M O L L Y M A T T A I N I
Personal Research
My research focuses on Ability-Inclusive Sensory Theatre (also known as just sensory theatre), an emerging genre within Theatre for Young Audiences which creates work from the ground-up for children on the autism spectrum and with other cognitive disabilities. Through sensory immersion, empathetic improvisation, and a structure which focuses on soft transitions and consent, artists are able to create rich theatrical landscapes for audiences who are not served well in a tradition theatre space.
I recently completed my doctoral dissertation on sensory theatre within the United States.
Published Work:
"Creating Autistic Space in Ability-Inclusive Sensory Theatre", Youth Theatre Journal
“Implementing Universal Design for Learning in Out-of-School Time Drama Education” Routledge Companion to Drama in Education
“The Imagined Child Onstage: Theatrical Depictions of Parental Grief during Transition for Youth on the Autism Spectrum” Routledge Companion to Theatre and Young People
Current projects:
"From the Ground Up: Teaching-Artist-Generated Change for Anti-Racist Pedagogy", in collaboration with Kailea Saplan and Katherine Norman