Autism friendly live theatre performance of The Lion King will hold a show on 4th of June 2017, Sunday on 1:30 pm, Disney UK announced.
The live show has experienced tremendous success earlier, in Australia and USA. The Lion King has been especially directed, keeping in mind the needs of autistic children and to make the program more accessible to autistic children.
Disney recently announced the launch of an Autism Friendly performance in UK
The channel has also released a short video which guides the viewers through the creative process of arranging an autism friendly show.
The Autism friendly show debuted in April 2013 in London’s West End theatre. They were guided by The National Autistic Society, a leading organisation that provide support to families and children with Autism.
Autism, a largely behavioural, neurological condition has been affecting more and more children each passing year, with less than enough amount of help, medication or research provided to them.
As per the estimates available, 1 out of every 68 individuals happens to be within the autism spectrum. Attempts are being made globally to help people with autism live a normal, healthy life with choices and options to express their creative abilities.
People within the autistic spectrum show sensitivity to sounds, lights, colours, smell or even taste. Hence, sitting through for hours to a theatre performance is considered unlikely.
Their inabilities considerably narrows down things they can enjoy with their families, as many react adversely to crowd or social gatherings.
It therefore, easy to note that a musical theatre performance might be overwhelming for people with Autism.
With the aid of National Autism Society, the show has been designed keeping all these drawbacks in mind, right from the booking process, to the performance, along with the viewing environment.
Disney’s attempt to make a landmark show like The Lion King available for families with autism, is a fantastic attempt to build a an autism friendly society as a whole.
Keeping in mind that many cannot sit quietly through the performance, a designated activity area, as well as a quiet area has been allowed in the foyer. There will be carers in these area who are experts in understanding autistic people.
The whole performance has been modified, by eliminating jarring sounds or strobe lighting that can agitate the viewers.
The entire cast as well as the Lyceum Theatre box office personnels has been trained to understand the requirements of families with autistic children and adults.
The channel have also decided to come up with a dedicated website for children with autism.A visual story is also available in the form of a downloadable link to assist the children. This will aid in reducing the anxiety many suffer from while facing a new experience.
The audience could find more information about the show and the tickets at their website.
Tickets could be purchased up until 30th April 2017 for individual audiences and the dates have further extended up to 01st of October for purchase by the groups.
The Lion King happens to be one of the most successful live performance shows by Disney which was staged, way back in 1999. Since then, it has remained one of the most popular theatre performances. It has travelled all over the world and captured the fantasy of thousands of children.
I am Ash and I celebrate Neurodiversity! Growing up with an elder brother with severe Autism was tough – but it has also taught me essential life lessons. I don’t believe that people with Autism are necessarily or have any disorder (except in extreme cases). They are just different! And that is something to be proud of! I am passionate about helping other families who may have Autism conditions in their family. So please reach out and drop me a note. I will be glad to help 🙂
