BEING DEBRA

‘Being Debra – is a very different experience. Also tear-worthy. A virtual reality film in which one becomes a close companion of Debra Keenahan, an artist with achondroplasia dwarfism. You sit with her on a bench; it’s a lovely day in the park. Until the belittling behaviour begins. People take photos of your friend, laugh out loud in groups and the desire to get up from beside her and thump them is pretty strong!’
Judith, Reviews by Judith (and Friends)

‘I was seated comfortably facing a blank wall, then fitted with 3D goggles and a pair of headphones. The system is switched on and suddenly I am no longer me. I have about 180° vision and can observe individuals or groups of people and the locations as they change. BUT NOW I AM DEBRA! It is a very, very confronting experience and the behaviour of people including medical staff, and the public is sickening and appalling. … I looked around, dazed after watching the video. There were people of all shapes and sizes. Some not much taller than Debra. Nobody took any notice of them. Nor should they. So why treat people like Debra differently?’
Audience Response to ‘Being Debra’

‘Being Debra’ is a virtual reality film that immerses the viewer into the lived experience of a person with dwarfism in contemporary Australian society. Initiated and creatively led by artist Debra Keenahan, ‘Being Debra’ was shot with 180 cameras from her perspective. The experience includes flashbacks to Debra’s memories of school, dating, and engaging with authority figures, including doctors, as well as her routine daily encounters in a park. The film deliberately deconstructs time, space and narrative structure to offer a unique insight into Debra’s life with all its challenges, ugliness and triumphs. ‘Being Debra’ utilises VR to promote empathy and understanding by offering the viewer a first-person experience of disability and how it is perceived in by the wider community.

‘Being Debra’ premiered in the Big Anxiety Festival as part of the Empathy Clinic at the UNSW: Art & Design Galleries, 27 September to 9 November 2019. ‘Being Debra’ also featured at the VR Station during Art After Hours, Art Gallery of NSW on 16 October 2019.

CREATIVE TEAM
Artistic Director: Debra Keenahan
Direction & Casting Director: Katrina Douglas
Screen Play: Katrina Douglas, Debra Keenahan & Sarah Keenahan
Art Director & Production Design: Volker Kuchelmeister
Producer & Script Consultant: Jill Bennett
Audio Recording, Sound Engineer & Production Assistant: Louis Pratt
Sound Track: Damien Everett
Picture Edit: Katrina Douglas & Volker Kuchelmeister
Photo Documentation: Robert Brindley

CAST
Debra: Debra Keenahan
Sarah & Young Debra: Sarah Keenahan
Leila: Alex King
Mirabella: Danielle O’Keefe
Tom: Benjamin Palangkosh
Vera: Kate Mannix
Teenage Boys: George Pope, Luc Bennett, Roy Wallace-Cant & Samuel Lane
Obstetrician: Fred Copperwaite
Senior Doctor: Jane Phegan
Tanya: May Tran
Loretta: Iris Simpson
Aaron: Alex Chalwell
Xavier: Curly Fernandez
Charles: Hudson Musty
Junior Doctors: Sophie Avellino, Nissa Rogers & Zoe Sadler