This pair of plays are a playful and moving examination of how the brain works, both for those of us who are “neurotypical” and for those who are not. THE BOY WHO WANTED TO BE A ROBOT is a Pinocchio tale in reverse presented as a fairy tale from a foreign culture—the culture of people with Asperger’s Syndrome. Enacted by Barry Weil with a cast of puppets whose design is inspired by the work of artists with autism, the play follows the adventures of a boy who grows up surrounded by robots and finds himself deeply confused by the world of humans. THE TASTE OF BLUE is about a teenage girl who can taste color and see music. She has synesthesia, a condition shared by many artists, from Kandinsky to Nabokov. Tanya Khordoc brings us into her world and shows us the incredible landscape within her mind.
Photos by Edward Einhorn