Young, Autistic & Stagestruck
Beginning Monday 12th April is a brand new series on Channel 4 that follows a cast of Autistic teenagers as they attempt to produce their own stage show.
The show follows nine autistic teenagers of varying ages, along with theatre professionals who haven’t worked with an autistic cast before, across the series as they produce a stage show. The series director David Dehaney said;
“Rather than make a four-part series that simply observed the lives of young people with autism and highlighted what they can’t do, we wanted to work actively with them to show what they can do.”
The series required a great deal of preparation and research by the production team. The makers had to meet with therapists, charities, families, experts and schools to assess the project. David Dehaney said that one of the bigger issues was considering how much individual needs can vary. He said:
“They might have rigid routines, respond badly to change and prefer being by themselves; they might have poor social skills, problems with communication, narrow interests or a lack of imagination. How on earth could we expect them to put on a show together?”
However, the opportunity to offer an insight for the public into the condition and offer a positive experience to the shows participants is an interesting opportunity for its makers.
To ensure that the shows cast were willing and fully aware of what they were going to become part of an educational psychologist formed part of the casting crew. This was to make sure each young person knew the extent of the project, whether they would benefit from it and to ensure they could give their consent. This also gave a chance for the crew to be informed about their needs. Mr. Dehaney said:
“We had detailed recommendations on how best to communicate and work with each child successfully, as well as a list of triggers that might distress them.”
The first episode of the short series is on Channel 4 at 8pm on Monday 12th April. For further information about the show and the full behind-the-scenes insight from series director David Dehaney please visit follow this link.
