Playhouse Square offering sensory-friendly concert

For the better part of the last decade, theater companies around the nation have been offering sensory-friendly performances of national touring productions.

Counted among them is Playhouse Square, which as part of its arts-education effort typically offers two to three sensory-friendly performances each year to increase access and inclusion for persons with sensory needs — including those with autism.

“When we have a sensory-friendly show at Playhouse Square — for example, ‘The Lion King’ — we provide resources such as hearing protection, quiet stations and free fidget toys,” said Daniel Hahn, Playhouse Square vice president of community engagement & education.

“There were tents set up i n the lobby people could crawl into and relax in bean bag chairs. All of these things were to help our audience feel more comfortable in a theater environment. Now that the theater has gone online, we thought we should help make some resources available for folks who may still want to enjoy a performance — even if it’s a digital performance.”

In partnership with the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, Playhouse Square is upping the ante with its brand-new sensory-friendly programming web page, playhousesqua re.org/sensor y re - sources, which features a video series for those with sensory needs to explore different ways to relax and manage stress anywhere.

“We thought … a fun way to launch that web page and welcome it into the community would be having a free musical concert by (Grammy Awardwinning artist) Dan Zanes and Haitian-American jazz vocalist Claudia Eliaza,” Hahn said.

For the past two years, the musical duo has been advocating for increased accessibility in performing-arts spaces through sensory-friendly presentations. In fact, Eliaza is also a board-certified music therapist. Registration at the PlayhouseSquare. org is required to view the concert.

Among the features on the specific sensoryfriendly programming page is a free video of “Peter Rabbit Tales.”

“This is a show we booked and hoped to present live back i n April,” Hahn said. “Of course, we were unable to do so. We’re hoping to bring it back live again when we’re able next season, but for now, we have permission to share that.

“There’s also a pre-show and a post-show activity.”

Considering it already champions arts education with community programming, Playhouse Square focusing its attention on a sensory-resources webpage makes sense. Still, among the many areas and topics the nationally renowned performing arts center could have taken up the mantle to further, the company decided to serve the autism population.

That effort can be directly linked to when Hahn interviewed for his current position at Playhouse Square seven years ago.

“One of the questions I was asked in the job interview was what ideas did I have for programming that Playhouse Square wasn’t doing at the time?” Hahn said. “I took out a photo of my son and his best friend, who is on the autism spectrum. I passed the picture around the table and said, ‘I would like my son’s best friend to be welcome where I work.’

“My son attended an elementary school that was inclusive, with typical learners and learners on the spectrum intermingling in the same classrooms. I thought it was a beautiful thing. That’s what sort of inspired the idea, and we’ve been doing sensoryfriendly performances ever since.”

This initiative led to the company being awarded the Milestones Autism Resources Community Innovator Award, Ohio Rehabilitation Award and National

Rehabilitation Award.

However, Hahn said it wasn’t until recently that he felt Playhouse Square received a commendation that stands above the rest. That came in the form of a response after he shared the new sensory-friendly programming website with a friend who has children on the spectrum.

The Twinsburg resident wrote, “I love that you’re doing this. Having been a special-needs mom and caregiver for 20 years, it’s so refreshing to see this on a site that’s not exclusive to our children’s particular disability. I can’t tell you what that means to folks like me … . I wish I could, but there aren’t words. It is everything!’”

“That really hit home with me — that we can be serving the widest possible audience as a performing arts center,” Hahn said. “There are thousands of folks in our community who have sensory needs.

“We should be welcoming to our community. This programming does that in typical times. Now that we’re in the COVID digital era, we want to meet that demand and that need equally.”

The musical duo has been advocating for increased accessibility in performing-arts.