Autism: The Musical

Autism The Musical is an independent documentary film directed by Tricia Regan. In April 2007, the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. The film recounts six months of the lives of five children who are on the autism spectrum in Los Angeles, California as they write and rehearse for an original stage production.

Several of the parents appearing in the film are well known in his or her own right. For example, Rosanne KatonWalden was Playboy magazines Playmate of the Month for its September 1978 issue and her husband Richard Walden Operation USA is the president and chief executive officer of Operation USA, an international organization that shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for its work as part of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. American guitarist and singersongwriter Stephen Stills is Stills in the renowned rock band Crosby, Stills amp Nash and Young. They and the other parents round out a cast of reallife parents struggling with their strained marriages while dealing with the sometimes overwhelming needs of their children with autism.An idea for the film was first raised in July 2005 as a potential 48 Hour Film Project, but did not materialize. However, in that same year, noted acting coach Elaine Hall founded The Miracle Project, a nonprofit, Sherman Oaks, California based theater group for children with autism and other disabilities. In late 2005, Tricia Regan began filming the sixmonth rehearsal process at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services recreation room in Los Angeles. Regan is said to have collected more than 400 hours of raw material, winnowing the documentary to five complementary family narratives. The title of the film emerged only in the late stages of editing. ........

Source: Wikipedia