In recent years, there have been great strides in society accepting those among us with differences, be it race, sexual orientation or those with disabilities or special needs. Those who were once marginalized now seem to have a louder voice, greater acceptance and participation in life and society as a whole. Of course, sometimes there are setbacks for certain groups—as was the case two years ago in Malibu in the special-needs community of youngsters. A six-year-old autistic boy and his family were cyber-bullied at Webster Elementary and a young adult male and his caregiver were the victims of rock throwing in Malibu West.
Now, in an effort to increase autism awareness, a powerful play is being staged at Pepperdine University this week. “Falling” explores a family dynamic in which a teenage son is on the severe end of the spectrum. In a community outreach effort, audiences are invited to a panel discussion Wednesday evening, Sept. 26, and a talkback Friday evening with some proceeds going to the Malibu Special Education Foundation.
Hollace Starr, Pepperdine associate professor and director of “Falling,” describes it as a day-in-life play written somewhat semiautobiographically by Deanna Jent. Roles were cast in April and soon cast and crew were introduced to Malibu’s Hand in Hand program at the Malibu Jewish Center where teenagers and young adults of all abilities gather for singing, cooking, yoga, laughter and, most importantly, socializing.
“That was the big significant moment for us,” Starr said. “I met Lisa Szilagyi (a founder of Hand in Hand) and she was amazing.” Starr credited Szilagyi with launching a collaboration.
“We went and volunteered. The parents who were there spoke to us. They addressed our questions. There were great conversations about the kinds of things they experience, that grandparents and siblings experience and the person with autism—what that looks like,” Starr said. “There was so much covered in that one day. We were then able to follow through with those relationships.” The cast also invited some of the families they met through Hand in Hand to watch a run through of scenes from “Falling.” Afterward, everyone shared a meal together on campus.
“Their involvement has been integral. We couldn’t have done this play without them,” Starr said, referring to Hand in Hand.
“Autism has been in the press a lot. I think there’s a lot of fear,” she explained. “In our play, a character’s autism causes him to sometimes have violent outbursts—not because he’s a violent personality but because he doesn’t have the ability to control his physical body as others can. That can be isolating for people. This play is a way for people to come into a home and, though it doesn’t represent all families with autism, it certainly represents this family with autism and I think that’s a good thing for people to experience.”
George Preston, a sophomore from Alabama, is cast in the role of the father.
“The people who are affected with autism are just people, at the end of the day,” the 19-year-old said. He described communicating through text with a nonverbal Hand in Hand participant.
“People may think he’s dumb, but he’s actually smart,” Preston described, also praising parents of children with autism and calling them “warriors.”
“I look up to them so much,” he said. “This is not just a play about a child with autism. It’s deeper than that. It’s a play about loving someone who is so hard to love at times. It’s a play about love and family.”
Stage manager Christopher Jerabek, a 19-year-old sophomore from Lubbock, Texas, called “Falling” a “much more true portrayal than what you might see on TV.”
Theater/acting major Nate Bartoshuk plays the 18-year-old who is affected with severe autism.
“One of my biggest hopes is that people would get a better understanding of the mind and the personality of people who are impacted with autism especially on the severe end of the spectrum,” Bartoshuk said. “These people are just as capable and smart with just as much going on in their world as anyone else’s, but it’s just less expressible. Just because someone isn’t verbal or isn’t able to communicate in the same way doesn’t mean that they are a disabled individual. They just live differently.”
This Friday, Sept. 28’s performance benefits the Malibu Special Education Foundation. Afterward, audience members can participate in a talkback with the foundation’s president, Laureen Sills, and Lisa Szilagyi. Sills called the production of “Falling” at Pepperdine a “testament to changing times” and praised the cast for its compassion and empathy—“I appreciate it.”
