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'Limitless: Exploring Potential for a Creative Autistic Life' is a collaboration between National Theatre of Scotland, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and National Autistic Society Scotland.
ABOUT LIMITLESS
In 2016 we created Limitless, a pilot project that explored good practice in using drama and theatre methodologies with autistic children, teenagers and young adults. |
The partnership came about through isolated conversations between the organisations about their standalone projects and campaigns around the positive engagement of people with autism in our respective work. These conversations led us to collectively recognising our shared interest in, and commitment to, developing a framework for the engagement of autistic people in creative activity as artists, audiences and participants.
We have made a commitment to work together over the next five years to test the boundaries of our understanding of the potential of a creative autistic life, and challenge barriers that autistic people of all ages face when engaging in drama and theatre, as performers or audience members, through the piloting of several new projects. |
PHASE ONEIn year one of the partnership, the companies piloted three sets of drama workshops with people with an ASD, across a range of ages to build confidence and learn how best to plan and deliver such workshops for people with an ASD. Additional information about, and learning from these workshops can be found here.
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PHASE TWOPhase two of Limitless took the shape of a research project exploring the barriers young people with Autism face when embarking on a career in the performing arts. The main focus of the project was to determine how we as arts organisations and professional artists can support young people on this journey.
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PHASE ONE
THE REASON I ...
FOR AUTISTIC ADULTS
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Led by theatre director Graham Eatough with professional theatre practitioners Zoe Halliday (movement), Graeme Rodgers (video), Dave Martin (sound) and Frances Poet (playwright) with participants: Emma McCaffrey, Nicola Tuxworth, Calum Macritchie, Michael Dawson.
The aim of the workshop was to develop approaches, expertise and performance ideas that will inform a future production of The Reason I Jump, a book by Japanese teenager Naoki Higashida on life with autism.
The workshop forged collaborative partnerships between individual participants with autism and individual artists to generate performance material, approaches to and confidence in working with people with autism. The workshop addressed the following questions:
OUTCOMES
Following The Reason I… workshops delivered through Limitless, National Theatre of Scotland further developed the ideas explored and in 2018 produced The Reason I Jump, a major new work created with, and performed by, a group of artists with autism ranging from early teens to 60 years old.
A Reason I Jump app was created to accompany the show. This augmented reality experience gives permanence to the stories told in the production, which are still available to uncover. More information about the production, and the interactive Reason I Jump app. | |||
THE ARRIVAL
FOR AUTISTIC TEENAGERS
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Led by theatre makers Thom Scullion and Murray Wasson with theatre practitioner Sarah Galloway, working with five participants aged 14 -18 years in partnership with Hope for Autism in Airdrie.
In order to root the drama workshop in an immersive, fictional world the workshop was based on ‘The Arrival’ by Shaun Tan. This beautifully illustrated, wordless novel focuses on a man leaving his family to travel to a new, unfamiliar world.
The central character struggles to find his way in an unknown land. He meets interesting and exciting characters and creatures. He longs to be reunited with his family and has to find a way to be understood in this new place. The novel strikes a chord with current themes of migration and movement of people as well as historical events, notably immigration to America at the turn of the 20th Century. The central themes: leaving home, arriving in a strange land, migration and being truly heard, had the potential to resonate with the real world experiences of the group and allowed the focus of the learning for the teenage participants to appeal to their lived experiences of being heard or misheard, understood or misunderstood. The learning outcomes for the workshop were as follows: ‘When no-one understands you, how do you communicate?’ In line with this key question, by the end of the workshop it was hoped the participants would have:
OUTCOMES
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UNDER THE SEA
FOR AUTISTIC CHILDREN
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Led by theatre makers Zoe Halliday and Aby Watson with musician Kim Allan in partnership with Isobel Mair School in East Renfrewshire.
This three-day workshop involved twenty-four participants aged 7 – 11 years from three different classrooms within Isobel Mair School. The workshop centred around an introduction to musical theatre through sensory exploration for children with autism and employing the theme ‘under the sea’. The secondary theme was to create a safe and inspirational place for participants and staff to develop their relationship, including the relationship between carer and participant, participants with each other and finally the learning community as a whole. The aim of this workshop was to develop and encourage the creative instincts of participants with the prospect of creating a sensory, autism-friendly performance at the end of the workshop. Whilst a performance was the final goal, the journey of the participants was the most important factor. Throughout the three days participants were exposed to various drama exercises based around three senses: sight, sound and touch. OUTCOMES
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PHASE TWO
The project was formed of a series of workshops running over 3 days between October 2017 and March 2018. Held at various venues throughout Glasgow, participants worked with two professional artists on drama skills, social interactions in the industry, theatre making, how to utilise your unique skills and the options available when we talk about the creative industries.
The participants involved were aged 18 - 27 years old and all expressed an interest in the creative industries. Focusing on an individual pathway for each participant allowed our tutors to really understand what unique journeys could be available to this particular group of young people.
The participants involved were aged 18 - 27 years old and all expressed an interest in the creative industries. Focusing on an individual pathway for each participant allowed our tutors to really understand what unique journeys could be available to this particular group of young people.
AIMS
- To work intensively with industry professionals on skills required to progress further within a performing arts context.
- Research, consider and develop meaningful opportunities for Autistic young people interested in pursuing Drama and Performance
- Develop and further guiding principles for artists and arts organisations for working with people with Autism.
OUTCOMES
RECOMMENDATIONS
Whilst the full details of the research report can be accessed through the link below, here are some of the recommendations based on the outcomes of the project from our researcher Ellie Griffiths:
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NEUROSTAGES
NEUROSTAGES is a two-day festival of workshops, provocations, discussions, and performances curated by the Scottish Neurodiverse Performance Network (SNPN).
NEUROSTAGES is a neurodivergent-led platform and space for artists and creatives, communities, individuals and industry professionals to:
NEUROSTAGES is also an opportunity for allies in the theatre and performance industries to experience the work of neurodivergent artists in Scotland, to better understand some of the barriers that still need to be dismantled and to make new professional connections.
NEUROSTAGES will take place on the 15 and 16 October 2021. It will be a hybrid online and in person festival taking place using zoom and at the CCA. Both the festival and SNPN have been generously supported and hosted by the CCA.
NEUROSTAGES is delivered by the National Theatre of Scotland and Scottish Neurodiverse Performance Network, in partnership with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and The National Autistic Society Scotland.
NEUROSTAGES is a neurodivergent-led platform and space for artists and creatives, communities, individuals and industry professionals to:
- find out more about either neurodiversity or performance
- nurture and celebrate neurodivergent-made theatre and performance work in Scotland
- identify communities or individuals that might be friendly or interesting to engage with
- share ideas, concerns and strategies for making and staging work in a neurotypical world
NEUROSTAGES is also an opportunity for allies in the theatre and performance industries to experience the work of neurodivergent artists in Scotland, to better understand some of the barriers that still need to be dismantled and to make new professional connections.
NEUROSTAGES will take place on the 15 and 16 October 2021. It will be a hybrid online and in person festival taking place using zoom and at the CCA. Both the festival and SNPN have been generously supported and hosted by the CCA.
NEUROSTAGES is delivered by the National Theatre of Scotland and Scottish Neurodiverse Performance Network, in partnership with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and The National Autistic Society Scotland.
CONTACT DETAILS
The Limitless partners are unfortunately not able to roll out further iterations of the activities conduced in Phase 1 or 2 to external organisations. However, if you would like information about these activities that if not available online, please contact:
for information about Phase 1 Limitless activity
Caroline Newall, Director of Artistic Development, National Theatre of Scotland
[email protected] | 0141 221 0970
Caroline Newall, Director of Artistic Development, National Theatre of Scotland
[email protected] | 0141 221 0970
for information about Phase 2 Limitless activity
Jesse Paul, Fair Access Manager, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
[email protected] | 0141 221 0970
Jesse Paul, Fair Access Manager, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
[email protected] | 0141 221 0970
