Drizzle Boy: Australia’s first neurodivergent coming-of-age story comes to Canberra

Posted on 23 October, 2024

It’s the first time a neurodivergent character written by a neurodivergent playwright and portrayed by an actor with lived experience has been shown on the Australian main stage.

It’s no wonder that the biting satire Drizzle Boy has been lauded as ‘groundbreaking’, ‘incredible’, and ‘thoughtful’. And after a successful 2023 run at the Queensland Theatre (which saw it named the winner of the 2022-2023 Queensland Premier’s Drama Award), the smash hit is coming to Canberra Theatre Centre.

Opening on Wednesday 13 November for a very exclusive run, Drizzle Boy was written by neurodivergent playwright, Ryan Enniss and follows the life of a young, autistic boy portrayed by Daniel R Nixon (A Chorus Line, On The Town).

A classic coming-of-age story told through a neurodivergent lens, Daniel says that it’s hard to sum up the play in small words because, for him, it’s a story that’s larger than life.

“It’s about a young autistic man navigating himself through a world that he’s always kind of struggled in,” he explains.

“It’s a takeback from the 1988 film called Rain Man, a film about an autistic person that was played by Dustin Hoffman, which was a heightened performance. That film was shown to this character when he was very young, and it inspires him to essentially take that version of a character and show the world what it is to actually be autistic.”

Showing the character at different stages of his life and following him through his first weeks at university as his parents – portrayed by Naomi Price (Ladies in Black, Rumour Has It) and Kevin Spink (Antigone, First Casualty) – adapt to his burgeoning independence and even his first love, Daniel has been drawing on his own lived experience to play Drizzle Boy.

Using his life as inspiration to develop the character, he says that he knew he needed to be involved in the play from the moment he first read the script.

“I had a really emotional reaction when I first read the script because I had never read anything like this before that had so much power and strength,” he says.

“There are other stories about autistic or neurodivergent characters but none that really had a real claim and ownership of what it’s like.”

Describing the play as a ‘journey of emotion’, ‘satirical, and ‘unapologetic’, Daniel also says that Drizzle Boy is sparking important conversations about the portrayal of neurodivergent people in the arts.

Hoping that the audience can connect with the story of Drizzle Boy – whether they themselves are neurodiverse or are the parents of an autistic child – he says that it’s the authenticity of the story that makes it so impactful.

“It’s nice to be open and direct with our audience and not shy away from these uncomfortable conversations we might have. We can really take ownership of the work and present it in an authentic way, which makes really good theatre,” he says.

“It shows a more real perspective of the world, and I think it shows a broader perspective of the world, which is often forgotten about. Neurodiversity is not always a face value thing.”

“It’s important to allow those people to be in a room and share their stories and share their experiences and know that we will work just as hard as everybody else and we will bring a real version of ourselves into the room.”

Heartfelt and funny, Drizzle Boy is a play the whole family will enjoy. And from seeing the internal world of Drizzle Boy to meeting a goat-headed demon, the best way to explain this play is ‘expect the unexpected’.

“It’s a real journey of emotion, which is what makes it incredibly funny. It’s very satirical. It’s crude in a way and in your face. It’s not apologetic but it’s also very moving and touching and heavy for some people as well.”

“I think that people haven’t necessarily seen a play like this before and I’m really excited that they get the opportunity to see this version of Drizzle Boy.”

Feature image:  Brett Boardman.