Project Overview

“Unspoken Futures” uses research-creation, ethnography, and theatre performance to explore how individuals with disabilities and neurodivergencies imagine and intervene in emergent futures.

In partnership with York University’s Department of Theatre, Dance and Performance, Theatre Direct, and Sensorium: Centre for Digital Arts and Technology, Dr. Magdalena Kazubowski-Houston, along with co-facilitators Lisa Marie DiLiberto and Sasha Singer-Wilson, collaborate with self-identified disabled and neurodivergent artists Timothy Anderson, Andreas Prinz, Tyler Preece, Angela Sun, and Zoe Tomaras. This collaborative work will culminate in a free public presentation in The Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre at York University at 1 p.m. on February 22, 2024.

Supported by a SSHRC Connection Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Please register here.

Project Details

The complex and diverse lived experiences of individuals with disabilities and neurodivergencies often inspire them to envision, desire, and shape futures in unique and imaginative ways. These futures reflect not only their personal aspirations but also their interactions with societal norms and expectations, and medical care. However, such visions and desires can be difficult to articulate through verbal means, as they encompass embodied, emotional, and sensory dimensions that can transcend language. This inability to fully express embodied perspectives can lead to misunderstandings and misrepresentations, profoundly impacting the daily lives of people with disabilities, their access to equitable care, and the ways in which society perceives and values them as individuals.

To convey these desires for and imaginings of possible futures, multi-sensory research methods might be required. “Unspoken Futures” will bring these imaginings to life through an innovative blend of ethnography and theatre-making. Theatre engages the senses and emotions, serving as a powerful medium for conveying ethnographic knowledge about lived experiences in a collaborative, informative, and empathetic way.

“Unspoken Futures” bridges the gap between academic research and public understanding while advocating for more inclusive futures that might result in more holistic medical care, informed and compassionate policies, and in the reduction of stigma. The performance will invite audiences to rethink how we understand and study disability futures.

The project will culminate in a public performance where the artists will present their devised piece to an audience, followed by a Q&A session to discuss the insights generated through the project. Together, the workshop, performance, and Q&A will provide valuable training opportunities for all participants.

Photos by Tyler Preece.