The Journey of a Northern Autistic Gay actor by Thomas Alexander Norris.
Hello, I am a Northern autistic gay actor and playwright, I have been performing since I was a teenager and since late 2024, I was part of the Graeae Beyond cohort. I heard about the programme while I was studying Drama and Theatre studies at De Montfort University and I decided to join because I had a feeling it would be a good idea for me as an artist to develop my practice and it was suggested that I sign up by various people, so I did.
The main creative idea I was working on within the Beyond programme was a play originally called Atypical Me, which was a bunch of monologues tied closely to me however, during the programme and a scratch night at CAST Theatre, I made a decision around the play.
Notes of a Northern autistic Gay boy a semi fictionalised autobiogragical play around being Northern, autistic and gay and the plot is Theo is an autistic northern gay actor who is about to go for his first audition, yet he feels like he is gonna screw up and wants to be normal. Enter his inner mask, the Mirror, a curious but vindictive being who seeks only to make Theo perfect, tests him through his past experiences and his fears, both mentally and physically. Theo is challenged on who he is and his identity. Will he overcome his doubts, get his Bard back, pass the tests and get the part, or will he fail?
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I have lived in Doncaster for most of my life, apart from the eight years where I lived in Halton near Liverpool, my venue was CAST Theatre and the connection I have with it is my home theatre however, my creative connection in Doncaster goes back to my late grandfather who was Head of Drama at High Melton College and was an amateur dramatics actor and director of the Rep Theatre who created many wonderful sets and a brilliant director, as was my grandmother who was also into theatre and my father was a amateur dramatics actor. I miss my late grandparents who inspired me to do theatre.
Graeae has helped me to become more confident and more honest about the work I am doing, the impact has been that without them, this project wouldn’t be where it is today especially with the help of my mentor.
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So what’s next, I am planning on applying to some funding for a dramaturge and a proof-of-concept rehearsed reading where I invite producers to watch or film/ take photos of the proof of concept.
My advice to anyone entering the industry is to be authentic, if you have a story tell it, never give up, know what you can do and what you can’t, remember who you are is what makes you stand out in this industry, not if you went to university or drama school.
The journey you are about to embark on isn’t a quick journey, it’s a mountain and sometimes its slow, sometimes it isn’t, just be prepared.
I enjoyed everything about being part of the Beyond programme, but I think I enjoyed meeting so many talented artists and creatives along the way.