Interdependent Magic: Disability Performance in Canada is a collection of plays and interviews by, for, and about Disabled theatre artists that invites readers into the magical worlds of Disability arts culture.

The book features four plays as well as an interview with artist Niall McNeil. In Smudge by Alex Bulmer, a woman details her journey toward Blindness, mourning what she loses and discovering what her other senses provide. Access Me by Boys in Chairs Collective is a celebration of sex and Disability, providing an all-access safe space to spin around. Antarctica by Syrus Marcus Ware imagines a world where racialized people have survived multiple catastrophes and must begin terraforming a new colony. And in Deafy by Chris Dodd, a Deaf public speaker takes the audience on an unexpected journey of discovering what it really means to belong.

Jessica Watkin is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies. Her research is engaged in Disability artists and the way they create performance. She is a Blind multidisciplinary artist, accessibility designer, Disability dramaturg, and educator. She lives in Toronto.

Jessica Watkin's profile page

• Joint winner, Patrick O'Neill Award

In Interdependent Magic, magic is rendered through Jessica Watkin’s indomitable leadership in gathering a set of intrepid Disabled artists to ritualize change.

Patrick O’Neill Award, Canadian Association for Theatre Research