Broadway NewsCome From Away, The Lion King, and Aladdin to Offer Autism-Friendly PerformancesThe three-show season season features adjusted performances of Broadway musicals made possible by TDF.
By
Andrew Gans
December 08, 2021
TDF's in-person, autism friendly performances of Broadway shows—for families with children and adults on the autism spectrum and other developmental disabilities—will return January 30, 2022, at 1 PM with the Tony-nominated musical Come From Away at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.
The three-show season continues with two Disney musicals: The Lion King March 6 at 1 PM at the Minskoff Theatre and Aladdin May 1 at 1 PM at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Tickets to these special performances generally go on sale six to eight weeks before the performance. Tickets to Come From Away are available by clicking here.
TDF’s Autism-Friendly Performances Program began in 2011; The Lion King was the first Broadway show to participate. These performances adjust the sound so it does not exceed 90 decibals; lights dim to half instead of a full blackout for the audiences; and, generally, strobes and flashes are removed. Attendees are also offered educational materials to help audiences affected by autism learn the plot and characters ahead of time.
“It is so exciting to be able to invite our audience back into the theatre,” said TDF Director of Accessibility Programs Lisa Carling. “We polled our audience members to see how they felt about returning to live theatre, and this response, which reflected the feelings of so many, says it all: ‘We missed Broadway so much. The magic. The fun. It’s an outing which we don’t get many of. We can’t wait!’”
Past productions who have participated in the program include Aladdin, Cats, Come From Away, Elf: The Musical, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Kinky Boots, Mary Poppins, Matilda, My Fair Lady, Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The King and I, The Phantom of the Opera, and Wicked.
The Fred Ebb Award recognizes excellence in musical theatre songwriting, by a songwriter or songwriting team that has not yet achieved significant commercial success.