Benched

★★★★ - TimeOut

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An intimate performance that ruminates on athleticism within a disabled body.

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“I don’t think of myself as a sporty person. I didn’t think I’d be disabled by my early twenties.” - Jamila Main

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Six invited guests enter the space one by one. They choose a ball, shoe, or frisbee and take a seat. A story is told. 

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Actor and award-winning playwright Jamila Main invites you to join them for an intimate moment of rumination on athleticism within a body whose access needs subvert the assumed binary of disability. Audiences will watch the story shift before their eyes as special guests join Jamila Main on the bench throughout the season. 

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Benched continues Jamila’s work with autobiographical storytelling and sees Jamila wielding their privilege as a palatable disabled person to put frank, nuanced portrayals of disabled bodies into public view. Jamila’s work asks ablebodied spectators to reconsider their assumptions of sick and disabled people, and to confront their own temporarily abled body. Jamila joyfully presents theatre for disabled and chronically ill people, an opportunity to commiserate and celebrate disability together.

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The New South Wales Premiere.

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Darlinghurst Theatre Company, Eternity Playhouse

Sydney, Australia

May 2022

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Cast and Creative 

Jamila Main - Playwright & Actor

Amy Sole - Director & Dramaturg

Rikiah Lizarraga - Stage Manager

Jacqueline Tooley - Producer & Accessibility Manager

Ruby Allegra - Art Exhibition Curator