Page 89 - SEN114 September/October 2021

Relaxed performances
Relaxed performances -
the digital experience
Lucy Askew, chief executive and creative producer at Creation Theatre, discusses ways in which they are levelling the playing field for the neurologically diverse.
Working in theatre over the past 14 years the team and I at Creation Theatre have done lots to make our work more accessible for children and adults on the autistic spectrum. In a pre-pandemic world this took the form of ‘Relaxed Performances’. Usually a single performance within part of a longer schedule of shows, Relaxed Performances are especially adapted to be more accessible, comfortable, and accommodating for a range of different audiences and have been a part of the theatre sector landscape now for nearly a decade. Keeping the house lights in the auditorium on, making the seating feel more welcoming and adjusting the show for very loud noises or music to be turned down are now thankfully a standard feature in the programming of most of the subsidised sector. These accommodations are done with audiences on the autistic spectrum in mind, but the result tends to be a catch-all environment in which many individuals and carers are more comfortable, rather than meeting the specific needs of the neuro-diverse.
Additional efforts we have made at Creation Theatre’s relaxed shows begin even before the performance itself. We provide a
“Accommodations are done with audiences on the autistic spectrum in mind”
visual story to prepare audiences for what to expect when they visit us which covers everything from arriving at the theatre, to the performance itself and queueing for the toilets in the interval. Our cast introduce themselves pre-show and explain which characters they will be playing. Extra ushers are on duty and the audience can talk, make noise or exit the space whenever they need to. We have a “chill-out” quiet area outside of the auditorium and the show is visible on a screen at a quiet volume that can be watched in a less overwhelming way.
At one of our Christmas performances, we introduced “Flappause” where the audience were invited to wave their
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