Dazzling, flashing lights and booming sounds are often inescapable parts of Australia’s thriving arts scene.
But for autistic people, these intense stimuli can create a barrier that means they often go without seeing musical productions, stage shows and live performances.
Emma Beardsley wants to make experiences more accessible for autistic people.Credit: Edwina Pickles
“The public environment is not really designed for people like us,” said Emma Beardsley, an autistic consultant for non-profit service provider Aspect.
Autism is a developmental condition that affects about one in 40 people and, among other things, can create a heightened sensory awareness that increases sensitivity, according to Aspect.
“There’s lots of loud, smelly, bright, overwhelming things everywhere we go … autistic people have to work a lot harder to access fun things like musical theatre,” Beardsley said.
So when Disney asked for ways to make its Beauty and the Beast musical more accessible, Beardsley jumped at the chance to assess the show and make autism-friendly recommendations to create a “relaxed performance”.
“We’ve modified the show to [pull] back some of those really overwhelming sensory experiences so that it’s not as draining on our systems,” Beardsley said.
“We have a funny saying in my team that our job is to put ourselves in overwhelming situations so that other autistic people don’t have to.”
Beardsley said autistic people might avoid performances such as Beauty and the Beast because they worry about wasting money on a ticket if they need to leave – not because they don’t love the theatre.
“People assume that autistic people won’t want to go … [But] there’s a high proportion of really creative autistic people who love things like drama and visual arts. On top of that, Disney is quite often a common special interest area for autistic people,” the self-described “Dis-nerd” said.
A relaxed performance of Beauty and the Beast will show in Melbourne on March 22.Credit: Daniel Boud
She said the relaxed performances allowed families with autistic children to go to an event judgement free.
“A lot of families feel really anxious going to a general access show because … if your child starts to not cope in a theatre, people will look at you, people will judge you,” she said.
“In our first relaxed performance that was held in Sydney, a family came up to us at the end and said ‘we’ve never been able to go out as a family before’. Usually, they have to have one parent take one child somewhere, while the autistic child stays at home because he won’t cope in that situation.”
Beardsley said another boy, who had never been to the theatre because he found walking into the cavernous space overwhelming, watched the relaxed performance from the doorway.
The audience is encouraged to sing, clap and dance as desired in the relaxed performance.Credit: Daniel Boud
“He still got to experience the show just by being just outside the doors, and he had the time of his life,” she said.
Beardsley said a “hidden curriculum” – expected behaviours most people pick up through socialisation, which autistic people might have more difficulty with – limited access to musical theatre.
“Sitting still, being quiet, clapping at the appropriate times … in the relaxed performance, none of that is expected,” she said.
“We encourage people to clap, dance, sing, boo Gaston – which is always a fun part – and behave however they want to, to feel comfortable.”
Beardsley said any changes to the show keep the onstage magic intact, and that a “visual story” – an online guide to attending the show, from what to wear, to how to find your seat, to special effects onstage – had been developed to prepare ticket-holders for both the relaxed and standard performances.
“[The visual story] is an easy-English, picture-based, step-by-step guide … which will give you an overview of what to expect and what you’re expected to do,” she said.
At the relaxed performance in Melbourne on March 22, a warning light will signal upcoming lights and noises. Scary characters and unexpected elements will be introduced before the performance – for example, the actor playing “evil guy” Gaston will explain he is pretending to be bad on stage.
Quiet rooms staffed by autistic and autism-trained staff will have water, different seating options and sensory tools for attendees to use while taking a break from the show.
Beardsley said a good relationship between the owner of the musical rights, the production company, the venue and the cast and crew made the alterations achievable, including a reduced ticket price for the show.
“Quite often, there’s a lot of reluctance to doing something like this because people think it’s a massive undertaking. [But] there are a lot of really small, really simple changes … that can make a really big difference,” she said.
“There’s very little changes to the actual show in terms of how the performers perform.”
Aspect, which has also consulted on autism-friendly events from Australia Day celebrations at Darling Harbor to a local council’s Halloween party, has partnered with autism non-profit Amaze to run the relaxed performance.
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