Interview with Megan Lummus, Neurodivergent Theatre Director

1. Hey Jessi, to start with can you tell me a little bit about your journey into the industry, so what inspired you?

Ever since I was young, I always loved telling stories. In high school I started working on films, but then somehow stumbled into discovering Hamilton. From there, I fell down the theatre rabbit hole and never really looked back. I had been directing films, so I figured the thing that made the most sense was to direct theatre when I went to school. The more I started directing, the more and more I loved it. I figured out that there’s nothing else I love as much as creating theatre. 

I’m inspired by so many things in my everyday life, from the little mannerisms people develop to the art I see in museums. I try to find inspiration in everything in my day-to-day life and use that to inform how I look at the world and at theatre. I’m really inspired by the work of some great theatrical directors like Michael Arden and Anne Bogart. Both of their methodologies and direction are key things that inspired me to be the director I am today. At the same time, I’m inspired by the actors and creatives I get to work with when I’m directing a show. The passion and vulnerability that actors bring to a role makes me excited to dive into it with them. 

2. Can you tell our readers a little bit about your autism and how it impacts on your everyday life?

I was officially diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in February of 2023, at the age of 25. In the autism community, any diagnosis received in or past the teenage years is considered late-diagnosed, since most autistic people are diagnosed in childhood. Though, experts often miss traits in women, people of color, and trans/non-binary autistic people because they present differently. As a woman, it’s not surprising that I was diagnosed in my 20s, and I could’ve gone probably my whole life without ever getting a diagnosis. 

When I did get a diagnosis and start to discover more about autism and how my autism impacted my view of the world, I realized how many things in my life were difficult or different because of my autism. Since discovering that, I’ve been able to accept those parts of myself instead of hiding away from them. However, it’s difficult to be your authentic autistic self in the world as it is right now. I have to be very conscious of when and how I disclose my autism to some people, like employers, because there’s such a stigma around autism. I’m very lucky that I have family and friends who are willing to learn more about how to support their autistic loved ones, but I know that’s not the case for everyone. Autism can make life very lonely, because the world doesn’t support us or listen to our needs. But my autism is a part of who I am, and it impacts every part of my daily life. 

3. As a theatre director, what is fundamental in your job to be inclusive as a neurodivergent person that may have audiences who are neurodivergent witness their work?

I’m working to try and make my rehearsal rooms accessible to the neurodivergent and the disabled community as a whole, but it is a work in progress. It’s very easy to run into access friction -- which is when two people’s access needs conflict with one another.The best way I’ve found to be inclusive is just to listen. It sounds really simple, but giving actors a space to express their needs and have them actually be heard is really rare in this industry. I also allow the space for actors to have flexible and dynamic access needs. Just because one day an actor may not need a specific accommodation doesn’t mean they won’t need it the next day. As a director, I have to be open to that change and make sure that the company as a whole is open to that change as well. 

I also try to make the show feel as accessible as possible for any audience. I make a point to have sensory friendly performances in every performance, not just specific nights. I try to implement captioning options and audio visual descriptions where possible for people who need them. I also make sure to have a trigger warning list available in every program for shows, for both topics that may be triggering as well as sounds or lighting cues that may be triggering for an audience. 

I think making sure that rooms are inclusive from the beginning is a huge part in making this possible. Having neurodivergent audiences and neurodivergent artists be a part of the creation of that is so important to making us feel welcome and included. 

4. There are huge barriers for people who are neurodivergent in the industry - what are some of the biggest challenges you witness that don't seem to get enough attention?

I don’t see many people talking about having neurodivergence behind the table. I focus a lot of my work on trying to make neurodivergent directors more common, though we could also use more neurodivergent producers, stage managers, etc. 

People have worked really hard to make sure that we’re talking about having autistic actors playing autistic characters, and that is a huge part of the conversation that I don’t want to ignore. It’s something that we still have to do a lot of work on because there are people out there who don’t believe that autistic people can act. I think one of the keys to making autistic actors more common is having more autistic people in positions like directors. 

As an openly autistic director, I understand why there aren’t that many of us. It’s extremely hard to be a director at all -- you have to make the right connections, talk to the right people, and then just hope that you’ll be able to get into a project that you’re right for. That’s extra difficult for an autistic person, in my experience. For example, networking can be hard for autistic people. The social dynamics of networking environments aren’t clear to us. We need spaces that are designed to help us make the connections we need to in order to succeed as artists. 

There’s also a lot of stigma around autism and working with autistic people. When we ask for our access needs or simply to be listened to about our experiences, we’re told we’re being “too sensitive.” We often make ourselves more palatable for neurotypicals, which is doing a huge disservice to everyone. If autistic people are focusing so much of our time in rehearsal trying to be palatable enough for the non-autistics in the room, we’re not focusing on our work. That’s taking away from everyone in the room, including ourselves. 

I think we need to break down a lot of the stigma around what we think autistic people are capable of doing. Many people don’t think that we can lead a room in a directorial position. The only way we can challenge that perception is by having more openly autistic directors. Most people in the industry have probably worked with an autistic person before, they just don’t know it. We need to make the space more open for us to be able to be open about it. 

5. Have you seen any examples of where the industry is getting better at integrating neurodivergent people into their organisations or work? 

There are definitely some organisations that make it their mission to include neurodiversity into theatre. The Neurodivergent New Play Series focuses on putting on staged readings of plays written by neurodivergent playwrights, and they also have a staff of Resident Directors that include some neurodivergent directors. The Autistic Theatremakers Alliance focuses on spreading awareness and creating spaces for autistic theatremakers. I also have to recognise the work that How To Dance In Ohio did during its time on Broadway. From everything I’ve heard about that process, they included autistic voices every step of the way and really focused on making the whole creative process a healthy and happy one for autistic people. 

The spaces for neurodivergent people in theatre exist, and they’re starting to become more and more mainstream which is huge. I do think we need to take the work that a lot of these organisations are doing and spread them further, so that they can impact communities outside of big cities. 

6. Why is it important that theatres and the industry as a whole becomes more inclusive? 

Autistic people exist. We’ve always existed, and we’ve always been in the industry. The more we’re able to be included and allowed to be our authentic selves, the better we’re going to be at our craft. Theatre, and art as a whole, is a reflection of our world. The more an audience is able to see autistic and neurodivergent people being their authentic selves on stage, the more that’s going to impact the way people see us off-stage. If autistic people are seen being in charge as directors, or as a character on stage that’s authentic, it will impact the way people see the autistic people in their lives. We exist, and we have to deal with hiding parts of ourselves to survive. We’ve had to deal with not being accepted for our lives. For many of us, having to mask like that has forced us into burn out, which can be incredibly dangerous. If we show the authentic autistic experience in the industry, hopefully it can lead to the world being more inclusive. It would also help autistic people know that they’re not alone. 

7. For anyone who is reading this and wants to pursue a career in the industry. What advice would you give them?

It’s hard, but it’s worth it. I heard someone once say about this industry, “If you can do anything else in the world and be happy, do that.” That has stuck with me ever since I heard it, because its true. If you know that theatre is the thing for you, and you can’t imagine yourself being happy doing anything else, then hold onto that. And remember why you started. It’s really easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to others or forgetting why you’re doing it. You have to know why you’re willing to deal with how hard everything in the theatre is. For me, it’s been hearing and seeing all of the neurodivergent people who have been inspired by the work I’ve done so far. I’m so early into my career, and I know that I’ve made a difference in some people’s lives by the work I’ve done. Find whatever that is for you, and hold onto it.