Presentation of the book Lost in Translation. Disabilities on Stage

The volume reconstructs the stories that emerge from the encounter between disabilities and live performance, from the late 19th century to the present day. A broad chronological span in which, upon closer examination, artists with disabilities have only occasionally appeared—at least until now. What roles have they occupied? What do periods of absence reveal? In a narrative system built in the image of ‘normatively able’ people, how can we become aware of what is missing? What perspectives do we adopt to interpret and name disability on stage?

By engaging with these questions, a dense network of stories, practices, and poetic and political demands comes to light—one that forcefully extends beyond the stage, encroaching upon the domains of ethics, law, politics, and economics. Hence the urgency of a direct encounter with the subjectivities featured in the book, presented through a body of interviews at its conclusion, not out of fear of disturbing established terminology or hesitating in the face of the unknown, but rather from a deep need for listening, alliance, and complexity.