Written by and starring Abigail Weinstock (Love and Other Acts of Violence, Donmar Warehouse; Surfacing, Apple TV), Giraffe is a semi-autobiographical comedy about masking, misdiagnosis and spending 30 years believing something is wrong with you. Drawing on her experiences as a gay, Jewish, late-diagnosed autistic woman (who is also far too tall), Weinstock tells a story that is as funny as it is moving. Giraffe is a story about self-acceptance, honesty and finding belonging by embracing difference.
Pleasance Courtyard (Cellar) from Wednesday 5th – Monday 31st August (not 15th, 25th) at 13:45
How did translating your own late autism diagnosis into comedy shape the balance
between humour and emotional truth in Giraffe?
Great question! My background is in comedy and I originally set out to create something
funny first. However, it’s since been pointed out to me that I have accidentally created something
that is also earnest and sincere in the process. I have slowly reconciled myself to this given the
important message at the heart of the play about the consequences of late autism diagnoses.
What does Eliana’s fear of being “found out” reveal about the pressures of masking and
Societal expectations of normality?
The majority of Eliana’s personality has been informed by her lifelong desire to be perceived as
‘normal’, with both hilarious and devastating consequences. In an attempt to not be perceived as
sociopathic, she ends up behaving genuinely sociopathically – all of which could have been
prevented by an earlier diagnosis and greater kindness and acceptance from those around her
and society at large. This has certainly mirrored my own experience and I expect something
similar is the case for quite a lot of autistic people.
How did you approach framing such a personal story through heightened, comedic
scenarios without losing its authenticity?
My approach to most things in life is to make a joke out of them, so actually it almost feels more
authentic for the show to be so comedic. There is definitely a balance to be had though, and I do
have to be careful with ensuring I’m not adding in extra jokes because I’m uncomfortable about
something in the play being serious. Having external eyes on has been very helpful for this.
In what ways does the show challenge common misconceptions around autism, particularly
in women?
All autistic people are different and there’s a great saying that ‘if you’ve met one autistic person,
you’ve met one autistic person.’ One of the main things I am keen for the show to demonstrate is
that some autistic women can be highly intelligent, funny and seemingly very ‘functional’ (hiding
the storm going on inside). One of the main things that slowed down my pursuit of a diagnosis was
this insistence that autistic people can’t understand sarcasm or don’t have a sense of humour. So
I’m hoping that seeing a wider range of autistic women and characters leads to more people
seeing themselves and getting diagnosed.
How did collaborating with Emma Jude Harris influence the pacing and tone of
Eliana’s journey toward self-acceptance?
Emma is also dramaturging the show and one of her main jobs has been to cut out all of my
superfluous jokes where they take away from the story and emotional truth. She faces a tireless
uphill battle in trying to do this and her efforts have been noble and valiant.
What do you hope audiences—especially those who may see themselves in Eliana—take
away about identity, difference and belonging?
If anybody comes away feeling more affirmed in their neurodivergent identity, or maybe even
recognises it in themselves for the first time (in a way that is helpful to them) – I will be absolutely
thrilled. I would also love for parents and other relatives of neurodivergent kids to see the
importance of acceptance and embracing children for who they are from as early an age as
possible.