INCLUSIVE THEATRE
Globe Theatre reaching out with a special performance of The Little Mermaid
THE LITTLE MERMAID What: Relaxed and audio-described performance When: 2 p.m., June 24
Where: Globe Theatre Globe Theatre is preparing to step into the unknown.
On June 24, Globe Theatre will present a relaxed and audio-described performance of The Little Mermaid, its current main-stage production. The performance has been specifically adapted for individuals with autism, individuals with sensory and communication disorders and families with small children.
The journey to this performance started a decade ago when Ruth Smillie, Globe Theatre’s CEO and artistic director, happened upon the mother of a youngster attending the theatre school.
“Max Anderson, a student in our theatre school, is on the (autism) spectrum. When I first met his mother, she was waiting in the hallway outside of the theatre school studios. I asked if I could get her a chair and she said, ‘No, my son will be kicked out any moment now. He’s been kicked out of everything.’ I told her that we’d never kicked anybody out and that Max wouldn’t be kicked out,” said Smillie.
“So Max has been in the theatre school for about 10 years, off and on. He has developed all the skills that people on the spectrum aren’t supposed to be able to develop — spontaneity, the ability to work with others, excellent communication skills, he’s got it all.
“He’s become a real spokesperson on behalf of young people on the spectrum.”
The performance will have a relaxed attitude in a number of areas — the house lights will remain on throughout the show to soften the shifts in the theatrical lighting cues; patrons are welcome to use sound-blocking headphones if applause and sound cues are too difficult to manage; patrons are also free to leave and re-enter the theatre at any time during the performance; and, a room will be available for patrons who need quiet time during the performance.
The performance will also feature a live audio description for people with vision loss. Smillie has consulted over the years with a number of patrons who are visually impaired for their input.
Lucy Tinson, a longtime Globe subscriber who is visually impaired, spoke to Smillie about an occurrence during the presentation of The Last Wife earlier this year that demonstrated the challenges for patrons like herself.
“During The Last Wife, there was a silent moment where the woman who played Catherine, (Tinson) could tell that she was doing something but she didn’t know what she was doing,” said Smillie. “It was a pivotal moment plot-wise which Lucy missed. This audio description will enable greater access for everyone.”
Patrons who participate in the live audio description will wear headphones to allow them to hear the description with the describer filling in the “action that is not vocalized, change of scene, unspoken looks and things like that.” The description, which will only be heard by those wearing the headphones, will be inserted in between lines of dialogue and singing.
Globe Theatre will also present a performance on June 21 with American Sign Language interpretation for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. While Globe has had ASL interpretive performances in the past, The Little Mermaid provides a bit of a challenge for the two interpreters.
“They’ve done other shows but they’ve never done a musical,” said Smillie. “They actually work from a video. We record a run through and then they rehearse. They play all the characters; they divide them up. They’ve asked for more rehearsal time this time. I’m so excited to see them do it. They’re amazing.”
For the relaxed performance, Globe Theatre has been working with the Autism Resource Centre and Smillie has been thrilled with the partnership.
“We asked them a lot of questions about how to make the space really welcoming and non-disrupting for people on the spectrum and they were fantastic,” said Smillie. “They gave us all kinds of suggestions ... We may have some glitches, but I think it’s going to go very well. What we’re looking forward to is getting feedback, and we’ll improve based on the feedback.”
Smillie isn’t sure how the relaxed performance will turn out, but she’s optimistic.
“It’s going to be really interesting for us to learn how to do it best. We’re starting big, but it’s also a show that so many people want to see,” said Smillie. “We want to use this opportunity to provide this kind of accessibility for a really popular show.
“We’re going to start with this one and our goal is that we can do audio description for every show on the main stage going forward. The relaxed performances we’ll schedule for shows that are going to do more than the three-week run.”
Tickets for the relaxed performance can be obtained by calling the Globe Theatre box office at 306-525-6400.