Podcast Episode 3: The Neurodiversity Paradigm in Theatre
Welcome to the third episode of the Access Ideas and Insights Podcast Series!
The Neurodiversity Paradigm in Theatre is all about reshaping creative processes, storytelling, and rehearsal rooms to celebrate neurodivergent perspectives.
In this episode, we explore what that shift means with Pollyanna Nowicki, Joanna Erskine, and Jules Orcullo, three theatre-makers sharing their insights, knowledge and experience.
Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation on how neurodivergent voices are reimagining theatre-making, from process to performance.
Watch, Listen To or Read the Podcast
Episode 3: The Neurodiversity Paradigm in Theatre
Watch the Auslan interpreted video with closed captions by clicking through to watch on YouTube:
You can also access the podcast via the links below:
- Listen on Sound Cloud
- Listen on Apple Podcasts
- Listen or watch on Spotify with open captions
Check out the Episode 3 Transcript and the Image Description Document which describes the artworks and images in the Auslan interpreted podcast video.
Podcast Guest Speakers
Joanna Erskine – Head of Education, Bell Shakespeare
Joanna Erskine (she/her) is an award-winning playwright, producer, speaker, teacher and arts education specialist. Joanna is the Head of Education at Bell Shakespeare, working with the company for 17 years overseeing artistic direction and delivery of its renowned national education program.
A graduate of NIDA, she is a two-time winner of the Silver Gull Play Award, winner of Sydney Theatre Company Young Playwrights Award and Lysicrates Prize finalist. Joanna is the founder and director of Storytellers Festival, a showcase and celebration of unproduced Australian writing, held at Kings Cross Theatre (KXT). In 2023, Joanna was awarded the Lloyd Martin Travelling Scholarship for Emerging Arts Leaders, administered by Sydney Opera House. In 2025, Joanna will be a resident writer at Griffin Theatre Company through Griffin Studio.
Pollyanna Nowicki – Actor
Pollyanna Nowicki (she/they) is a self-represented actor. She is Neurocomplex and has hidden disabilities. Australian made in a lab, brought up in a Polish household on Cabrogal Land. Graduated with a BFA in Acting from NIDA in 2019 and completed the NYC Atlantic Theatre Co. Summer Intensive in 2013.
Credits include; Night Bloomers dir. Undi Andrew Lee for SBS On Demand, VO for A Royal In Paradise dir. Adrian Powers, Method In Madness for Bell Shakespeare, Short Film Wigilia for AFTRS, It’s Still Her Voice for Siren Theatre Co dir. Kate Gaul, Featurette Film Witkacy i Malinowski at the 2019 Sydney Film Festival, Taste Of Australia with Hayden Quinn S2 Ep10, Tragedy Of Antigone dir. Shy Magsalin, Hamlet as Hamlet at the Old Fig Tree Theatre, On Hold The Short Film Musical dir. Matthew Predney & Jake Neilson which won Flickerfest 2017, Ruby Moon at the Seymour Centre, Twelfth Night as Viola dir. Sarah Goodes. In 2009 she received the NSDF Sunday Times Emerging Artist Award For Acting at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Jules Orcullo – Playwright, Songwriter and Dramaturg
Jules Orcullo (she/they) currently works as Dramaturg at Sydney Theatre Company where she co-facilitates the Watershed Writers program. She won the Griffin Award for her play ‘My Dad Never Saw The Beatles’ and her debut musical ‘Forgetting Tim Minchin’ was nominated for an AWGIE Award and Time Out Award for Best Musical. She a current participant of Invention Studios’ Australian Comedy Incubator for emerging screenwriters. She mentors artists via Curious Works and Australian Plays Transform, has held education roles at NIDA, Belvoir, and ATYP, and producing roles at ILBIJERRI Theatre Company, Belvoir, Co-Curious, and Contemporary Asian Australian Performance. She is an alumna of writing programs at APRA AMCOS, Hayes Theatre, Contemporary Asian Australian Performance, AFTRS, Playwriting Australia, ATYP, The Royal Court, Soho Theatre, and the Lyric Hammersmith. Jules is a proud founding member of Kallective, developing works for the Filipinx diaspora.
Podcast Host
Bedelia Lowrenčev
Bedelia (they/she) is a groovy disabled actor, dancer, singer, agitator, theatre maker, producer and Access Coordinator, living and working on Wategoro and Wangal Land. Bedelia frequently collaborates with their Deaf twin Jeremy, as facilitators and explorers of queerness, disability and deafness. Bedelia has a keen interest in communal care, story sovereignty, reciprocity and advocacy in their arts practice. In particular, challenging the western gaze on body, community and identity, and the reclamation of CALD queerness, and relation to land. Most recently, Bedelia acted in the new short film ‘With Love, Lottie’ which screened at FrameShift at the Sydney Opera House, and will screen at the 2025 Mardi Gras Film Festival. Previously, Bedelia acted with Bus Stop Films in ‘Screen Me’, Assistant Produced Raghav Handa’s THE ASSEMBLY at Campbelltown Arts Centre, performed SOFT PLACES at the Sydney Biennale, Griffin Studio Resident, and was Access Coordinator at Performance Space for Liveworks, and Co-Program Coordinator: Access at Sydney Fringe Festival. Currently, Bedelia is cracking into their disabled musical spenanza with Wear It Purple, is lead creative in the Move Series at the Art Gallery of NSW, and worked on the Ripple program with Accessible Arts as program coordinator for 2025.
This podcast is proudly produced by Accessible Arts and Kiera Brew Kurec with sound design by Tralala Blip. Access consulting was provided by Macro Impact Consulting and our Advisory Group.
This podcast series is proudly supported by the City of Sydney and Create NSW, the principal funding partner of Accessible Arts.
Image description: Headshots of the podcast guest speakers Joanna Erskine (photo by Alex Vaughan), Pollyanna Nowicki (photo by Alex Vaughan) and Jules Orcullo.
