About Us
Our Mission
We are a Bendigo-based theatre group that aims to facilitate a creative process that enables people who identify as neurodivergent to develop skills and confidence through the performing arts.
Our History
We formed in 2018 and have since produced four plays: Max Pry, Private Eye (2018), Bubble, Bubble! An Absurd Retelling of The Frog Prince (2019), Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2021), Literary Limbo (2022), Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (2023), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2024). Our next production will be Terry Pratchett’s Wryd Sisters (July 2025).
Our Values
Neurodiversity, Understanding, Collaboration & Inclusion
Our Expectations
We consider neurodiversity to be the collaboration between neurodivergent individuals and neurotypical individuals. We believe that we learn the most from each other when we work together.
Everyone has the right to a safe and welcoming environment, from the auditions to the performances. To ensure that everyone is given the opportunity to participate to their fullest potential, we ask everyone to adhere to the following:
Communicate and respect boundaries on and off stage, bearing in mind that personal boundaries are different for everyone. Consent is non-negotiable - if you don’t have it, you don’t do it!
Speak up if something makes you uncomfortable, or if you notice that someone else feels uncomfortable.
Listen to others with an open mind.
Work with others in a respectful manner by supporting and encouraging on another.
Recognise that all theatre work is of equal importance.
Talk to the director or producer about any questions or concerns you may have – they always have your best interests in mind and will make sure your voice is heard.
Allow yourself time to develop. It’s not a race to see who’s the best. It’s about learning new skills, meeting new people, and having fun.
What makes us different?
Uncertain Curtain Theatre is designed by neurodivergent performers for neurodivergent performers. The performing arts offers a safe space for those of us who are neurodivergent to develop communication skills, experiment with emotional recognition and expression, and learn more about who we are in relation to those around us.
Uncertain Curtain Theatre is a place where we can achieve all these things without feeling judged, or forced into an uncomfortable situation.
Our aim is to break down the barriers preventing people who are neurodivergent from participating to their fullest potential. To do this, we have redesigned the production process - from auditions to rehearsals and performances - to reduce anxiety and promote a neurodivergent-friendly atmosphere.
Our Auditions
You get to choose how you audition for a production. We run a workshop-style audition where we play theatre games and work together to analyse dialogue; but we also offer one-on-one auditions for those of us who may feel self-conscious about being judged by new people.
The reason why we offer both is that we understand that many neurodivergent people have Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, and the pressure of auditioning can lead to severe anxiety and a reluctance to attempt anything new for fear of failing. Our aim is to reduce as much anxiety during the audition process as possible for a more rewarding experience.
Our Rehearsals
Our rehearsal period is slightly longer than average (approximate 12-15 weeks), but our rehearsals only run for two hours twice a week. We’ve found that longer rehearsals can be emotionally exhausting for people who are neurodivergent - especially if they are unused to stepping into character.
Many of us who are autistic feel the need to “mask” our neurodivergent behaviours to appear neurotypical in certain social situations. Prolonged masking can cause fatigue, loss of identity, feeling overwhelmed, anxiety and depression. Our aim is to help guide neurodivergent performers to find their authentic self in their acting, without having to replace one mask with another.
A typical rehearsal involves warm-ups (physical and vocal), character development exercises, discussing the themes and emotions in the script, and blocking. We don’t follow any one acting method; instead we encourage our performers to use an acting technique that is comfortable.
When casting our productions, our aim is to have a diversity of skill to allow those who have experience to mentor those still learning and developing their craft.
