Theater modifies ‘Little Mermaid’ for austic children
Genesius Theater modifies “Little Mermaid” for autistic children
Reading Eagle Four-year-old Isla MacCarty is autistic, which means live theater has always been a little too intense for her too handle.
But on Sunday as the Pottstown girl attended her first play, she was loving every minute of it, locked in on each song and joke and dance.
The performance was a sensory-friendly version of “The Little Mermaid,” presented at Genesius Theatre in Reading, and for those who attend the theater regularly, the changes may not have been obvious .
But for Isla and dozens of other autistic children and adults at the show, those adaptations made all the difference. Isla’s mom, Corinne, had brought headphones for Isla to wear in case the noise of the play was too much, but by intermission she hadn’t needed them.
“What they did here is amazing,” Corinne said.
No surprises, startles
To be more accommodating to guests on the autism spectrum or who have other sensory issues, Genesius eliminated as many surprises and startles as possible.
It reduced the lighting on stage, and took out all flashing lights. It used two pianos instead of the usual 16-piece pit orchestra, and cut down on the microphones.
The play was shortened by 30 minutes, and the characters were introduced beforehand, so no one would be startled by Ursula’s evil laugh, or Chef Louis’ butcher knife, or Sebastian the crab’s crazy costume.
Isla sat on her dad, Jeff’s, lap, and never took her eyes off the stage. None of the action scared her, she said afterward, and Ariel was her favorite character.
Part of the reason parents don’t take their autistic children to theater shows is because they fear they might be disruptive, talking out loud, crying or suddenly needing to leave, said Mary Barbera of Wyomissing.
So though her family had long been involved with Genesius, Barbera had never brought her autistic son, Lucas, 23, to a live show.
But because the sensoryfriendly show audience was filled with families in similar situations, there was no fear of anyone judging them, or not understanding, she said.
So she brought Lucas to Little Mermaid, and he was enjoying himself.
“He’s smiling,” she said. “This is just awesome.”
A sensitive idea
To include a sensory-friendly performance among the show’s 10-day run was the idea of Emily Snyder of West Reading, a 16-season veteran at Genesius.
Snyder is a music teacher at Whitfield Elementary School in the Wilson School District, and noticed that during a recent performance of “Seussical” at the school, sixth-grader Westin Gruver, who is autistic, was having a blast.
How great would it be if he could attend more plays at Genesius, other autistic children could have such fun there, she thought.
So she did some research, including talking with a special-education teacher at the school, and connected with the Berks County Autism Society, which was able to sell all its tickets within hours.
Snyder believes it’s the first such performance in the region, but is already planning for others, including possibly “Shrek” at Genesius Theatre in the spring.
While some of the actors in “The Little Mermaid” were autistic, Snyder is hoping to put on a play in which most of the cast has sensory issues, giving them a chance to be part of a show.
“Theatre is inclusive,” she said. “And now we can include another community in our theater family.”
Westin was among those enjoying Sunday’s show, and was surprised to see how different his teacher looked, said his mother, Jaime Gruver.
“He said, “Miss Snyder is a mermaid!’” she laughed.
Together — for a change
Because Westin usually cannot attend such events, Jamie and her husband, Brian, often split up on weekend days so one of them can take their 6-year-old son Ashton somewhere, and Westin somewhere else.
So it was especially nice for all four to be having fun together Sunday, she said.
“This opened up a whole new thing for us,” she said.
Another big thing Genesius did to help families was emailing them a “social story,” a packet of information and photos about the theater and the play, so everyone knew what to expect, said Maureen Klahr, president of the Berks County Autism Society.
It’s a regular part of life for parents of autistic children to prepare them using such photos and descriptions, whether they’re attending a new school, going to a dentist appointment or getting a haircut, she said.
“Preparation has always been a key,” Corinne MacCarty agreed.
The theater made it clear that the children could stand up during the show if they wanted, or sing or dance, and that no one would mind, Klahr said.
It was another important touch of the many offered by Genesius, and it made for a special day for those who attended, Klahr said.
“I can’t even explain how grateful we are to them for putting this on for us,” she said.