If these spasms could speak: Robert Softley

Written and performed by Robert Softley, If these spasms could speak reveals an insider's take on disability, and the sad, awkward, or funny moments it can bring about.

It all started a couple of years ago, when Softley and his partner were on holiday. "We got some champagne and then my hand spasmed, and I spilt the champagne all over him. And we had to laugh," he says. Having exchanged stories with other disabled people, as well as making use of his own experiences, Softley began to develop If these spasms could speak during a residency with Creative Scotland in 2011. It follows Softley's work Girl X, a play about an eleven year old girl with cerebral palsy, co-created with The National Theatre of Scotland.

"It was good work but I thought, I don't want to come across as this person who's angry at the world all the time," Siftley says of Girl X. "That's not who I am. I wanted to create a piece that was more friendly, and more accessible."

Now the artistic director for theatre company Birds of Paradise, Softley has been in the acting business for about eleven years. In the last four years, he has focused on his own artistic practice. Consequently, he has been able to create work about issues he feels are interesting or vital to discuss. “You create work about the stuff that seems important to you at the time," he says.

His latest works have engaged with disability - more specifically other people’s perceptions of disability and whether they are accurate or not. They also tie in with his efforts in disability activism. In truth, it is very difficult to disentangle the politics of disability activism from performances about disability or by disabled artists. This is possibly one of the reasons he creates work intended to make people think as well as entertain.

“In some ways, my being on stage is always going to be a political thing," he offers. "It’s so out of the ordinary that it’s always going to be political.” Unfortunately, accessibility is still a problem in many places across Scotland. Most recently, Softley and his partner faced a form of discrimination at a club in Glasgow, when they were not granted access. “It’s 2013. There has to be a point where we say ‘Actually, that’s not acceptable,’” says Softley. He is absolutely right - there is still work to be done.

However, according to the performer, not all is lost. In some respects, things are getting better. Last year’s Paralympics seem to have had a great impact on how disability is perceived. While there are not many parts or many directors willing to cast disabled actors in the world of conventional theatre, disabled artists can still make work about their experiences and about themselves, creating some of the most interesting work around. This is probably how Robert Softley's one man show became one of the highlights of The Arches Behaviour programme in 2012. If these spasms could speak is presented as part of the Made in Scotland showcase.