Character List – “Life On The Spectrum: A Love Story”

Meghan – Late 20’s, she is the catalyst for the creation of the play world. She is both outside the world, as interview/writer, and a part of the world, as the sibling of someone with Autism. Also plays the role of the game show host.

Woman 1 – Like the rest of the cast she wears all black. Plays the roles of Maria, Anne and Robyn.

Woman 2 – Plays the roles of Karin, Mary, Laurie and Linda.

Man 1 – Plays the roles of Rep. Sturla, James and Game Show Contestant.

Man 2 – Plays the roles of Speaker O’Brien and Kevin.

Character’s Identifying Prop or Costume Piece:

Meghan - wears business casual attire, hair back, glasses.

Game Show Host – Take hair down, no glasses.

Maria – business blazer, any color but black

Anne – Over-sized 1970’s style glasses

Robyn – Corn flower blue button down shirt, fitted

Karin – Man’s white oxford style shirt

Mary – Deep green sweat, loose fitting

Laurie – an apron with the top half left to hang around her hips

Linda - Carmel or similar colored duster length sweater

Rep. Stura – Thick red tie

James – Thin blue tie and black glasses

Game Show Contestant – Obnoxious Hawaiian or similarly styled shirt

Speaker O’Brien – Dark gray suit jacket and tie (not specific.)

                        A dark stage. A mans voice begins to speak.

Rep. Sturla

When you would say, Pete, like do you want Cheerios or Corn Flakes for breakfast? He would go, I don’t know; you pick. And, I mean, even to the level of what cereal do you want, because he was afraid that it was not gonna be the right answer. And we would work with Pete and say, there’s not [a] right answer to this, you know. And that was a really hard concept, because he wanted the world to be black and white so that he could – if he could learn that set of rules he could maneuver through the world. And, I mean, he struggled for the longest time with trying to figure out that the world wasn’t just black and white and that he couldn’t just learn a set of rules and he would be like every other kid, you know. ‘Cause he didn’t get those nuances.  

A spot goes up to reveal Rep. Sturla sitting on a stool center stage, a microphone in front of him. The rest of the stage remains in darkness.

I guess I’m not one of those people who goes out and just sort of -- I was never one to talk about my son, because I didn’t want him to be – I didn’t want him to be labeled as, you know, oh, he’s that Autistic kid. As a matter of fact, it was interesting, I just had a reporter who has been covering me for five years now say, ‘I never knew you had a son with Autism.’ He’s met my son and never knew I had a son with Autism and I guess there’s a little bit of protection for my son. Way early on he was – he so wanted to be like a normal kid, um, that he wanted to make sure everything – and he knew he had troubles. [But] there’s a little bit of self-preservation also. [Because] I get these emails at 2 o’clock in the morning, you know, from parents that say I’ve heard through the grapevine that you have a son with Autism and you might be able to help us, you know. And so – so it’s like okay, fine. Let’s see, [1 out of 150] and there’s 12 million people in the state of Pennsylvania. One of these days I’m gonna get like 8000 emails, you know –

The spot goes down on Rep. Sturla and he exits. The lights come up on stage left to reveal Meghan sitting at a desk downstage, scribbling in a large black journal. An open laptop, a digital voice recorder and a table-top microphone cover the desktop. As lights come up the Bruce Springsteen song “Blood Brothers” begins to play:

We played king of the mountain out on the end/ The world come chargin' up the hill, and we were women and men/ Now there's so much that time, time and memory fade away/ We got our own roads to ride and chances we gotta take/ We stood side by side each one fightin' for the other/ We said until we died we'd always be blood brothers

 

Now the hardness of this world slowly grinds your dreams away/ Makin' a fool's joke out of the promises we make/ And what once seemed black and white turns to so many shades of gray/ We lose ourselves in work to do and bills to pay/ And it's a ride, ride, ride, and there ain't much cover/ With no one runnin' by your side my blood brother

As the harmonica solos the song fades out.

Meghan

It wasn’t Autism yet. It was Atypical Pervasive Developmental Delay and I loved saying it. I loved big words. They always made adults stop and, you know, “huh…she can say such big words.” So I liked saying it to people. I had no idea what it meant. I mean he used to get naked and run around the house wearing nothing but a scarf and [rubber] gloves. Off the wall things I don’t think I ever thought of as being “odd.” But looking back… He hated having his back touched. His back, his shoulders, his neck. I used to sometimes touch him on his back. I had a mean streak in me and I—I would pick on him. This was like [19] ‘84 or ’85. Yeah. Uum…I was only five so my memories are pretty sketchy. Actually, I remember—I remember things, uh, I remember pieces really clear. Going to someone’s office? Going to this man’s office and him having all these toys all over the place. And those blocks that run around on the metal wire. All these therapy toys. I have this really vague memory of my parents sitting in the car driving home. And my mother crying in the front seat. I don’t really remember my life before Autism. I mean, I do remember my life before my brother was born, vaguely, vaguely. You are either-you are either in or you’re out. And no one’s ever really asked me [about it] before.

Stage left comes up to a half-light. There are four music stands set in a semi-circle as if for a choir. Four stools sit empty. A small table or trunk filled with props should be laid somewhere both out of the way and easy to reach. A microphone (wireless if at all possible) and a stool remain in darkness at center stage. The cast files in, dressed all in black, and finds their seats. Meghan seems not to see them. A spotlight comes up on her and she reads/types the email without looking up.

Meghan

            Hello,

I am a playwright looking for primary caregivers of individuals with Autism to be part of a documentary theater piece about the same subject. My brother was diagnosed with Autism when I was five-years-old. I am writing this piece to provide an opportunity for parent’s to share their experiences and I hope it will assist in the fight for more funding and services for the people we love. Thank your for your time.

Sincerely,

Meghan McCullough

Meghan pauses for a moment, then presses send on her email. She stands and begins to leave her desk.

Man 1

            You’ve got mail!

Meghan sits back down to check the message. Spot on Karin, who produces a letter from her seat and begins to read.

Karin

Hi Meghan,

I would love to help you in any way that I can! I often wonder what it is like to grow up with an Autistic sibling. I am a single mother of a soon-to-be 6 year-old with Autism.  My daughter’s name is Caroline and she is the absolute love of my life. Meghan- I don’t know where to begin. Caroline is smart, funny, charming, inquisitive, social, artistic, creative, atheletic and of course, beautiful. Or as they say in cartoons, “bee-YOOO-tee-ful.” She was diagnosed in December 2004 at the Regional Autism Center at Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania. She has PDD-NOS, or Pervasive Developmental Delay, Not Otherwise Specified, as well as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. She was sweet, affectionate, pleasant, very “busy,” loved being around people… but had absolutely zero communication skills. This was beyond non-verbal. She didn’t point, rarely cried, was unable to imagine anything, didn’t call me Mommy-nothing! She had what I thought was eye contact (she was my first and only child) but it was described as “fleeting.” She’d been in Early Intervention since she was nine months because she had no gross motor skills-no sitting, crawling, walking, potty, etc.

These are some of the things I have done to secure services for my daughter: Fought a school system for any type of service; left my job to facilitate appropriate intensive private services, moved from the city to a suburban district in search of better services for my daughter; had to go to pre-hearing with that county’s IU to get any services at all, constantly battle with my daughter’s insurance companies to get services that I cannot afford to pay for out of pocket because I live in virtual poverty. I am also currently under probation with my current employer because I don’t have the time to produce a sufficient quantity of work… I could go on forever! Meanwhile, due to the private services, my daughter has blossomed! She still needs work, but she is phenomenal! I, on the other hand, am exhausted. Worn to the bone. [I can’t help but wonder,] is this necessary??? Sincerely,

Karin

A school bell rings shrilly. The Jackson Five’s “ABC” Begins to play and all cast members rush center and line up, like kids in a spelling bee

Oh, ABC/ It’s easy as 1 2 3/ As simple as do, re, mi, ABC, 1 2 3, baby you and me girl/ ABC it’s easy/ It’s like counting up to three/ Singing simple melodies/ That’s how easy love can be/ Singing simple melodies/ 1 2 3, baby you and me

The music cuts off crisply here.

Man 2

Stepping downstage slightly.          

Autism is a complex developmental disability typically appearing during the first three years of life.

Man 2 comes back to the line, Woman 2 steps downstage

Woman 2

Autism affects the development of social interaction and communication skills. Individuals with autism typically have difficulties with verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and play activities. People with Autism may appear deaf or need to communicate with a special machine or picture exchange system. They may also have sensory problems like finding light or some kinds of sounds or even the textures of certain foods and clothing.

Woman 1 stands, somewhat overlapping Woman 2. Woman 2 begrudgingly returns to the line.

Woman 1

But Autism is a spectrum disorder and it affects each individual differently and at varying degrees. There are technically five different disorders that are known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders, or PDD. These include Autism, Asperger’s Disorder, Rhett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Delay-Not Otherwise Specified, or PDD-NOS. 

Man 1

                        Woman 1 returns to line, Man 1 steps downstage.

Although Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than in girls, it does not discriminate across racial, ethnic, social, educational, lifestyle or income bounds. And, according to the US Department of Education, Autism is thought to be increasing at a rate of 10-17% per year. Which is why early diagnosis is so crucial. By learning to identify the signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder, parents can help their children be placed in specialized early intervention programs.

All

                        Every one takes a step downstage.

According to a 2007 report by the Center for Disease Control Autism occurs in 1 in every 150 births, or approximately 1.5 million Americans today.

Meghan

The cast returns to their seats. Maria sits in the dark of center stage on the stool, waiting in suspended animation. Lights up on stage right. Meghan has turned the two chairs in front of her desk into a car and she is driving.

My first interview, with a mother named Maria. Her house is over an hour away from mine and I get lost 5 times. It ends up being fine, though, that I am late.  She forgot I was coming to interview her that day. Her teenage daughter and her stepdaughter giggle and the next room while we speak. I can’t tell who’s more nervous, her or me.

Meghan stops “driving” and turns in her seat to face Maria for the interview. Meghan makes a show of clicking the recorder “on”.

Meghan

            Maria, how many children do you have who are on the Autism Spectrum?

Maria

            One. Steven.

Meghan

            What is Steven’s exact diagnosis?

Maria

Autistic, with some mental retardation. They say he’s not severe, but he’s not—it’s not mild either. He’s like in between. He’s nonverbal. He points at objects. Umh…And he looks at you and he starts like going back and forth to the object or what he wants.

Meghan

            Do you remember the circumstances surrounding Steven’s diagnosis?

Stage left and right both fade. In the background two teenaged girls whisper, and giggle.

Maria

[He was diagnosed when he was] a--a year and a half. 1997. [It was] in Puerto Rico, where he was  born. I was at work and, uh, some of the results – they were sent to me by fax. And I… when I received the – the information I started reading and I kind – I broke into tears. I left work early that day. And I, uh, immediately called a neurologist and… I just wanted to see him right away. Yeah. My – my world was – it just fell apart on that day. Sometimes it’s – it’s overwhelming, because I have to keep my eyes open all the time. If I’m by myself with him here at home and I have to take a shower because we’re going out or some – and it’s just him and I, I kind of take my shower real quick, try to finish real quick. And as soon as I get out of the bathroom, I – I call him to see where he is or what he’s doing. He doesn’t take showers by himself. So I have to give him baths. And he doesn’t brush correctly. So I have to brush his teeth. It’s – it’s overwhelming. It’s overwhelming. I cannot relax – let’s put it this way – all the time. My mom always says, uh, just have faith. Hang in there and I, uh, I know Steven is gonna get out of it. But that makes me real sad at – at the same time, because I don’t think she’s being realistic or she doesn’t want to accept it. But when she says just hang in there, it gives me, you know, just motivation and energy to continue -[And ] I see in this kind of children, I see God closer. Maybe because they don’t have that kind of thought of being harmful to people. They are so innocent in that – I mean, just – I don’t see anything negative from them – coming from them as far as doing something bad to people. And that’s why I see God through their eyes. And not only Steven. I see it through other children with Autism, too.

Meghan

(Quietly) Maria, if I asked you to explain what was so great about Steven, what would you say?

Maria

I think, uh, -- we went to my mother-in-law’s house [for dinner] and [after Steven] just started picking up the plates from the table and put them in the sink. And so I was – I was like…amazing. That was it. That was, uh, -- like it’s something big for us.