None Of Us Is Yet A Robot

by Emma Frankland

‘Draws on a vital history of trans performance – an emerging canon that may no longer be ignored.’ – Morgan M Page, from her foreword

Seven turbulent years. Five radical performances. One landmark publication.

None of Us is Yet a Robot charts artist and performer Emma Frankland’s gender transition against a shifting social and political landscape, while grappling with the systematic erasure of trans history.

Featuring introductions from foremost theatre practitioners, including Maddy Costa and Travis Alabanza, this collection of work is an evocative exploration of a trans experience in twenty-first century Britain.

Genres: Theatre

224 pages, Paperback

Published June 25, 2019

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way that this book was made is how all books about performance art and theatre should be made. The five works represented (but by no means contained) in these pages are done more justice than any play I have ever read has been done by its play-text, including plays which are a hundred times more straightforwardly about the words than these. Frankland's work has never been simple, and is in fact deeply embodied in the location and atmosphere and audience of each performance - the earlier works even more so than Hearty, which I was lucky enough to see in Edinburgh this summer. And yet, the conversational format of the introductions (a word I almost hesitate to use) brought to life the inter-personal reality of making performances, and the detailed but not didactic descriptions of the sets/locations and all other relevant aspects of the chosen productions really brought the pieces to life in a way I've never seen before in a text of a performance.

The physical quality of the book - photos, formatting, paper, etc - was also astounding and makes it a real physical treasure as well as a treasure-trove of history and inspiration.

[AinaBN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una proposta súper interessant. Bàsicament, l'autora crea una mena d'arxiu queer que recull les cinc performances trans que formen part del seu projecte "None of Us Is Yet a Robot" i, a part d'incloure imatges, il•lustracions i texts, també incorpora entrevistes que posen totes les obres en context i obren converses molt estimulants. Així mateix, m'ha agradat molt que Emma Frankland reconeix tota la història i el llegat d'artistes queer que han influït i inspirat el seu art.

[Jack Trader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never read a book that translates visual and performance art pieces so well into the read format as this one. The entire thing is absolutely inspiring, both from a political and an artistic point of view. I hope to someday have the chance to watch one of these performances live.

[Cara Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the 5 plays included in this collection, I have only seen the last one (Hearty) live. It was really interesting seeing the context and lead up to it though. I think reading it through after seeing it was really useful to me as I’m not very good with metaphor, which this set is full of. I also loved the interviews and behind the scenes parts splitting up the plays.

It’s also the most interestingly formatted play script I’ve ever read, incorporating traditional text, images, and comic book style layouts.