Interview with Joseph Beach, Neurodivergent Actor and Playwright

Joseph Beach is an Actor and Playwright whose work The Malarky Chronicles, a piece performed by a predominantly neurodivergent cast. Beach studied at Guildford School of Acting and they’re a NYMT alum. Joseph joins us as part of our series on Neurodivergent people in the Theatre industry.

You identify yourself as an autistic actor and dramatist. How would you describe your autism to people?

I am autistic. Everything I do is autistic. When people ask what being autistic is like for me I’m always inclined to ask them “Well, what is it like not being autistic?” Because I don’t know any different. You only initially have the frame of reference of being told that other people do not experience & receive the world in the same way you do. From that point, you’re then absorbing everything not necessarily much differently but what you do know is that YOU are not experiencing it the way allistic people do. 

I’ve always been extremely sensitive both sensorially and emotionally. This isn’t so much about getting upset easily (although that can sometimes be true) but everything I touch, smell, see and hear is dialled up an extra couple of notches. I also have a real revulsion to dishonesty - I find lying to people really hard, it’s gotten me into trouble quite a lot because when I go watch theatre and if I don’t like something I don’t like being disingenuous. If someone asks you “what did you think?” but they don’t want to hear your honest opinions then that can be very frustrating and confusing. As a rule, I don’t tend to express my feelings unless asked for them. I never want to be rude or hurtful, mind. 

I was diagnosed when I was a child so I’ve spent an awful lot of time trying to understand and make sense of the world around me (to varying degrees of success).  As an adult so much of my energy now is focussed on self-management. I used to struggle a lot with change and my routine being disrupted but once I eventually came to terms that ‘everything is always changing’ I’ve found it much easier to manage. Little revelations like that are amazing and I try to hold onto them the best I can. 

Being an autistic actor must come with its challenges, what are your biggest everyday challenges? 

Basically from the moment I have to leave the comfort and security of my flat and enter into the unpredictable ‘rest of the world’ I’m on high alert. There’s all sorts of noise, sights, smells and people to engage with and negotiate around. When something becomes part of a routine, it’s often easier to manage. E.g. If I’m travelling to a location in central London then I’m going to take the route that is safer and more familiar to me. There are lots of things we all do in our everyday that a neurotypical person may find not stressful at all - but for someone like me there’s a lot more to take into consideration. 

Acting & auditioning is filled with uncertainties, it’s an irrefutably unpredictable lifestyle. Depending on the kind of job whether that be film/television/theatre/touring etc. it completely uproots you and you have to adapt as quickly as possible. There are so many external variables to consider when auditioning and that uncertainty can cause me a great deal of anxiety & stress but I have to manage myself to the best of my abilities to not allow those challenges to jeopardise an audition … and some days they do. Those days are the hardest days because it’s not something you’re allowed to blame being autistic for. Everybody gets their chance to show a panel what they’re about and if they (the panel) interact with somebody who stammers, seems ‘on edge’ or doesn’t make sufficient eye contact then they’re unlikely to have confidence in their ability to do the job. It’s very demoralising because those of us that are brilliant but anxious when meeting new people for the first time aren’t always allowed the dignity of understanding or compassion. 

It’s for this reason that autistic actors have to work harder in ways I think a lot of creatives don’t want to give us credit for. Luckily there are some amazing people out there who do but I feel they are few & far between.

Is there a stereotype about being autistic which really grinds on your gears?

The genius but emotionally unavailable savant is one of those archetypes that I think many believe are a compliment to autistic people but they perpetuate unrealistic expectations. I’m never going to say ‘Autism is my superpower’ you know? The trope you’ll find most prevalent is like ‘the not-autistic autistic’. The characters that exhibit all the behaviour of an autistic person but the writers don’t want to label it - the mystery is part of the intrigue. I don’t believe that viewers would find a character less relatable if they knew they were autistic. Some people are neurodivergent, it’s just a fact of life, and we shouldn’t feel the need to hide that fact out of fear of not being relatable.  

I think my biggest grievance with autism being misrepresented is when an autistic character is introduced - there personality is just ‘autism’. I think it’s very telling that in the rare instances that neurodivergent writers get to write neurodivergent people that they write real & complicated characters -which is what we are, multifaceted like anyone else can be. There’s nuances to everything - I don’t mind an allistic person writing an autistic character so long as they’re well-written but the problem is they often aren’t. At best it’s well-meaning if clumsy, at worst it’s irresponsible and offensive. I don’t just want representation, I want good representation. Nuanced representation.

I’m never usually going to call out an autistic character for being inauthentic because the spectrum is diverse and we’re all different. Just more neurodivergent people in writers rooms please!

There are definitely more people in the industry who identify themselves as being neurodivergent, is the industry itself well placed to support people like you?

Short answer? No. 

I think it’s ironic because a great deal of performers and creatives are neurodivergent but the environment we work in is so disruptive and inaccessible. I think the conversation is shifting towards support and awareness, which is always a good thing but after a certain point I don’t want awareness, I want action. 

The argument I hear a lot is that there’s never enough time and not enough money and quite frankly that’s a load of bollocks. There are brilliant companies of disabled artists that generate exciting work within very strict budgets and they don’t compromise on the access needs of their artists. Multi-million pound shows honestly have no excuse. That’s my opinion and obviously, I’d like to believe that everybody is working with the best intentions but intentions don’t mean anything if autistic people aren’t hired because producing companies are afraid that they’ll expose their ableist business practices. 

I would really encourage neurotypical actors to support their autistic colleagues. There’s a terrible power dynamic that actors have to navigate where we’re encouraged to be grateful for any opportunity we’re given and in turn shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds us. It’s incredibly upsetting that many neurodivergent performers feel afraid to speak out and advocate for themselves out of fear of never being employed again. You see this problem persist across all intersections of this industry and I know a lot of us feel powerless against it. 

How could it do better to support neurodivergent artists more?

Transparency. When we’re honest about our ignorance that’s when education can actually happen. I think people in this industry can talk a big game about wanting to make positive change but that often is limited to platforming artists without changing the ableist foundations of the institutions. What I’m trying to say is: it’s not enough to just hire an autistic actor and not have adaptive strategies in place for them. So many avoidable problems and mistakes could be resolved if people just engaged in educating themselves and asking appropriate questions. If people are afraid to ask questions then we all need to work together in creating environments that encourage listening & curiosity. It’s whenever we think we’ve ‘learned enough’ that we should double down and keep being curious. 

I think the people in positions of power need to be the ones making the biggest steps forward in changing their attitudes & altering their bias. If we’ve got autistic performers whose access riders aren’t adhered to but ‘celebrities’ can have their ridiculous demands catered then there’s something clearly wrong here. Priorities need to change. 

You are currently working on a play all about being autistic called The Malarkey Chronicles, can you tell us a little bit about it?

I’m very proud of The Malarkey Chronicles, it’s a sandbox play that’s different every single time it’s performed which can be really exciting. It’s comprised of 70 scenes/vignettes (yes, it’s one of THOSE plays) At one point the play is centred on the inner thoughts of an autistic person, the next it’s more observational and examines allistic on autistic dynamics. It’s mostly funny, a little bit tragic and entirely autistic. I get a bit funny when it try and describe what the plays about, it’s a text that I can’t stress enough needs to be experienced LIVE to be understood, if that makes sense? It’s brilliant, I’m so excited about it! I’m very proud of it and I’m not going to apologise about that. 

What is it like creating work which is based on people like yourself and how do you hope it is received from the people who come to see it?

It’s an incredibly cathartic and rewarding experience. Putting tangible words to intangible feelings is so useful to better your understanding of both yourself & others. Bringing people together from all walks of life is one of those things that a lot of art forms want to achieve but with theatre it can work so well. I love the discussion, I love that everybody comes to a show with different feelings and perspectives and that the theatre can be a space for sharing those altogether. Bringing autistic artists together and sharing those experiences that shape a piece is something I never get tired of. I want that feeling of generosity and sensitivity to transfer over to our audiences. 

Theatre can create community. You see it with big-budget musicals all the time or specific theatres that foster a community. I would love for Malarkey to inspire a community that encourages an open dialogue between allistic & autistic people. I don’t want people to be afraid to have the word ‘autism’ in their mouths and talk about how life is really strange isn’t it? It’s really strange for everyone and that we have so much to talk about. I think the play does this, I know the play does this. 

Have you seen any other work which has been really inspiring for artists like yourself?

‘For Black Boys..’ is amazing. I recommend that to everybody - I remember how it made everybody in their seats feel . These feelings aren’t tangible it’s an energy thing, it’s a thing that comes from a compassionate, focussed place. That kind of energy is addictive. I also implore everyone to watch Bojack Horseman - that’s not theatre it’s on Netflix and it’s really, really, really, really good. 

Funnily enough I find a lot of inspiration in watching something that’s crap. If something is bad or misses the mark you can learn from that as a writer/performer. You can ask the questions; why did that make me feel like wanting to leave? Why did they cast that actor despite them being quite bad? These questions, while frustrating can be turned into something more productive. As much as you can learn from your own mistakes, you can also learn from everyone else’s too. 

The best kind of work that inspires me is honestly the work you discover in the moment, in rehearsal. It’s in sharing honest stories when people are vulnerable in unassuming ways. Sometimes my friend will just say a joke in the rehearsal room and that will keep me going for a month.

Someone who is reading this may be a neurodivergent person themselves wanting to make a career in the theatre industry, what advice would you give them?

Ask all the questions. Every single one. Find the people who will give you their honest answers - don’t just look for the answers you want to hear. There are so many brilliant neurodivergent people in this industry that are making it work to their advantage - it’s tough, really tough but those with the resolve and tenacity to make it our own, do. Carve out your own path by being authentically you. There’s nobody else you can ever be so you’d better get used to yourself. 

If you have rejection sensitivity then it’s really tricky. Rejection is what you will experience the most in this job and it’s unavoidable. You have no choice but to make peace with it - as an actor, auditioning is your job so you’ve got to do your best to not take those rejections to heart. It will kill you otherwise. 

Don’t compromise your health & wellbeing to prove yourself. You won’t be rewarded for suffering in silence - look after yourself, get to know yourself and then at the very least you will understand how you work best. Don’t be afraid of challenging yourself in small ways, you’d be surprised what you’re capable of. In acting you’ll always have to keep putting yourself out there 

It’s tough. It’s never not a struggle and for some people, I wouldn’t recommend this. But I’ve never wanted to do anything else. I can’t fathom doing anything else and I love it. I love it more than anything else in my life, except for maybe my dog Badger.