, one of several hundred Thalidomide babies born in Britain, he is the only actor. It is certainly a unique and fascinating place from which to observe and mirror our society’s attitudes to disability.

This innovative and challenging conference is generating a great deal of interest, both nationally and internationally. As places are limited, early bookings are highly recommended.

For more information and a booking form contact :Jo Wilson, Bookings Officer. Tel: 01206 282937 or email: bookings.information@colchester.gov.uk. Or Marie Taylor
Marketing Officer, Colchester Museums. Tel: 01206 282927 or email: marie.taylor@colchester.gov.uk.

www.guardianunlimited.co.uk