The Boy At The Edge Of The Room
“He was not like other boys…“
“…Conlon’s moving story is a kind of Pinocchio in reverse with its theme of a child whose behaviour marks him out as ‘different’ and the problems it can create. This is not a show you leave in the theatre. It continues to be in your thoughts…” The Stage (UK)
Premiered in 2013 by Forest Forge Theatre Company, this play is an adaptation of the Lucy Lane-Clifford short story, Wooden Tony, which I think is probably the first clear cultural statement on autism. Tony lives in a world which makes no concessions for him and which scares him – he longs to become ‘very small and very far away’ and in a dark, Victorian ending, he gets his wish.
This play is more current now than when it was first staged – the international conversation about autism, particularly in girls and women, has developed profoundly over the last decade. The Boy At The Edge Of The Room offers up the chance for conversations about difference, acceptance, visibility and how the neuro-typical world creates barriers for divergent thinkers, leaving their very many skills unused.
NB: I am just a neuro-typical person writing about an experience very different to mine. I am not attempting to be a spokesperson for a community I don’t belong to – I’m just telling a story. I do this in the hope that an actor on the autism spectrum might find a valuable role to explore here.
Premiere & UK Tour: Forest Forge theatre Company. Dir: Kirstie Davis. Cast: Lee Rufford, Christopher
Chamberlain and Helen Jeckells. Images: Lucy Sewill
Very Small And Very Far Away
“This world, however scary you think it is, is no match for this team…”
Produced at the same time as The Boy At The Edge Of The Room and designed as a companion-piece for a young cast, Very Small And Very Far Away explores the themes through a younger actor’s lens and by creating a modern narrative as a foil to the Victorian tale. The text gives young people the chance to creatively explore the issues and find ways of discussing some tricky themes.
Premiere Dir: Lucy Philips for Forest Forge Theatre Company
The scripts…
Both scripts are made available below to theatre directors, drama teachers and youth theatre leaders, in good faith and on trust. If you decide these are not for you, maybe send word to someone you think would like to hear about them. They can be downloaded here for no cost, but performing rights will need to be secured for any performance, simply by contacting me through this site.
THE BOY AT THE EDGE OF THE ROOM
VERY SMALL AND VERY FAR AWAY