Dr. Jennie Teams up with New City Players: Falling
This fall, I had the privilege of partnering with New City Players, a transformational theater company, on the southeast regional premiere of Falling. This play depicts the life of a family who have a son on the autism spectrum and explores the relationships between parents, spouses, and siblings. While the family featured in this production may have been fictional, it is the untold story of so many families in our community that is rarely depicted in the media. This play illustrates the joys and triumphs of the family, as well as all of the complexities and difficult family dynamics that are encountered on a day to day basis. While autism has a ‘starring role’ in the in this play, it is not a play about autism. According to the playwright Dena Jent, it is a play about, “loving someone who is hard to love.”
I had the opportunity to be a part of the production of this play and to consult on several areas including character development, design, and community engagement. That’s right- community engagement! While most theater companies may have just held casting calls, and put the production together, New City Players (NCP) thought it was critical to engage the local autism community in a discussion around the play and this was a truly transformational experience.
Prior to the opening of the production, NCP hosted two important events to help educate and unite the community around the topic of autism. The first event included a ‘Green Room’ discussion with the director, actors, and set design extraordinaire. At this event, I also had the opportunity to share about what autism is, and how family dynamics may be impacted. The second event leading up to the production included a Forum which included interviews with local autism experts including Dr. Michael Alessandri, Ysela Heim, Dr. Galen Chun, and myself; along with individuals on the spectrum who were empowered to share their stories with the community. It was magical!
From there, I was part of read-throughs, rehearsals and even painting the set. Being able to speak into the show and character development was such a unique experience and I was honored to be able to bring my expertise and work into the production.
In the spirit of community engagement, New City Players hosted a talkback with a panel to engage with the audience about any questions or thoughts they had following every show. I was able to be on the panel at least once a weekend and talk with other experts and families in the field. Being able to bring together the autism community in South Florida for this event felt like a family reunion. After each and every talkback, I had the privilege to watch as the local community began to truly understand, respect, and accept the autism community.
I feel so grateful to have been able to collaborate with New City Players theatre company for their production of Falling. Not only did they bring this incredibly touching play into our lives in South Florida, but they have shown us all what a true community conversation looks like (around tough topics) and I really believe we are all better because of it! They could have picked any script, but they bravely chose this one and went above and beyond to create community around it, to spread autism awareness, acceptance, knowledge and resources in a way that is transformative for everyone involved.
This whole process has been an incredible experience as we were able to bring to life the story that many of us have experienced in different ways. This play was enlightening, heartbreaking, and beautiful. I am so grateful to have been a part of Falling.