Indocile Bodies: Beckett in the Polish Theatre of Learning Disability

Abstract

The article examines two plays inspired by Samuel Beckett’s works and staged by two Polish companies of actors with intellectual disability: Bógot by Mimo To Pan Tego Nima and Bez słów by Teatr Trochę Inny. Examined through the lens of cultural disability studies, these performances offer new interpretations of Beckett’s texts which go beyond the metaphorical commentary on the human existential predicament. The article also argues that Bógot and Bez słów underscore the aesthetic value of disability, understood as a form of human variety, and the importance of questioning and challenging the imposed, normalized patterns of behaviour.