“The Duck” reveals the authentic voice of an autistic woman as she explores what her diagnosis means to her. Rhi Lloyd-Williams (Writer) uses her own autism to create patterns in her writing; making this a beautiful, as well as meaningful, piece of theatre. Using the idea of being diagnosed a ‘Duck’ instead of that ‘A-Word’ that people so often misunderstand, this is a one-woman play built around story-telling and memories, and designed to make connections between different ways of thinking.
Rhi says, “It can be really difficult to describe autism from the outside; you end up just listing a set of behaviours, which doesn’t really explain anything. There’s nothing like the theatre for communicating an idea and making connections. The usual representation of autism is not someone like me. They’re usually children and male. It’s so important that we see autistic women out there too. That representation is vital. We don’t tend to fit the stereotypes quite as neatly, and often spend a lot of time masking and hiding who we really are. This play is about being free to take off that mask and be ourselves. Forget Autism Awareness, this is real Autism Understanding.”
Starring the talented Lucy Theobald as The Duck, and Directed by Jo Loyn, fresh from her successful production of Macbeth for The Barbican Theatre’s Bard in the Yard, we are assured that no ducks were harmed in the production of this Play.
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Reviews
MFoR Review of The Duck – by Sonia Boue Stroud Theatre Festival September 18 – “The play opens at the moment of recognition. I’m a duck! The duck in question is a metaphor for autism, and for 50 spellbinding minutes the audience is immersed in the thought processes of an autistic mind. For some of us (autistics) this is familiar territory and we can insert our own detail and nuance into the narrative. For non-autistic audiences this is instructive, in the best sense of the word. The play is not didactic, and the learning arrives through the offer of empathy – Lloyd-William’s brilliance is that she enables the non-autistic person to inhabit her mind, to loan it (if you will) for a brief yet vivid moment.”
Review of “The Duck” by Seraphina Allard-Bridge Barnstaple Fringe TheatreFest July 18 – “Lucy’s energetic acting and Rhi’s masterful writing combine wonderfully so whether you yourself have autism, you have family members with autism or you know nothing about it, this is well worth a watch for a fun and informative experience.”
Review of The Duck by Paula Sanchez Plymouth Fringe Festival June 18 – “This was a fast-paced, frenetic, funny, intelligent, occasionally sad, incredibly engaging and informative performance. This is the sort of autistic performance that I want to see, and that I want non-autistics to see.”
