Broadway's MATILDA to Offer Sensory Friendly Performance This Weekend

On Sunday February 1 at 1:30 PM, Broadway's Matilda the Musical, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and the Dodgers, will give an autism-friendly performance at the Shubert Theatre (235 West 44th Street) in collaboration with TDF's Autism Theatre Initiative (ATI).

This is the fourth season that Theatre Development Fund (TDF), has presented autism-friendly performances through ATI, which is part of TDF's Accessibility Programs (TAP). ATI's mission is to make theatre accessible to children and adults on the autism spectrum, and their families. They most recently presented an autism-friendly performance at The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

For autism-friendly performances, TDF purchases every seat in the theatre for sale at discount prices to families whose members include individuals on the autism spectrum. In order to be "autism-friendly," the shows are performed in a supportive environment for an audience including children or adults with autism or other sensory-sensitive issues. Slight adjustments to the productions include reductions in sound levels, and eliminating any strobe lights focused into the audience. In the theatre lobby, there are designated quiet and activity areas staffed with trained autism professionals if anyone needs to take a break from the performance.

The London production of Matilda the Musical did a similar performance in 2014 and the RSC was one of the first theatres in the United Kingdom to adopt and promote the concept of autism friendly performances.

Tickets for this performance are priced from $42 to $77 and a limited number are available at www.tdf.org/autism.

For more information on Autism Theatre Initiative or to sign up to hear about upcoming autism-friendly performances, go to: www.tdf.org/autism.

Winner of a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards including Best Musical, Matilda the Musical is based on the beloved novel by best-selling author Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox).MATILDA THE MUSICAL is the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.

MATILDA THE MUSICAL is directed by Tony Award winner Matthew Warchus, who helms this production with a book by Tony Award-winning playwright Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Australian comedian, musician and composer Tim Minchin. The production has sets and costumes by Tony Award winnerRob Howell, with choreography by Peter Darling, orchestrations, additional music and musical supervision by Christopher Nightingale, lighting by Tony Award winner Hugh Vanstone, and sound by Simon Baker.

Tickets to other performances of the show are available at www.telecharge.com (212-239-6200) or in person at the Shubert Theatre Box Office (225 West 44th Street).