Entertainment
8 November, 2024
Focus on autism
A HEARTFELT coming-of-age story about an autistic young man in his first weeks of uni is coming to CPAC tonight with the goal of making you laugh, cry and start an honest conversation about autism.
The winner of the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2022-23, ‘Drizzle Boy’ is a biting satire that blends magical realism with a journey of self-discovery.
The story follows the titular Drizzle Boy masterfully interpreted by Daniel R. Nixon in his first weeks at university as his parents, portrayed by Judy Hainsworth (Fourteen, The Twits) and Anthony Gooley (Bernhardt/Hamlet, Boy Swallows Universe), adapt to his burgeoning independence and even his first love.
“The plot of Drizzle Boy follows a young autistic man on his first day of university and he’s met with a lot of challenges and he closes himself off from the world while trying to overcome these challenges,” said leading man Daniel R. Nixon.
“Drizzle Boy has this lifelong dream of wanting to go to space and escape from this world that doesn’t understand him but through his journey of self-discovery and through some new relationships and understanding more about his past he starts to learn more about acceptance.”
Mr Nixon, who’s autistic himself, said he hoped Drizzle Boy’s authentic casting inspired other neurodivergent creatives to tell their stories.
“Having a real connection to the character it’s in the best interest of everyone and it gives the production and these stories more credibility and authenticity and I think there’s a lot of power in that,” he said.
“There has been a lot of people doing the talking for us (autistic people), neurodiversity has had some exposure recently but through a neurotypical lens and it narrows people’s perception and gets a certain stereotype in their heads.
“It’s important to give voice to people with actual lived experience rather than using them as a token, so a play like this holds more weight because it debunks a lot of stereotypes that people learned about autism.”
Mr Nixon said he hoped for people to leave the theatre ready to have conversations about autism.
“I hope this show encourages people to think differently about autism and adulthood, a lot of knowledge about autism is outdated, so I hope we can help people start a discussion and celebrate more what it’s like to be neurodivergent and not see it as an issue or disability,” he said. “If you want to see something fresh and exciting and if you want to see drama and comedy through a neurodivergent lens you should come to see Drizzle Boy.”
To buy tickets, visit https://bit.ly/4fxGll4
