Aspiring young comic tours Canada for Autism Awareness

June 4, 2014 · 0 Comments

Michael McCreary is a brilliant, funny 18 year old who loves to talk about his passion for films, music, and comic book characters. It has been my experience that he is a gentle, kind young man, exceedingly polite, totally talented and fascinating to be around, and yet, as a kid growing up with Asperger’s Syndrome, he found himself socially challenged and most often ostracised in school. This form of bullying is a common experience for kids like Michael, mainly because of a lack of awareness that surrounds his disorder. Michael wants to change that, and this fall he will make a documentary film of his cross Canada tour in his one man stand-up comedy routine, “Does This Make My Asperger’s Look Big?”

Michael, who lives with his family in Mono Township, was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of five, and one of his brothers is autistic. “I have two brothers, my younger brother Matthew is non verbal and profoundly challenged. We both have Autism Spectrum Disorder. People with ASD may have some things in common,” says Michael, “but because it’s a spectrum there are also lots of differences.”

Over the years, Michael’s parents, Doug and Susan McCreary have found support and resources at Dufferin Child and Family Services and Kerry’s Place in Orangeville. Michael attended Mono Amaranth Public School and Orangeville District Secondary School, where he is known as an excellent saxophone player. He has been active in theatre, as well as music, performing with Theatre Orangeville’s Young Company and their Drama for Young People program from the age of 9-16, as well as with LP Productions in various musicals at Grace Tipling Hall in Shelburne.

Michael’s Mom says he started doing stand-up half way through grade eight when she and her husband heard about an eight week stand up comedy course in Guelph by Spark of Brilliance, run by David Grainier, the founder of Stand Up For Mental Health out of Vancouver. “They were only working with adults at that time, but David did a phone interview with Michael and felt he would be a good fit for the program. After the program was completed, Spark of Brilliance booked a series of shows for the comics to perform and he’s been performing ever since.”

Michael has created his routine around the lighter side of Asperger’s Syndrome, and describes his life in comedy as inevitable, “I started doing stand-up at the age of 13 in an act of self-preservation, combined with the desire for constant attention and the inability to stop talking.”

This year, he found himself about to graduate from high school and faced with the big question of what to do next. “All my friends were talking about what schools they were applying for, and I had no idea what I was going to do. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to perform and I wanted to do something that matters. So I sat down with my folks and came up with a plan.”

This October, in recognition of Canada’s Autism Awareness month, Michael is taking his show on the road, driving with his folks and a camera man in an RV, from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Vancouver, BC performing his stand up act in every province, in universities, comedy clubs and church basements. “We believe in the power of laughter as a way of bringing people together and getting through the tough times,” Michael explains. Every performance will be pro bono to help local autism organizations raise funds for programs within their communities.

Confirmed venues for “Does This Make My Asperger’s Look Big?” include the Presentation Theatre at Signal Hill, Nfld, Festival Hall in Calgary, and The Comedy Mix in Vancouver. Along the route, he will be meeting with families and sharing their stories of positive experiences in the documentary to help change the stereotype of autism. And the collection of stories has already begun: a 19 year old autistic boy in Kingston, who spoke his first words three weeks ago; an autistic girl from Ottawa who ran a 26 mile marathon in 2.39 hours, just 30 minutes off the Olympic record; a young man, who despite the gross motor skill challenges of autism, has become an astounding juggler with two Guinness Book Records; and…Michael McCreary, who at only eighteen years old is already well on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming a stand-up comedian.

The tour will cost the family about $25,000, “less than a penny a foot,” says Michael, and they are hoping for support through their online crowdsourcing campaign with Indiegogo: www.igg.me/at/aspiecomic or at Michael’s website www.aspiecomic.com. “I know not everybody can contribute, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help,” says Michael, “please get the word out by sharing our campaign with everyone you know – blast email, post on Facebook, tweet, call, text, write, American sign language, Morse code, carrier pigeon… ” Sponsors will be treated to a pre-tour live performance of the show in Orangeville in late September as a special thank you. On tour, Michael will be doing 12 shows and 24 interviews in 10 provinces in 29 days. For exact locations and times, or to help out with “a month’s supply of timbits,” you can check out the website at www.aspiecomic.com

By Marni Walsh