Inside Broadway’s first autism-friendly performance

In many ways, the October 2nd matinee of The Lion King was like any other performance. The theatre buzzed with families, people sang along with their favorite songs, and the actors gave it their all.

But this show was special. It was Broadway’s first “autism-friendly” performance and the debut of Theatre Development Fund’s Autism Theatre Initiative.

Overseen by TDF’s Accessibility Programs (TAP), the Autism Theatre Initiative creates a friendly, supportive theatre environment for children or adults with an autism spectrum disorder. Because people on the autism spectrum often have trouble adjusting to mainstream social situations, and because they often fidget or make noise, they typically can’t attend live performances. Loud sounds and bright lights might aggravate their symptoms, and their behavior might disturb performers or audience members.

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Israel Galvan’s solo show pushes the boundaries of flamenco dancing

From September 20-25th The Joyce Theater opens its fall season with Israel Galván’s vibrant Le Edad de Oro or The Golden Age, a full length solo flamenco performance accompanied by live musicians. In a Joyce lineup that often features full dance companies, Mr. Galván’s work is uniquely captivating, as is his philosophy on dance.

Flamenco is said to have originated in Spain from gypsy culture, but it has been through several evolutions. In the late 1800′s, cafés cantantes (music cafés) turned flamenco into what we know today, an athletic and interactive Spanish dance form inseparable from the music that accompanies it.

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Queens Hindu Community Center iexperiences  Broadway for the first time.

See what happens when members of the Hindu Community Center in Queens go to see the Broadway revival of “Chicago.” (Part of TDF’s New Audiences for New York program.)  [Read more →]

How a deaf CUNY law student uses TDF’s program

Caitlin Parton is a law student at the City University of New York who spent her early twenties interning with a U.S. senator. She’s also a lifelong theatregoer, and the theatre is richer because of bright, passionate fans like her. Not that long ago, however, the theatre wasn’t very accommodating to Parton or the hundreds of audiences members like her.

Parton, 26, identifies as deaf, and though a cochlear implant gives her partial hearing, she still hears less than most people. When she was young, that seriously hindered her theatregoing.

“My mother is an actress and her father was a Broadway producer, so I grew up having an appreciation of the performing arts and attending Broadway performances with my mom,” she recalls. “I would enjoy them, but she would sit next to me and mouth what people were saying so that I could lip read when I missed it. We would watch movies of musicals before we would go to see the production, so I’d be familiar with it, but there would just be so much that I would be missing.”

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Tips for getting the most from FringeNYC

The fifteenth annual FringeNYC festival runs from August 12-28, and as always, it’s a smorgasbord of theatre, dance, comedy, and performance art. With so many shows to choose from, the festival can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips on how to become a Fringe expert.

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