A Sylvan Lake school may be the first central Alberta school to host a theatre performance adapted for a special-needs audience.
The relaxed-sensory production of the 1960s musical tribute Peace, Love & Music will include a fluid intermission to allow audience members to come and go whenever they please, more lights will remain on, and a chill room and a sensory room will be set up outside the theatre for audience members to visit as needed.
“For all of our other shows, we have lights out. All of our sound cues are quite loud. But for this performance, we’ll make everything a little bit lower, so sound isn’t quite as jarring and the lighting would be smoother,” said Ecole H.J. Cody High School drama teacher Jacqui Renwick.
Noise reduction headphones, fidget toys, blankets and weighted toys will be available inside the theatre, which will also have 100 seats instead of the usual 180 to give people more space to move around.
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Renwick and some of the student cast and crew consulted with Riki Entz, an autistic actress and audience consultant for the Good Host Program in Calgary, to prepare.
Grade 10 student Rhys Grant, who plays the musical’s variety show host, said everyone has struggles, but it shouldn’t stop them from having fun.
“Society doesn’t always favour the type of audience we’re expecting at the relaxed production. They think people watching theatre should be quiet and still.
“We’re all so excited to welcome this audience,” said Grant, who has a cousin with Down syndrome and a close friend with special needs.
Renwick said when she pitched the idea of a relaxed-sensory production, Sylvan Lake students were eager to take part.
“It’s very prevalent in the U.K. They’re mandating that theatre companies have to have a relaxed performance as part of their run. I thought that was really cool,” the teacher said.
Ecole H.J. Cody received a $15,000 grant for youth-led projects in central Alberta from the Red Deer & District Foundation and RBC Futures Launch program.
The grant allowed for the purchase of sensory equipment, as well as containers to store the items, which the school wants to make available to other schools or theatres.
Renwick said a conversation with Red Deer College has begun, which has yet to offer relaxed performances.
Although a relaxed production is geared to people with special needs and disabilities, it could also work well for families with small children and seniors with dementia, she said.
“Anybody can attend a relaxed performance, but they attend with the knowledge that it’s going to look a little different than a regular run of a show.”
Peace, Love & Music runs March 5 to 14, with the relaxed production at the March 14 matinee. For tickets and more information, visit www.hjcody.ca.
The regular $15 ticket price will be reduced to $10 for the relaxed production, thanks to the grant. People are asked to fill out a survey if sensory equipment is required during the performance.
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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