Before the Roar: Preparing for an Autism-Friendly ‘Lion King’
When Judith Ursitti’s 11-year-old son Jack was diagnosed with autism 10 years ago, she never imagined that he’d be able to enjoy a musical theater production; the shows’ roaring orchestras and harsh lighting would surely be too much for Jack to handle.
“For our family, who loves the theater, especially musical theater, we kind of thought taking [Jack] to a show as an entire family was just one of those things that would never happen,’’ Ursitti told Boston.com.
That changed when Broadway and the Theater Development Fund (TDF), which created the Autism Theatre Initiative, introduced the first autism- and sensory-friendly performance of “The Lion King’’ in New York City in Oct. 2011.
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The next year, the Ursitti family traveled from their hometown of Dover, Mass. to Manhattan, where Ursitti was overcome with emotion while watching Jack take in the sights and sounds of “The Lion King’’ for the first time.
“I think the music, the opening, the puppetry just really mesmerized him,’’ Ursitti added. “We not only made it through intermission, we made it through the whole production. He sat through the whole 2-and-a-half hour show…It was one of those mind-blowing events.’’
“My husband and I looked at each other and we were just crying,’’ Ursitti remembered. “It was one of those things that we never thought we’d be able to do.’’
Since 2012, Jack has attended a trio of autism-friendly theater performances. On Oct. 11, he’ll attend his fourth—the first in the Bay State: Broadway in Boston’s autism-friendly performance of “The Lion King’’ at the Boston Opera House.
Ursitti, who left a decade-long career as a CPA to work as the Director of State Government Affairs for Autism Speaks, will work behind the scenes with her 14-year-old daughter, Amy, to coordinate trained volunteers at the production, while Jack and his dad watch the show from their seats.
For every respective usher and theater employee, there will be a designated volunteer who has been specially trained in autism awareness to help ease the process.
Nia Holloway as Nala, right, and Jelani Remy as Simba.
The volunteer initiative is part of a larger plan put into place by Russ Kenn, executive director of Autism Speaks’ New England chapter, who was approached with the idea of an autism-friendly “Lion King’’ by Broadway in Boston president Rich Jaffe in March.
Since then, Broadway in Boston and Autism Speaks have worked with the folks at Disney Theatrical Productions to learn which elements can and will be adjusted to accommodate the audience on Oct. 11.
In order to be autism- and sensory-friendly, the show will eliminate the more jarring elements by keeping the house lights up throughout the whole performance, by toning down the volume of the music and by removing strobe lights.
“It’s interesting, some people with autism are distressed by certain things that other people with autism love,’’ Ursitti said. “[Autism-friendly productions] turn the music down, but they end up throughout the show turning it up because of the buzz of the crowd [and] the noise, it slowly gets back to normal.’’
If the production becomes too much for an audience member, families will be able to visit a designated calming area where trained staff and volunteers will be on-hand to provide real-time support.
Broadway in Boston and Autism Speaks also created a social story to help prepare attendees with autism for the performance, similar to those distributed before TDF productions in New York, Houston, and Pittsburgh.
The social story, embedded below, includes images of what attendees can expect, ranging from the trip into the city, to the interior of the theater, the characters in the production, and the typical elements of being in an audience which they may not be familiar with like clapping and taking a break during intermission.
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Autism Speaks has given away 600 tickets to families who couldn’t afford to see the show, and offered 1,900 tickets at a discounted rate of 20 to 45 percent off, thanks to a collaboration with its sponsors.
Kenn is thrilled to be able to give people with autism equal access to the theater.
“I think this is the best thing we’ve done,’’ Kenn said. “For people who are affected by autism, going to the theater hasn’t been an option.’’
For more autism- and sensory-friendly events and performances, visit ArtsBoston.
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