Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Perception Podcast with me your host Caroline Partridge. Today I'm blessed to be talking to the force of nature that is the multi-talented Mr Mat Fraser. As well as being internationally known as a disabled actor, writer, and musician Mat is a long time advocate and activist within the disability rights movement. In our conversation Mat shares his journey from angry young man to equally passionate older man within the industry, and how changes over the last 30 years have impacted his career, for example the practice of 'disability-blind' casting and what that means in terms of expectation and reality. We discuss Mat's brilliant new Netflix show 'KAOS', and his current theatre show 'Unspeakable Conversations'. - And we look back at his controversial 2005 show 'Thalidomide!! A Musical' as we debate how audience guilt and cultural sensitivity can prevent us from being able to accept humour. Mat also shares the surprising personal challenge he faced when his 85 year old mother took a lover 35 years her junior, his proudest moments, and why you should never go to bed on an argument. So please join me as we look at life through a different lens.

 KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Mat is approached for interviews and thoughts more now than ever, because of the amount of experience he has built in disability advocacy, particularly in the arts space.
• In his youth, Mat projected a lot more anger onto the world, he has always been an outspoken person and felt he had to make his own rules in life to navigate the ableism he faced.
• Mat learnt to brand and promote his own theatre shows, with rules and controls, so that they couldn’t be framed in a prejudiced way.
• Comedy trends are intrinsically linked with society and current culture, Mat has had to change his style of comedy and performances as almost all comedians do.
• Comedy is the ability to laugh at anything in society and acknowledge humanity and our existence.
• Inclusivity doesn’t erase ignorance, something Mat has experienced frequently on set. He tries to always educate crews and production teams.
• Whilst culture in the West is more inclusive in a lot of areas for disabled people, it often isn’t realistic or takes into account the real experiences of disabled people.

BEST MOMENTS

"I’ve been around so long that people care what I think about stuff or think that my take on it might have some value given the length of time I have been looking at the subject”

“None of the things that are meant to happen when you obey the rules happened so I thought for disabled people it doesn’t count so fuck all rules in that case, I’ll make my own path”

“I think we need disobedience, we need disobedient adults because otherwise we’re completely fucked over”

“I do have hope for the future, you have to have hope for the future”

“There was a lot of audience guilt, that’s why people didn’t want to laugh”

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/View-Down-Here-Young-Disabled/dp/0241612764

ABOUT THE GUEST

Mat Fraser

Mat Fraser is an internationally known disabled actor, writer, and musician, recognised for his work in shows like “KAOS” (Netflix) and “Gangs of London” (Amazon Prime). He recently played Peter Singer in the play “Unspeakable Conversations”. Mat's writing, including the series “CripTales” for the BBC, has won awards. He is currently pitching dramas around disability for the BBC under the working title “7 Deadly Sins” and is part of a team pitching a sitcom set in the world of fan conventions to US TV stations. He is also part of a 3 person writing team for a sitcom set in the world of fan conventions, currently being pitched to USA TV stations. Everything Mat writes has a connection to disability, which Mat understands though the Social model of Disability. 

Socials & Contact

Website: www.matfraser.co.uk,

Instagram @mflidfraser,

Twitter: @mat_fraser

Facebook : Mat Fraser

https://www.amazon.co.uk/View-Down-Here-Young-Disabled/dp/0241612764

CONTACT METHOD

FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/caropartridge

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-partridge-03131520

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/partridge_caroline