The story of a young autistic boy and his family’s experiences of coping with the highs and lows of the condition is set to become a major movie set in the North East.
Originally a blog set up by Cramlington mum Christine Stephenson, “The Life of Reilly” documented her frustrations at the way that people constantly judged her son Reilly and the family while out and about. She felt that a blog was an easy, cathartic way to educate people about Reilly and others just like him. It quickly gained a rapid following and now has almost a quarter of a million views all around the world. At the same time writer and actress Alison Stanley was working on a play on the same subject and they joined together to ensure they could make maximum impact.
The Life of Reilly CIC was set up by Christine, Alison and Kelly Best, the companies much needed counsellor, all mothers of very different autistic sons with very different experiences. The aim of the company is to raise awareness of autism and make people think about their attitudes towards it. To do this, they carry out training for parents and grandparents helping them to understand and develop strategies to help them deal with their situation. They also run courses for community groups and businesses and have a Theatre in Education workshop where schools are visited to educate children about their autistic peers.
Carrying on the theme of educating people about autism, The Life of Reilly play looks at autism from the viewpoint of a north east family with much of the storyline derived from the personal experiences of all three families.
Last year, the stage play debuted at The Northern Stage in Newcastle to critical acclaim and then toured across the north east. It will be featured in the Edinburgh Fringe in August at the prestigious Space on the Mile and The Life of Reilly will host a VIP performance in May. The play is a finalist in the Best Writer category at this years Culture Awards.
In July, production will commence on the movie version of the play produced by Newcastle based TryLife Films and will take place across the region with North Shields being the main location for the family. The movie follows Reilly’s journey from birth to a young man showing the ups and downs of both him and his family. Wherever possible, autistic cast and crew will be used to create opportunities and ensure authenticity. TryLife are award winning and renowned for their innovative films based on highly emotive subjects.
“Although Reilly is non-verbal, we wanted to give him a voice in the movie so that we experience things through his thoughts,” said Christine. “We also want to portray the family’s struggle to get a correct medical diagnosis, the difficulties experienced when trying to access help and the battle to get the right education for your child.”
“The film will be sad in parts, happy in others and will definitely make you think. I guess it’s a cross between I Daniel Blake and Shameless but it will have a feel-good ending and give an incredible insight which in turn will change attitudes.”
The team are now actively fundraising for production costs. Already, Newcastle businessman Rob Armstrong has donated £10,000 to the fund and a gala ball is planned for 1st June at the Gateshead Hilton Hotel. With match funding from local businesses and people pledging to help, it is hoped that the movie will be completed early in the New Year.
Tickets for The Life of Reilly Ball on 1st June at the Hilton Gateshead are available from reillycic@gmail.com
Tickets for The Life of Reilly performance at Blyth Phoenix on 29th May available at www.thephoenixtheatre.org.uk
Ends Stage Photo shows Reilly and actor Cameron Fraser
Posed photo shows writer Alison Stanley, Rob Armstrong and Christine Stephenson
Posed Photo 2 shows The cast with Alison Stanley, Rob Armstrong and Christine Stephenson
Media Keith@highlightspr.co.uk 07814 397951