Jess Thom says the word biscuit 16,000 times a day.
This tic is the result of her Tourette Syndrome, a neurological condition that causes her to make involuntary and uncontrollable sounds and movements. Tourette Syndrome affects 1 in 100 Canadians, begins in childhood and has no cure. Thom started Touretteshero, an organization that aims to celebrate and share the creativity and humour of Tourettes and to increase awareness of Tourettes and its challenges without self-pity or mockery.
Her play, Backstage in Biscuit Land, is coming to Harbourfront World Stage this May. Backstage in Biscuit Land presents an intimate glimpse into her unique perspective. She loved the theatre as a child, but the intensity of her tics made it increasingly difficult to attend. After being asked to sit in isolation while attending a theatre performance, Thom discovered the only place in the theatre she wouldn't be asked to leave was the stage.
"For me, different tics have different sensations," notes Thom. "Some feel like I'm being yanked from the inside, others are more like a pressure building up that needs to be released, like a sneeze. Both of these feel like they're happening in a particular part of my body. The worst ones affect the whole of my body and feel like all of my insides are itching and can't be scratched."
Most of her tics are random (like the words biscuit and squirrel, for instance), yet she has caught herself saying her pin aloud at the bank machine.
Harbourfront's World Stage is introducing Relaxed Performances for Backstage in Biscuit Land in order to allow all audience members to feel comfortable in the theatre. Relaxed Performances are designed to welcome people who would benefit from a relaxing of traditional theatre etiquette and the expectations of stillness and silence. Adjustments often include gentler lighting and sound, relaxed attitudes to noise and movement in the theatre, and a general awareness amongst audience and staff of the possibility of disruption.
"People with Tourette's deal with other people's reactions in different ways," says Thom. "Most people I meet are friendly and understanding about Tourette's. When people respond less positively and laugh, stare, or make negative comments, I challenge them and do my best to explain. This can often lead to a change in their attitude, and I've had many great conversations that have started this way."
Learn more about Touretteshero here. Buy tickets for Backstage in Biscuit Land here.
The post Celebrating The Humour of Tourette Syndrome appeared first on Shedoesthecity.
from Shedoesthecity http://ift.tt/1N6aABh
Celebrating The Humour of Tourette Syndrome http://ift.tt/1N6aABh shedoesthecity
Jess Thom says the word biscuit 16,000 times a day.
This tic is the result of her Tourette Syndrome, a neurological condition that causes her to make involuntary and uncontrollable sounds and movements. Tourette Syndrome affects 1 in 100 Canadians, begins in childhood and has no cure. Thom started Touretteshero, an organization that aims to celebrate and share the creativity and humour of Tourettes and to increase awareness of Tourettes and its challenges without self-pity or mockery.
Her play, Backstage in Biscuit Land, is coming to Harbourfront World Stage this May. Backstage in Biscuit Land presents an intimate glimpse into her unique perspective. She loved the theatre as a child, but the intensity of her tics made it increasingly difficult to attend. After being asked to sit in isolation while attending a theatre performance, Thom discovered the only place in the theatre she wouldn't be asked to leave was the stage.
"For me, different tics have different sensations," notes Thom. "Some feel like I'm being yanked from the inside, others are more like a pressure building up that needs to be released, like a sneeze. Both of these feel like they're happening in a particular part of my body. The worst ones affect the whole of my body and feel like all of my insides are itching and can't be scratched."
Most of her tics are random (like the words biscuit and squirrel, for instance), yet she has caught herself saying her pin aloud at the bank machine.
Harbourfront's World Stage is introducing Relaxed Performances for Backstage in Biscuit Land in order to allow all audience members to feel comfortable in the theatre. Relaxed Performances are designed to welcome people who would benefit from a relaxing of traditional theatre etiquette and the expectations of stillness and silence. Adjustments often include gentler lighting and sound, relaxed attitudes to noise and movement in the theatre, and a general awareness amongst audience and staff of the possibility of disruption.
"People with Tourette's deal with other people's reactions in different ways," says Thom. "Most people I meet are friendly and understanding about Tourette's. When people respond less positively and laugh, stare, or make negative comments, I challenge them and do my best to explain. This can often lead to a change in their attitude, and I've had many great conversations that have started this way."
Learn more about Touretteshero here. Buy tickets for Backstage in Biscuit Land here.
The post Celebrating The Humour of Tourette Syndrome appeared first on Shedoesthecity.