Inside the Autism-Friendly “Grinch” in San Diego
Over 500 seats filled with children on the autism spectrum and their families
Inside the Autism-Friendly performance of How the Grinch Stole Christmas at San Diego’s Old Globe
One of the most emotional experiences I’ve had while working at TDF happened right after our first autism-friendly performance of The Lion King. After the show, all of the TDF staffers were wearing identifying name tags. While standing in the lobby, as the audience was leaving the Minskoff Theatre, I was overwhelmed as parent after parent came up to me and my colleagues, many in tears, thanking us for producing this event. Until that day they couldn’t imagine being able to take their children with autism to see a Broadway show. Several had tried in the past, but felt uncomfortable if their child had an outburst or fidgeted in their chair, feeling all eyes were on them. At this autism-friendly performance, they all felt like they were in ‘the same boat’ and shared in the feeling of universal love and acceptance. It took me some time to begin to process those feelings. A few days later, I spoke to a colleague from the New York Times who covered the show for an Artsbeat blog post, and he shared the same feelings I had—compassion, powerlessness, empathy.
What that first performance proved, as well as subsequent performances of The Lion King and Mary Poppins, is that there is an audience of people with autism and their families who are hungry to experience something many of us take quite for granted. That’s why it’s even more exciting that theatre companies across the United States are beginning to realize that they would like to serve this audience.
That’s why it’s exciting that theatre companies across the United States are beginning to realize that they would like to serve this audience. As word spreads of the success we are having on Broadway with autism-friendly performances, TDF has been consulting with a few theatres around the country to help them stage autism-friendly performances of their own, including San Diego’s terrific Old Globe Theatre. Last month, I was lucky enough to attend their special sensory-friendly performance of their holiday show, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Spearheaded by Managing Director Michael Murphy and Education Director Roberta Wells-Famula, their performance was an unqualified hit and succeeded in opening up the world of live theatre for this underserved community in Southern California.
Armed with my handy iphone 4s (yes, I know I’m not at a 5 yet), I created this slide show to give you a flavor of that great day.
5 comments
Thanks for this post, David — and for the program. It’s a great thing, and it’s marvelous to read (and see) the more personal side of the events.
Could you provide a list of all of the American theaters that offer “Autism-Friendly” live performances?
Thank you!
As someone who has worked hard to make my child with autism “theatre-compliant,” I want to also point out that because my son enjoys theater so much, we are good customers–we take him at least five times a year. It’s a win-win for everybody. it is also something that older parents and grandparents can share with their autistic family members throughout the lifespan. My son also attends with his elderly grandparents, giving them something they can do together. I think people are surprised to learn how much many children and adults with autism enjoy theatrical events and performances of all types–they just need some practice and compassion to get the routine and behavior down. Programs like this are a godsend for parents who want to share their love of theater with all of their children, regardless of their disabilities.
Hi Stephanie and David — Thank you so much for your comments. We’re so glad to be able to support performances like these at TDF. — Mark (TDF Stages editor)
Thank you for the great suggestion. Right now we only have a list of theatres that we have partnered with but we are currently working on compiling a full list of theatres who provide autism-friendly performances. We will post future information about our performances and partner performances around the country here: http://www.tdf.org/autism
Once we compile the list of all autism-friendly performances, we will launch it from our main site.
Leave a Comment