World Autism Acceptance Month: How National Lottery funding is helping Chameleon bring autistic voices to the stage

What was your initial inspiration for writing Chameleon? 

Chameleon came to me in the middle of the night, a regular time for my writing inspiration to strike I’ve found. I was surprising my mum for her birthday and as I was trying to fall asleep in my childhood bedroom, all I could think about was the previous experiences I’ve had in there, both the good and the bad, and how much I’ve changed as a person. It initially began as a monologue on dating as an autistic woman but, as I continued writing, I realised how much more I had to say about my autistic experiences -particularly, the intersectionality between my past experiences of emotional abuse and my autistic journey.

I remembered how alone I felt when I would be sat in that bedroom, dealing with abuse that I couldn’t comprehend, in a world that I felt didn’t understand my authentic, autistic self. So, I wrote the play that I wished I could’ve seen during that time and to offer a sense of comfort for other autistic women - voices that remain underrepresented in theatre - who may also feel alone. 

It’s been wonderful meeting the incredibly brave women who have spoken to myself and the creative team after seeing the show who shared their stories with us and I’m glad to know that Chameleon is a show that has made at least one person feel less alone. 

Chameleons are known for blending in and adapting to their environment, how central was this theme to the play, and how do you find that this parallel applies to your experience as an autistic woman? 

As a writer, I find the hardest part is picking a name for characters, nothing ever seems quite right and I particularly had that struggle with Chameleon, the titular heroine. So, I settled on naming her Chameleon, a camouflaging animal that adapts to its environment as a survival mechanism, a trait that I felt ran parallel to my autistic experience and others who have shared their story with me. 

So, to lean into this idea, I decided that we should randomly select a name from audience members that have filled out a consent form prior to the show. Not only does it keep the actors on their toes with having to remember new names each night but, it also shows that Chameleon can be anyone and her experiences can be anyone’s, including the people in the audience. I wanted the audience to feel included in the conversation, to know that the stories onstage could also be taking place in the world around them but, also in a way that feels safe for the audience to engage with only on their terms. 

“Masking” is a common term that may be familiar to many autistic people, particularly women. Masking is incredibly similar to a chameleon’s camouflage where they hide their true colours. In this case, autistic people hide their traits and authentic selves to try and fit into a world that is not always accessible to autistic people. 

With Chameleon, I wanted to show that “blending in” isn’t always the dramatic art of self-erasure. We’ve all been Chameleons at one point or another in our lives, whether intentionally or forced into it by those around us. I wrote Chameleon to explore how this kind of masking and blending in - especially for autistic women and people of marginalised genders - can lead to a deep loss of self. When you keep forcing yourself to “blend in”, you’re forcing yourself to live in a world where we are all the same. 

The joy of our world is how different each person is, not the things that make us all alike and I wanted to show the freedom that comes with embracing your true self, rather than contorting yourself to become a “perfect” version of yourself for the benefit of someone else. 

From your experience, how do you feel about the current representation of autism and the neurodivergent community in theatre and entertainment as a whole?  

Since autistic and neurodivergent people are all so widely different, when it comes to representation, we and our experiences don’t all fit into one neat box. Each neurodivergent person’s experience may or may not be different to the next person’s but, despite that, when it comes to authentic representation, I think the most important thing is that its done with due thought, process and care with genuine intention to represent autistic people to the best of your abilities. 

For me, I’ve always been very open that Chameleon has been based on my experiences and it shouldn’t be used as a template for what every autistic woman’s experience will be like. I’ve had people come up to me after shows saying it felt eerily similar and then, other people saying that there were some bits they found relatable and other parts, not so much. But, that’s all valuable feedback and the most important thing is that these conversations are even happening in the first place. Autistic people should always be involved in conversations about representation, whether that’s through focus groups, collaborating with autistic people with lived experiences, or reaching out via social media. 

When it comes to representing these underserved identities, it is imperative to continue learning and researching. I always say that Chameleon is constantly in development, particularly in having ongoing conversations with autistic people about our work. 

The question that everyone in theatre and the entertainment industry should be asking themselves when considering autistic representation is a simple one: where can we do more and how can we show up for our community?

How important do you think accessible theatre is and why? 

I think theatre, unfortunately, comes with the stereotype of traditional etiquette; an invisible set of rules and regulations that can seem quite intimidating if you aren’t a regular theatregoer. 

For me, when integrating access into Chameleon through both its narrative and the production itself, I realised that a lot of accessible features that are perceived as “exclusive” to people with access needs actually benefit people who do not identity as having access needs as well. Through the research that myself and PhD researcher Sarah Jane Nuttall did through audience surveys, we discovered an overwhelming number of people who did not identify as neurodivergent found the access measures incredibly helpful and contributed to a positive theatrical experience. That’s what access is about -not just the people who know they need accessible measures but, for those who may not realise it until they’ve experienced it. I’ve loved being able to give people the opportunity to realise what measures make them more comfortable in theatre and I hope that our audience members feel like they can advocate for their own accommodations in the future outside of watching Chameleon. 

Theatre has always been about connecting strangers through shared, live storytelling that reflects the daily lives of people who may feel unheard. Offering that unique experience to as many people as possible, however that materialises, has always been at the heart of my work and I believe has been the life and soul that has ensured that theatre has existed for as long as it has as one of our world’s oldest storytelling forms. 

Within the play, it’s an honest and raw depiction of your experience as someone navigating the world with autism, do you think there are any mainstream misconceptions about neurodivergent individuals that you came across in your experience with promoting the play?  

Nothing immediately springs to mind which I think is a good thing! 

I believe that misconceptions are incredibly revealing in finding out where the gaps are in educating our communities about autistic and neurodivergent experiences. Personally, I have loved it when people have asked me questions, via social media, in the street while flyering or after performances, because it shows that as humans, we do want to learn about each other. We do want to learn more about how we can show up for each other. 

These misconceptions will always exist but, the important thing is how we address them and that we keep being curious and having positive, educational conversations with each other, rather than conflating misconceptions and stereotypes for someone’s reality. 

What would be your advice to any autistic or neurodivergent individuals looking to share their story? 

For the love of God, please write. 

There is no right way to write, the important thing is that you put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, or however you want to share your story, and you share it. You have no idea what your story will mean to someone else until you write it and I promise you that your words could have the power to change someone’s life, you just don’t know it yet. 

How has National Lottery funding helped to support Chameleon? 

Without our funding, we wouldn’t have been able to do any of the accessibility measures that we implemented to a standard that benefitted both our cast and our audiences. We wouldn’t have been able to create a visual guide (an easy reader guide that takes audience members through the story and content of the play beforehand), consult with access specialists, offer discounted tickets to local autistic community groups, or, even pay ourselves for the production. 

Before we were supported  by The National Lottery , we had been performing Chameleon at our own expense due to our belief in it as a project but, to have such a large arts organisation fund our work not only relieved financial stress but, proved to ourselves that our project was vital and important. 

Now, after receiving funding for our performance at The Glitch last year, we’re able to return to Manchester for one last run in September 2026 as a thank you for everyone who’s supported us up north!

Chameleon received £12,180 of National Lottery funding from Arts Council England. National Lottery players raise around £33 million for good causes every week. They help thousands of projects across the UK come to life and change lives – and it’s all because of you!