Comedy with bite

IN 2011 Jessica Thom decided she was never going to the theatre again. Diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome when she was in her 20s, Thom has a range of both verbal and physical tics which she has no control over.

A lover of theatre she was hugely upset when attending a 2011 performance she was asked to move to a sound booth at the side of the stage.

“It knocked my confidence going to see shows,” she says. “I promised myself I wouldn’t go to the theatre again – but I didn’t keep it. It was the start of my journey. I realised the stage was the one side of the house I wouldn’t be asked to leave.”

Accompanied by actor Jess Mabel Jones in what she describes as “a solo show for two women” Backstage In Biscuitland uses humour and Thom’s own spontaneity to explore her condition, and wider issues of disability.

It links into Touretteshero, an organisation Thom launched five years ago in response to her condition, and to reclaim the humour connected with it “one tic at a time” through a fascinating and frequently hilarious website and blog at www.touretteshero.com. In part down to the project over the last few years Thom has come to regard her condition differently.

“Matthew Pountney [the co-founder of Touretteshero and director of the live show] described my tics as a crazy language generating machine,” says Thom. “He told me not doing something with them would be a waste.

“It made me think about my condition in a different way – Tourettes is my power, not my problem. It reminds me that what we say to each other is really important, as well as how we talk about difference and disability.”

The most noticeable aspect of Thom’s condition is her focus on the word “biscuit” which she says thousands of times a day. This is allied with various other vocal and physical tics which cause her to hit herself and fall down.

Over the phone the tics feel more like an ongoing soundtrack – a television on in the background which gradually the listener zones out. They only really dominate the conversation when Thom finishes answering a question and the “hedgehogs”, “cats” and occasional four-letter words take over.

“Most people have heard of Tourettes,” says Thom. “Most of what they know is stereotypes and misunderstandings. The show takes them through different experiences I have had.

“The tics are not my thoughts at all. They are automatic. My thoughts are clear.

“The whole point of the show is exploring the joyful and funny things, and the contribution the tics can make. They are definitely present in the performance. Tourettes helps me access a creativity and spontaneity that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to access. No two shows are the same – I’m incapable of staying on script.”

Humour is essential in her approach to her condition – which she is keen to emphasise she doesn’t “suffer” from.

“Shared laughter is one of the most powerful tools we have in encouraging people to think differently,” she says.

“People are worried about causing offence. We can’t let fear put us off.

“There’s a big difference between laughing at someone and laughing with them – people talk about this blurred line, but I have never been in any doubt about it. There is a power in sharing a joke with someone in terms of managing difficult situations. We are giving people permission to laugh, to respond naturally and ask questions.”

And there are some big messages at the heart of the show – both about the wider issues of how society treats the disabled in a time of austerity, and the importance of relaxed performances in theatre.

“The first time I met Jess, who my tics nicknamed Chopin, she was a performer at a relaxed performance of an X-rated version of Beauty And The Beast at the Young Vic,” says Thom.

Part of the show is about what the experience was like for her.

“Relaxed performances have been popular for a while with children’s shows, but it shouldn’t just be thought about as something for children. I want to go to see different types of work, and I’m definitely an adult.

“The idea of an audience sitting quietly through a show is a relatively recent construct – it’s not something Shakespeare would have recognised. Our shows embrace the unexpected. I call our show extra live, because it definitely adds something to the experience.”

Duncan Hall