Santa Claus IS Autistic.
- He makes a list and checks it twice.
- He avoids social contact.
- Same routine, year in and year out.
- His diet is limited to milk and cookies.
Santa is a beloved figure … but when people on the Autistic Spectrum exhibit exactly the same traits, society puts them immediately on the Naughty List!
From the creative team behind the award winning cabaret The No Bang Theory, comes a new work that will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about Santa and the Spectrum.
Santa Claus is Autistic was thought up by Oliver Hetherington-Page and aims to highlight the contrast the disabled experience of a fictional outsider, to the very real lived experiences of autism. “If anyone other than Santa made a list and checked it twice to divide people into either naughty or nice, society would be fast to diagnose and ostracise,” said Oliver.
The piece will feature a neurodiversity choir and will give voice to fostering a better understanding of the barriers and challenges faced by those with autism. Being able to produce a work that uses an authentic voice to accurately portray lived experience has been well received in the community with generous support of the project.
Along with helping him to develop and produce this piece, the grant allows Oliver to reunite with fellow creatives, Director Lewis Jones and musical director Timothy Forrester, who helped make his last cabaret The No Bang Theory so successful.
Oliver was presented with the Access Arts Achievement Award for 2022 for his work on developing Santa Claus is Autistic – an award sponsored by CPL – Choice, Passion, Life, one of Queensland’s leading disability service providers.
Performance History
Redlands Performing Arts Centre – 2023
The Fine Print
Created by
Oliver Hetherington-Page
Tim Forrester
Katie Swan
and
the Spectrum Singers Autistic Choir
Awards
Access Arts Achievement Award for 2022