Overview
UNCOMMON SENSE weaves together the stories of four characters living on the autism spectrum—Dan, Jess, Moose, and Lali—as well as their families and friends. The play reveals our desire to connect, our universal challenges with “difference,” and the lengths to which we go for the people we love.
Casting & Production
Casting
MOOSE — 15-20. Living on the spectrum.
EMILY — Late 30s/early 40s. Moose’s mom.
GABRIEL — 35-45, Moose’s dad and Emily’s husband.
DAN — 29. Living on the Spectrum.
SARAH — Mid to late 20’s. Falls for Dan.
LIBBY — 32, Dan’s Sister
LALI — Late teens/early 20’s. Living on the spectrum.
AJALAA — 40s-50, Lali’s mom.
AMY — 30s, A speech therapist.
JESS — 19-23, Living on the spectrum.
ALEX — 20-25, A star athlete.
JAKE — 40s, Living on the spectrum.
Casting Note
In our casting, the actor playing Ajalaa doubled as Libby, the actor playing Sarah doubled as Lali, the actor playing Jess doubled as the speech therapist and the actor playing Alex doubled as Gabriel. This combination is not required, but it was how we found the minimum of 8 actors.
Since autism is a global phenomenon the play benefits from having actors from different ethnicities.
Setting
TIME
In the twenty teens.
Reviews
“Neurodiversity takes the stage in UNCOMMON SENSE, Tectonic Theater Project’s moving and at times surprisingly funny play about autism. Playwrights Anushka Paris-Carter and Andy Paris offer four non intersecting but mutually resonant stories.”
—TimeOut
“Real comedy, mixed with sadness, emerges… It’s surely time for the theater to embrace, as performers and subjects, our community that is not neurotypical.”
—The New York Times
