Touch Blue Touch Yellow follows a young autistic man entering adulthood and navigating the social and workplace jungle of the non-autistic world. In doing so, it questions the pressures of forced conformity on both autistic and non-autistic people. The play was commissioned by Winterlight Theatre and funded by the Arts Council of Wales and the National Lottery. My desire to write this was inspired by my own experience of having an autistic son. The play included four short poems by my wife, poet Tracey Rhys from her collection Teaching a Bird to Sing (Greenbottle).
Touch Blue Touch Yellow production notes
Reviews for Touch Blue Touch Yellow
Touch Blue Touch Yellow
Tim Rhys expertly explores how, in today’s society, it is often more important to ‘look right’ than to feel it. Though ostensibly exploring autism, the play really explores the complexities of communication and the overpowering pull of conformity we would all do well to question.
Touch Blue Touch Yellow
A strong and much-needed contribution to the theatre scene in Wales, in its sincere, entertaining and accessible discussion of this disability.
Touch Blue Touch Yellow
Raw and unflinching, Touch Blue Touch Yellow will make you think twice what about what it means to be ‘normal. Tim Rhys doesn’t shy away from the raw emotion of the subject, while Tracey Rhys’s haunting poetry offers a lyrical counterpart.
Touch Blue Touch Yellow
Chris Durnall’s direction focuses on the performances, which are all excellent, Manfield particularly impressive as the exasperated and exasperating Carl.
Touch Blue Touch Yellow
The sad nostalgia and beauty of Tracey Rhys’ poem carefully reflects that same melancholic beauty that lies at the heart of Tim Rhys’ moving and hopeful play.