Theatre and Autism: Staging the Interior

This project examines theatrical representations of autism, positing live performance as a vehicle for staging the
embodied, subjective experience of autism in a manner distinct from other mediums. My thesis is an extended
examination of multiple forms of theatrical performance, including commercial, biographical, and stand-up comedy. I
extend and sometimes challenge medical understandings of the condition that define it in terms of deficit or flaw. I
seek to create new knowledge about autism and challenge widely held assumptions, showcasing personal
narratives of autism to illuminate how the condition is subjectively experienced, and investigate how live
performance can contribute to the improvement of material conditions for autistic people. This research asks how
cultural representations of autism in theatre and performance illuminates some of the overlaps and tensions that
characterise these distinct approaches, and signposts new ways of understanding autistic experience.