I am what I want to be: a theatre show that shares the talents of autistic people

Originally published at Diario de Seville.

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Viento Sur Teatro, has hosted this morning the presentation of a very special theatre show. ‘I am what I want to be’ is a theatrical performance that highlights the talent of autistic people on an artistic level, but also on a technical and production level, as the group has participated in the different tasks involved in a play.

This activity is framed in the SDIT Project, Self-determination and Inclusion through Theatre. A European initiative in which Autismo Sevilla participates, together with other entities from Portugal and Italy, and whose objective is the inclusion of autistic people through theatre.

Always accompanied by Viento Sur, with Rocío Cuadrelli as the director, the team has been preparing this play for weeks, and today they have offered us a glimpse of it. Moreover, Autismo Sevilla has confirmed that the play will be on show in its entirety on July 3rd.

Rocío herself pointed out that “this play should not stay here, it has to be an example that everyone has a place in the world of theatre and culture” and she also claimed that the administrations should support the world of culture in order to continue making initiatives like this possible.

Marcos Zamora, General Director of Autismo Sevilla, has highlighted the support of Viento Sur: “To be able to develop this project that has surprised us all, since the beginning, we did not imagine how relevant it was going to be for the lives of the team of participants.”

For his part, José Luis García, on behalf of the City Council, has confirmed the “commitment of the whole Government team with Autismo Sevilla and with the group of autistic people” and has encouraged them to give all the support they can so that the play can be performed in other cultural circuits.

Alicia Martínez, head of the project, stressed how proud she is of the whole team and the work done, as well as the fact that these dynamics through theatre have not only been positive for the play itself, but also the daily life of the whole team when it comes to managing their emotions or relating to others.

After the exciting theatre performance, the whole team took part in a small round of speeches in which they shared their experience. The common denominator for everyone was the happiness and excitement of participating in a common project, team awareness, meeting new people and the feeling that anyone is capable of doing what they set out to do.