Trinity Grammar’s latest drama production went beyond performance, using autism expertise to guide students in portraying neurodiversity with empathy, authenticity, and deeper human understanding.
What better way to portray autism accurately on stage than to call in expert advice during rehearsals?
That’s what Trinity Grammar School’s Drama department did for its latest production, a move that not only promoted greater authenticity but helped cast members grow as actors and people.
With the aid of non-profit group Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia), the actors came away with a deeper understanding and empathy for a condition affecting an estimated 300,000 Australians.
Experts visited the school to deliver information, answer questions, and conduct acting workshops ahead of the production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.
The lead role of Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old English autistic boy, was shared by two students, Christian Viola (Year 10) and Alexander Henry (Year 11).
They appeared in four performances each during the play’s run at Summer Hill in May, with a cast augmented by girls from Meriden and Rosebank.
Christian dedicated his performance to his autistic sister Elise, saying: “My goal was to make even just one person in the audience think, ‘I’ve seen someone like this person before and I want to help them’. I wanted to showcase empathy for this character.”
“It’s not a disease; it’s something to celebrate,” he said.
Alex said he struggled with the role at first but found the Aspect sessions “incredibly useful in grasping how to portray the character authentically”.
“It helped me show the light and the shade of this life. There is lots of darkness and distress but also beautiful moments, like Christopher’s love of maths and outer space, which are his happy place and his moment to shine.”
Alex said he had known autistic people at school since primary school.
“When you understand why they are doing the things they do, you realise that maybe they are the strongest people in class.”
Both actors were inspired by Dylan Crawford, an actor, director, and English teacher employed by Aspect, who visited the school during rehearsals and explained to students how he managed his own autism and ADHD, and how drama had been central to his development.
“Drama is the reason I am the way I am in my life. It has wholly changed me as a person. I really struggled through school with anxiety, connecting with my peers, and feeling afraid of social interaction.
“However, through drama I was given the space and patience and love I needed. I was able to turn theatre from something I was forced to do by mum to something that has become a core part of myself. I had a great teacher who focused on what I could do, not what I couldn’t do.”
He told students: “Theatre should be a place that everyone can access on both sides of the stage. You are surrounded here by people with really big hearts who want to make this production successful, who are trying to do the right thing for you, for the autistic community, and this production.
“You are depicting us [neurodivergent people] so we are putting into your hands the responsibility to depict us with dignity.”
Head of Drama Brendan Duhigg said: “The insights and expertise from Aspect gave the cast an idea of what the world looks like from an autistic person’s point of view.
“The boys and girls in the cast were all really committed to doing honour to this; some of them have autistic brothers and sisters themselves. It has really enhanced their understanding.”
He cited the Atticus Finch quote from To Kill a Mockingbird, saying to really understand someone you need to “climb inside their skin and walk around in it”.
“That’s what the cast have done and I hope that’s what the audience ended up experiencing.”
Dylan Crawford said autism had helped him with acting. “There’s a term called masking, or putting on an act, when we pretend to be neurotypical. A lot of autistic people going into the theatre to act say, ‘Hang on, I do this every day’.”
He explained why autistic people engage in “stimming” – fidgeting, flapping hands, making noises, and so on – saying these behaviours all help regulate a build-up of hyper-sensory reactions to things like noise, light, temperature, and textures.
“We can’t tune out every little thing going on in the background. There’s a cumulative mental load and if it gets too much you can’t process it anymore. Stimming helps to empty the cup so that it doesn’t overflow and lead to a meltdown.”
In response to a question from one student, he said one of the best ways to help autistic people was to “just take the time to have patience; sometimes we can be difficult to have patience with”.
Counselling to suit each boy
Psychological counselling is readily available to all students at Trinity, not only for those with neurodiverse presentations such as autism and ADHD but for a range of behavioural, social, and mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, low motivation, and loss.
Counselling is tailored to suit individual needs and may focus on strategies to support learning, social skills, emotional regulation, or even preparation for camps or the Field Studies Residential Program in Year 9 at Woollamia.
The Field Studies program can cause angst for many boys, and this is often the case for students with neurodiversity or other complex diagnoses.
“Whilst the program challenges the boys to stretch themselves, we have had many with significant additional needs who have shown substantial growth and resilience there,” said Jessica Staniland, Director of the TESS Counselling and Psychological Service.
“The counselling team, along with professional staff at Summer Hill and Woollamia, work hard each year to collaborate with students and families to plan for their Field Studies experience.
“This ensures all students can have the opportunity to meet the challenge and access the experience in a way that may be unique to them.
“Sometimes we find that the students who are most concerned about the experience thrive with the change in environment, variation in learning approach, and the smaller-scale campus.”
During regular school life in Sydney, Trinity’s House system is credited with making sure no-one slips through the cracks.
“The one-on-one support in the House system means each student is looked after intensively by the Housemasters, who are well aware of all their pastoral needs,” said Ms Staniland.
“This oversight makes sure no-one gets missed. Our counselling staff work closely with Housemasters as well as TESS Academic Support Service, so we can address the social and emotional aspect of learning as well as the academic expectations.”
Trinity staff can assess students for learning or mental health difficulties but do not make diagnoses; they will, however, recommend that parents seek help from external professionals if necessary.
TESS staff estimate up to 60 per cent of students seek counselling help at some time during their school life.
“Many boys are very open in talking about it with their mates, while others are concerned about raising it,” said Ms Staniland.
“We are doing a lot to try to reduce stigma and encourage more willingness to talk. We expect a lot of students at Trinity, which is a good thing, although we provide plenty of support to go with it.
“Every child’s journey is very different, and their experience may change from month to month or year to year. The TESS Counselling team can tailor support to ensure every boy can access the full breadth of experience within Trinity, even if it is in a slightly different way.”
