So you think you know everything about high functioning autism? Of course you do. Me too. Like most people, I’ve seen Rain Man and read a few newspaper articles about Asperger’s. I’m an expert.
Cian Binchy has autism. He graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with a diploma in performance making. His first solo show takes us inside his head and maybe out of our comfort zone in a show that explodes the myths about autism. He’s the expert.
He informs and campaigns over the course of an hour. Why do airlines offer support to those who are deaf or in a wheelchair, but not to learning-disabled passengers? The show has got a seriously satirical edge, particularly about the way autism is portrayed as being simply about a lack of empathy and feeling. It’s quite clear that Binchy doesn’t lack feelings. He just expresses them in unconventional ways.
There is certainly anger about the fact that he has often faced closed doors, and been denied opportunities that others his age take for granted. Binchy dreamed of going to drama school but was repeatedly told to take a nice gardening course. Binchy hates gardening. A cleverly made film sequence shows Binchy repeatedly being refused entrance to Central School until he finally makes it through the door.
I’m glad he did, because this show, which comes in a live art tradition, reminds us that creativity is not the preserve of those without a learning disability. Inside Binchy’s head is chaotic, noisy and confusing, but also utterly fascinating and wildly creative too. The show comes neatly packaged with quizzes and an obsessive spinning motif, from a TV game show-style Wheel of Autism to spinning plates. Definitely and defiantly different.
• At Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, until 31 Aug. Box office: 0131-226 0000
