TDF Announces Return of Autism Friendly Performances on Broadway

TDF today announced the return of its in-person autism friendly performances of Broadway shows for families with children and adults on the autism spectrum and other developmental disabilities. The three-show season begins on Sunday, January 30, 2022 at 1pm with an autism friendly performance of COME FROM AWAY at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre and continues with Disney's THE LION KING on Sunday, March 6, 2022 at 1pm at the Minskoff Theatre, and Disney's ALADDIN on Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 1pm at the New Amsterdam Theatre.

Tickets to these special performances generally go on sale 6-8 weeks before the performance. Tickets to COME FROM AWAY went on sale today. Click here.

Learn more about TDF's Autism Friendly Performances and sign up. to receive notifications on how and when to purchase tickets to future performances at www.tdf.org/autism. Tickets to these special performances are sold only through TDF's website.

"It is so exciting to be able to invite our audience back into the theatre," said Lisa Carling, TDF's Director of Accessibility Programs. "We polled our audience members to see how they felt about returning to live theatre, and this response, which reflected the feelings of so many, says it all: 'We missed Broadway so much. The magic. The fun. It's an outing which we don't get many of. We can't wait!'"

TDF AUTISM FRIENDLY PROGRAMS was founded in 2011 with the first autism friendly Broadway performance of The Lion King. Since then, there have been autism friendly performances of these Broadway productions: Aladdin, Cats, Come From Away, Elf: The Musical, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Kinky Boots, Mary Poppins, Matilda, My Fair Lady, Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The King and I, The Phantom of the Opera and Wicked.

The program operates under the umbrella of TDF's Accessibility Programs. To create an autism friendly setting, the shows are performed in a friendly, supportive environment for an audience of families and friends with children or adults diagnosed with autism or other sensory sensitivities. Slight adjustments to the production, where possible, will include reduction of any jarring sounds or strobe lights focused into the audience. In the theatre lobby, there will be staffed break areas, if anyone needs to leave their seats during the performance. For these autism friendly performances, TDF purchases every seat in the theatre and makes tickets available, at discount prices, exclusively to families, groups, schools, etc. whose members include individuals on the autism spectrum.

During the pandemic, TDF kept its audiences for autism friendly performances engaged with special virtual experiences. These included The Magic of Kevin Spencer, the original musicals starring the character Little B, and watch parties with discussions for shows such as Newsies.

For more information go to: www.tdf.org/autism.