Cardiff University | Prifysgol Caerdydd ORCA
Online Research @ Cardiff 
WelshClear Cookie - decide language by browser settings

Funny business: Disability, humour, and performance in theatre and drag spaces

Thomas, Gareth M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4959-2337 2025. Funny business: Disability, humour, and performance in theatre and drag spaces. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research 27 (1) , pp. 551-564. 10.16993/sjdr.1350

[thumbnail of 68ef84f9e5c65.pdf]
Preview
PDF - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (653kB) | Preview

Abstract

Disability and humour have an uneasy relationship. Research on disability and humour, particularly when concerned with learning-disabled adults, frequently raises questions of comprehension and highlights the potential for ridicule. Yet, we know very little about the role of humour in the lives of learning-disabled adults. Drawing on observations of a theatre group and a drag group for learning-disabled adults, and on interviews with theatre/drag staff and parents of learning-disabled adult children, I recognise learning-disabled adults as instigators, rather than objects, of humour. Humour is a prominent feature of training spaces and serves various functions, including cultivating a sense of belonging and connection. In public performances, the humour activities of learning-disabled adults, and approving reactions of audience members, reassert the agency, capabilities, and humanity of performers. Despite tensions, such as a potential for mockery and exploitation, I recognise how humour is enacted in ways that dismantle a deficit scripting of disabled lives.

Item Type: Article
Date Type: Published Online
Status: Published
Schools: Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Publisher: Stockholm University Press
ISSN: 1745-3011
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 1 October 2025
Date of Acceptance: 1 October 2025
Last Modified: 16 Oct 2025 09:30
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/181440

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item Edit Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics