Trigger warning: description of sensory meltdown, cultural appropriation?, ableism
OK, so I just looked back at my journals and realized that this is slightly out of order, but I wanted to take a moment and continue this. Shortly before some of the adventures described in the last few posts, our group had the opportunity to see the second of five shows together, based on the well acclaimed children's book "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time." Here is the part where I admit that I never actually read the book, so I had no idea what it was actually about (braces for audience heckling!) As the title may suggest, it is about the main character, Christopher, who has Asperger's and wants to solve the mystery of who stabbed his neighbor's dog.
Now before we even started the show, my friend and traveling companion wasted no time imparting on me how problematic it was that someone that had absolutely no experience with anybody who was Autistic, or on the spectrum in any way had even tried to write this play. That being said, I was pretty skeptical before watching the entire performance.
But I will agree that it was probably the best or second-best show out of 6 that I saw while there. Which led me to wonder if anyone's personal experiences were consulted during the staging of this play. From the backgrounds which had a lot to do with changing lighting effects, and simple set structures that could be repurposed in multiple ways, I actually felt like I was inside some of the experiences of a dear friend of mine as they were recounted firsthand. It was fascinating, intriguing, and at the same time incredibly disheartening when you realize as a viewer that this is still the way people are treated if society does not understand the way they communicate. There were several scenes in which the main character experienced sensory overload, which I felt was a parallel for what the audience was experiencing. I am not Autistic, but I do have a tendency to jump at loud noises or sudden changes in focus. And I have issues with sudden flashing of strobe lights. All of these things were used throughout the performance. So while I still agree that somehow this play re-created the experiences accurately and very well (at least for a certain group of people), and I say bravo to the cast and set designers for inhabiting that role, I couldn't help but sitting there thinking that my friend, who could be the first authority on how to accurately critique this performance, would have experienced such a sensory meltdown, that he would not have been able to sit through the show, or at the very least, may have been overwhelmed by the environment.
I will say that I really enjoyed this production, but it got me thinking about what is the paradox that occurs every time people's access needs conflict, which in a way, is a metaphor for this entire study abroad experience. I won't say it's for everyone, by any means, but if it works for you, this production is definitely worth the watch, if not for the questions it will bring about.
Until next time…
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