'Six invited guests enter the space one by one. They choose a ball, shoe, or frisbee and take a seat. A story is told.
'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.
'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.'
Source: Darlinghurst Theatre Company.
Writing Disability in Australia
| Type of disability |
Physical disability Chronic pain |
| Type of character | Primary |
| Point of view | First person |
Presented in South Australia at FELTspace (2021), Headspace Berri (2021), and SALA Festival).
Presented as part of Midsumma Festival, 2022.
Presented at Darlinghurst Theatre (NSW premiere), 25-29 May 2023.
Director and Dramaturg: Amy Sole.
Cast: Jamila Main.
