‘He Ain’t Heavy’ explores my relationship with my severely disabled and autistic brother called Sean. Throughout the piece we use different elements to introduce the audience to Sean, who is largely conspicuous through his absence, reflecting all the major events in my life where Sean wasn’t present, as well as mirroring the state Sean enters when he has an epileptic fit. Physical theatre, aerial circus, audience interaction, storytelling and puppetry show the audience how Sean walks, talks and interacts with the world as well as how his unique take on life has shaped me.
The stage is dominated by an oversized park swing, the main overlap between Sean’s world and mine; his from walking and pushing swings everyday for 30 years and mine from choosing aerial as a career, possibly influenced by the years I walked to the swings with him.