Autism in the Arts: “Max Understood”
Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder typically affecting a persons ability to communicate, to engage in social interactions, and, perhaps, to respond imaginatively to his or her environment. A spectrum disorder with a broad range of presentations, autism is diagnosed in young children today much more frequently than in the past. Autism’s causes, while the subject of great speculation and a growing research effort, have not yet been identified. The difference this condition makes in everyday life and interpersonal interactions can perhaps be appreciated best not through medical explanation but through artistic representation of first-hand and subjective experiences of autism.
Produced at the 2009 New York Music Theater Festival in New York City in September 2009, Max Understood is a breakthrough work of theater that reveals an ordinary day in the life of a young boy with autism. The musical offers a glimpse of Max’s family dynamics, then—after Max escapes his apartment and his caring but overwhelmed parents—the audience accompanies Max on a surprising, sometimes disorienting expedition around his apartment complex and encounters some of his neighbors. Created by UVA assistant professor of sound design Michael Rasbury, Max Understood has sound design at its core and contains melodies motivated by machines and dreams, all in an effort to represent young Max’s ways of apprehending and interacting with his world.
This Medical Center Hour explores Max Understood—its backstory, its creation and development, and the world this remarkable work of art makes more accessible to us all.
Duration : 1:1:37