Theatre and Autism: Staging the Interior

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