Posted: 11/1/19 at 11:40am
I'm returning to my high school to be a disability consultant for their production of Curious Incident....
Is Christopher the only character in theater that is known to be autistic?
Posted: 11/1/19 at 12:50pm
From the way Christopher was portrayed onstage in the Broadway production, I would say that in the stage version at least, he is a little further on the spectrum than Asperger's. I would say that Christopher has full-blown autism, but is "high functioning."
According to Wikipedia, Asperger's Syndrome - in the way we regard it today - did not become something that was really understood and diagnosed until the 1980's, and I don't think it was something people were widely aware of until around the new millennium, so at least in terms of plays that have been widely produced, I guess it hasn't really been given a "chance" yet. As autism awareness grows, I imagine we will see more characters who are written as having autism.
However, there are probably MANY characters in dramatic literature that could be interpreted as having undiagnosed high-functioning autism or Asperger's, such as Alan in Equus, Michael in The Pillowman, and Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park with George.
Posted: 11/1/19 at 1:04pm
I am not too sure, but mind me asking what a Disability Consultant is? Title is self explanatory but I'm more curious with in terms of job specifics and relation to what you're doing for this production. Sounds like something I could work in haha. Man I wish I was able to see this show however. It seemed simply unreal.
Posted: 11/1/19 at 1:37pm
Anat Gov's "Oh God" (Sometimes called "O My God"
has a character with autism, who I think is generally played by an actor with autism. The teenage girl who is the main character of Aditi Kapil's "Orange" also has autism. And there's a play floating around called "On the Spectrum," which has several characters who are on the spectrum.
Posted: 11/1/19 at 2:10pm
Some actors play Elder Cunningham as being on the spectrum.
Posted: 11/1/19 at 2:22pm
There was a play off-broadway called "Uncommon Sense" that had several characters on the spectrum. I want to say there was also one at 5e5s theatre a year or so as well but don't remember the name.
Posted: 11/1/19 at 2:35pm
The Distinctive Baritone said: "From the way Christopher was portrayed onstage in the Broadway production, I would say that in the stage version at least, he is a little further on the spectrum than Asperger's. I would say that Christopher has full-blown autism, but is "high functioning."
According to Wikipedia, Asperger's Syndrome - in the way we regard it today - did not become something that was really understood and diagnosed until the 1980's, and I don't think it was something people were widely aware of until around the new millennium, so at least in terms of plays that have been widely produced, I guess it hasn't really been given a "chance" yet. As autism awareness grows, I imagine we will see more characters who are written as having autism.
However, there are probably MANY characters in dramatic literature that could be interpreted as having undiagnosed high-functioning autism or Asperger's, such asAlan inEquus,Michael inThe Pillowman,and Georges Seurat inSunday in the Park with George."
I had never considered Georges or Alan in terms of Autism (unfamiliar with The Pillowman), but I think that interpretation makes a lot of sense, and it opens up my mind in terms of ways to interpret them. Thanks!
Posted: 11/1/19 at 2:40pm
One could make a case for Higgins as being on the spectrum. His severe fixation on one topic, his lack of social skills, his bluntness that's taken as rudeness. Bart Sher said that he was trying to make this Higgins in the last revival more on the spectrum than simply rude and ill-mannered.
Posted: 11/1/19 at 10:44pm
poisonivy2 said: "Bart Sher said that he was trying to make this Higgins in the last revival more on the spectrum than simply rude and ill-mannered."
Wow, that's extremely interesting!
And also thanks to everyone else! I'll do research for the plays tomorrow. And yeah, I thought Cummingham can be perceived as an autistic character, depending on the actor!
Mike Barrett said: "I am not too sure, but mind me asking what a Disability Consultant is? Title is self explanatory but I'm more curious with in terms of job specifics and relation to what you're doing for this production. Sounds like something I could work in haha. Man I wish I was able to see this show however. It seemed simply unreal."
Sure! :) It's just to advise on the acting and the creative designs and making sure everything is as accurate as possible. Like how the lighting design can feel intense to show Christopher's sensory overload. My friend and co-worker is actually coming with me to talk to the students about her experiences with a woman on the spectrum! And you will def. see the show. This will be the first time I'm seeing it!
Posted: 11/2/19 at 11:42pm
The DSM-5 – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – eliminated Aspergers as a diagnosis. Today, the symptoms previous defined as Aspergers is refer to "spectrum disorder". So, in a very 'Aspergers'esq' answer, only historical plays set before the DSM-5 can have characters with Aspergers. I believe this was a terrible mistake by the American Psychiatric Association, but it is what it is.
Posted: 11/3/19 at 8:35pm
Posted: 11/3/19 at 9:51pm
Asperger's Syndrome was considered to be part of the autism spectrum of disorders, meaning that the disturbance occurs on a continuum that must be observed and diagnosed professionally. I've worked with several clients who were misdiagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and misdiagnosed with some level of autism, so there can be a very fine line. It would be rather difficult to identify any character in a play/musical on the spectrum unless the character is identified as such and the author knows what s/he is talking about.
Posted: 11/3/19 at 10:42pm
