TIDES (An Autism Story) to Return to London at Drayton Arms Theatre

One-person show, Tides (An Autism Story), will return to London for its final ever run this October at the Drayton Arms Theatre. Based on real experiences of growing up on the autism spectrum, Tides (An Autism Story), was launched in 2024 at The Hope Theatre in London (when it was simply just called Tides). This was at the tail end of Autism Acceptance Week, during which, the show raised £100 for London's Autism Charity Group. Following this, the show has spent the next two years touring the UK, performing in Guildford, Salford, Camden Fringe, Southwark, Wimbledon, and Newcastle all before performing a weeklong run at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival! Along the way, the show sold out at venues, got rave reviews, and earned 'Runner Up' for the Newcastle Fringe Theatre Award. This year it has performed three well received shows at Chichester, York and Manchester, but now, the shows run will officially reach its end.

Tides (An Autism Story) follows the life of Dylan Ward as he navigates his way through primary school, secondary school, college, university, his first full time job, and COVID, all the while struggling to fit in with what some would call 'conventional norms' due to his autism causing him to misunderstand situations. Along the way, he meets classmates who don't understand him, teachers who dismiss or bully him, and managers who can't comprehend his attitude to work. But this never stops him trying!

Joe Dennis, the writer and performer of Tides (An Autism Story) explains why he's decided that now is the right time to bring the show to its firm conclusion. "When I first started this show, it was because I found there was so much to talk about in relation to autism and how it feels like to not be fully seen or understood by society. To be considered 'weird' or 'interesting' but then when you question anyone on what they would define as 'normal behaviour' no one really seems to have a definitive answer (because not one of us are entirely the same, let's be honest). And of course, how many people seem to go through these struggles growing up, even if they haven't had an Autism or Neurodiverse diagnosis. I realised that what I made had something important to say, and for some reason, I felt compelled to say it. And now, around twenty shows later, performing in 9 different towns/cities around the country (some more than once), I've done everything I wanted to do with the show and more. So, it feels like the right time to bring the show to its proper conclusion".

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