Sped Kid is an autobiographical journey of a 12-year-old child growing up with special educational needs – ‘sped’ as special education rather than the speed at which a child will travel! Adam Linn plays himself beginning as that 12-year-old, growing to become a young adult. Through the medium of music in his childhood we see him developing special relationships with friends in his school and school bus, as well as his own relationship with his family.
The play is engaging and highly positive in a highly Americanised way. Linn is a skilled performer with a life of inspiration and experience, and this comes through. It is dynamically positive in how a young man grew to understand not just his condition, but also his place within society.
Sped Kid begins with a touching scene played out solo by Linn as a 12 year old boy looking after his mother in a way that we would assume that a child should be looked after by their mother in reverse. There is no criticism of his mother, it is just that he has the whip hand in terms of how to deal with his own disability.
The pace of positive relentlessness needs variety and it is only when we are some way into the narrative that the tonal change, which is just slightly less positive, allows us to better understand the effect on Linn and those around him; it reaches us more effectively.
Linn’s ability as a physical performer, to inhabit these characters, is challenging, but he manages with skill. Well directed by Padraic Lillis this has a strong structure directorially. A lot of issues to do with being blind onstage are dealt with, on one hand, obvious if you look for it, and on the other, you’re completely oblivious to it because it is seamlessly integrated.
The issue I have is with the text itself. It opens a number of questions that I would love to have seen answered, such as whether or not there was anything that came out of being discouraged to attend by the Boston State Mainstream School that he could have gone to, or how the driver of the bus, who was very individualistic, supported in other ways.
I would have liked more about how the society around him dealt with him and his special educational needs class more than just reference to how they looked at them as being different, as if they were animals in the zoo.
Linn has spoken about having gained a vision after having lost his sight, and you can clearly see how this connects with the theatricality of it all. However, I would have preferred a little more nuance in the way in which Linn matches the unrelenting optimism, with realism.
Having said that, one of the problems that we have with issue-based drama can often be that we’re looking for a solution. Here it is, one person’s view of life from their own position.
Technically, the oral cues were well done, well managed, and we got a sense of the environment in which Linn was growing up very clearly across the stage.
Costume was well described at the beginning, and a shout out for the Audio Description from the young lady who came on stage. Given this was a performance from avisually impaired artist it was good to have this integrated into the show. Given her young age, she read beautifully, in a flawless manner, describing the show for the visually impaired, and though she had technology in her hand to aid her, she needed it not, nice to have positive images for the young.
Sped Kid is a valuable addition to the way in which we understand disability, and it’s a very enjoyable one. Especially, I liked how we heard about the positivity that a special educational needs provision treats both their children and young people, but also how the children and young people supported each other.
Sped Kid, the Space@ Surgeon’s Hall, 1st – 25th August 10:35
Review Date Wednesday 20th August 2025
