"Get down on your knees": Representing the Seven Dwarfs in the Pantomime

Pritchard, Erin (2022) "Get down on your knees": Representing the Seven Dwarfs in the Pantomime. Disability Studies Quarterly, 42 (1). ISSN 1041-5718

Text (Journal article HTML) 7607 - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (99kB)

Abstract

Dwarfs are prominent figures within the entertainment industry, but there is limited academic focus on representations of them in the theatre. In this paper, I explore one of the most prominent representations of dwarfism in the theatre: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The paper argues that the current representation of the Seven Dwarfs engages with disabling humour, which mocks their stature and has implications for people with dwarfism in society. Focusing on three different forms of casting including; using people with dwarfism, average height adults and children to fulfil the roles of the Seven Dwarfs, I argue that each representation promotes a negative stereotype of dwarfism, which can be explained by different theories of humour. In the last part, I suggest that using disability humour within scenes featuring the Seven Dwarfs can help to challenge stereotypes of dwarfism, which are less likely to have negative repercussions upon people with dwarfism in society.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Pantomime, dwarfism, Seven Dwarfs, theories of humour, disability humour
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Education and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Erin Pritchard
Date Deposited:	07 Sep 2022 13:11
Last Modified:	07 Sep 2022 13:11
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/3603

Actions (login required)

View Item