Political Re-formulations in Inclusive Theatre

Abstract

Many discourses in research on inclusive theater as well as in artistic practice have in recent years abandoned the notion of mere (social) participation of people with disabilities and concentrated more on the investigation of independent and artistic forms of representation of people with disabilities in theater productions. The European Cultural Policy funding policy within the European Union responds to this change by partially promoting projects that artistically shape this change, without, however, altering the rhetoric used in the promotional programs for artistic participation and inclusion. Therefore, no comprehensive paradigm shift has yet taken place, which would adequately consider the aesthetic and performative self-understanding in contemporary inclusive theater and recognize it as political positions. The aim of the present contribution is to understand to what extent this transformation process theoretically manifests itself in existing research positions. The article also examines the extent to which European funding programs already play a measurable role in this field through their semantics.