Elevating Neurodiverse Talent to the Mainstage

Devin Morrissey’s quest to bring neuroinclusive talent to every workplace.

For Devin Morrissey, performing with EPIC Players theatre company at the November 2024 Neuroinclusive 90ʼs Cabaret musical showcase, hosted in Los Angelesʼ storied Catalina Jazz Club, was a dream come true. You may recognize him as a supporting cast member from Netflixʼs five-time Emmy Award winning docuseries “Love on the Spectrum”—a career highlight for him, no doubt.

“Iʼm exceptionally proud to even be part of a show that promotes inclusivity and debunks that age-old theory that autistic people canʼt find love,” he says. “Even though I didnʼt find love on the show, I was there for a friend—I ended up finding love outside of the show myself, and weʼve now been together for almost four years.”

Debunking general misconceptions about neurodiversity has been part of Morrisseyʼs journey. Hailing from Danville, California, he moved to Los Angeles straight out of high school to attend college, earned a bachelorʼs degree at Whittier College and then a masterʼs degree at the University of Southern California. And he has grown up performing in public through much of that, including in community theater and pre-professional theater since he was 10 years old.

Upon graduating from college, he decided to focus on his career. In his full-time job as a recruiting and communications coordinator for a disability and neurodiversity recruitment and career consulting firm, he helps people with different disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, dyslexia, etc. find career-focused employment at different companies.

Morrissey also hosts the Autistically Unapologetic podcast he started in summer 2023. Within just a year and a half, he is 18 episodes in, and excited to see the podcast break new ground as he has a slew of special guests that he is looking forward to bringing on the show this year.

“I wanted to open the table to different people to talk about their stories and journeys being autistic. Because one thing is for sure, if you met only one person with autism, you only met one person with autism. There are so many different types of autism out there and itʼs not as black and white as people may see. Thereʼs such a big gray area in between. And we all lie somewhere on that spectrum.”

A visit to an EPIC fundraiser in Santa Monica got him acquainted with their work. EPIC Players (Empower, Perform, Include, Create), founded in New York in 2016, is a nonprofit, neurodiverse theatre company dedicated to creating professional performing arts opportunities and supportive social communities in the arts for neurodivergent and disabled artists. Via inclusive productions, musical cabarets, original showcases, skills-based classes and career resources, the theatre company hopes to increase critical employment opportunities, pioneer increased inclusion in the arts, and break down social stigmas surrounding neurodiverse communities. Los Angeles is now where EPIC has established a second home, with the 2024 launch of the new west coast chapter.

Little did Morrissey know then during that visit that his contact information was passed to EPIC because a week later, he was invited to audition, and a week from that audition, he was congratulated on becoming an inaugural member of the Los Angeles branch. The offer to play with the Players brought back many fond memories he didnʼt know he was missing … his first performance, his first showcase, his first standing ovation, his first experience working with industry professionals—an irresistible proposition.

“I grew up feeling that I wasnʼt the most talented or I wasnʼt the most special. I knew I wasnʼt the best singer on key, but I wanted to be somebody on stage. I grew up singing before I could even talk. I was nonverbal till I was three years old. What EPIC has done is reinstall a part of me that I never thought still existed.”

He is quick to give credit where credit is due. There are mentors he mentions that are crucial to his journey. One was the creator and owner of a pre-professional theater company that he was part of in high school. Another is one of his teachers, whoʼs now become a close family friend, and has believed in his ability since he was a 12-year-old.

“I had no idea I was autistic until I was 12, even though I was diagnosed officially as autistic at the age of three. I did not understand autism as a child. I had this feeling that I was going to be looked down upon because I was autistic, so I masked it all, even though I was bullied severely regardless. I had to learn to accept myself fully for who I was, and accept being autistic, and the day that I finally said this is who I am, was the day that I was fully able to accept myself for who I was. Now, being able to come back to performing after almost a decade off, itʼs an amazing feeling.”

His advice to folks in the industry?

“You never know what you are missing out on in terms of employees that are on the spectrum or have cerebral palsy or dyslexia, and the talents that they could bring into a job that youʼre looking to fill. You would be incredibly surprised with the positive efforts, the determination, the flexibility and the adaptability that each candidate can bring,” he says, speaking from experience working with candidates from across the country.

He is equally encouraging in his message to individuals who are autistic, have disabilities or identify as neurodivergent.

“Donʼt let a rejection define your worth. There are misconceptions about disabilities that are simply not true. Thereʼs such great talent there. And especially in entertainment, we see a lot more shows that are now introducing more autistic characters. PBS has a new childrenʼs show “Carl the Collector.” If we can teach our kids about autism and how itʼs important to not only be aware of it, but also be accepting of it, we can do the same in the workplace.”