Theatre Tulsa Academy Presents MOANA JR. This Month

Theatre Tulsa Academy will continue its 2022 education program with a full production of "Moana Jr.".

Theatre Tulsa Academy is an interactive theatre training program for youth. The course trains students on the essentials of musical theatre - auditioning, acting, vocal music, dance, and more.

Disney's "Moana Jr." is a 60-minute musical adaptation of the 2016 Disney animated film, bringing the adventures of Moana and her village of Motunui to life onstage. Moana JR. features all the beloved songs from the film, written by Tony, GRAMMY, Emmy, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa'i, and Mark Mancina, including "How Far I'll Go," "Shiny," and "You're Welcome."

Celebrating the rich history of Oceania and based on the beliefs and cultures of the people of the Pacific Islands, Moana was developed in collaboration with an Oceanic Trust - a group of anthropologists, cultural practitioners, historians, linguists, and choreographers from the Pacific Islands. The same respect and attention to detail used to develop the film was carried forward in the creation of this stage adaptation.

The company will also introduce its first low-sensory adaptation of an existing show. Theatre Tulsa will be the first theatre company in the city to provide sensory-friendly programming for people with social and cognitive disabilities, with an initial primary focus on families with neurodivergent children. The additional performance will be held Sunday, May 22, at 11 a.m.

A sensory-friendly performance involves adapting technical aspects of a performance to provide a low-stimulation experience that minimizes any sounds, lighting effects, or onstage action that may trigger a negative response.

Additional changes include updating the house rules for a particular performance, adapting the audience environment, creating alternative ticketing and seating arrangements, plus pre-theater preparatory activities so one can understand and anticipate what might happen at a performing arts experience.

Theatre Tulsa has selected its Theatre Tulsa Academy productions for adaptation due to their shorter runtime (typically 60 minutes) and family-friendly content. TT is committing to adding a performance to its existing weekend performance run, and adapt it specifically to a neurodivergent audience.

The adaptations will be guided by Executive Director Jarrod Kopp and Nikki Anderson, a local special education professional who is also a member of TT's Board of Directors. Based on research with theatre colleagues across the US who have successful adaptive theatre programming, the team has created protocols to utilize similar best practices in Theatre Tulsa Academy productions. The protocols will be used to inform each production team and the Tulsa Performing Arts Center (PAC) staff on how to create a safe environment for a sensory-friendly theatre experience.

An American Sign Language interpreter will also be at the adaptive performance to provide signing services to any hearing-impaired audiences.

The Theatre Tulsa Academy series of shows features youth-oriented and "junior" versions of popular musicals as a supplement to Theatre Tulsa's regular season of mainstage shows. Theatre Tulsa Academy produces four additional works per season.

The production is directed by Chapman Shields, choreographed by Joelle Galapate, with music direction from Holly Harper.

Performances will be May 20-22 in the Williams Theatre of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Evening showtimes on May 20 and 21 are at 7:30 pm. Matinees on May 21 and 22 will be at 2 p.m. The adapted performance for neurodivergent audiences will be May 22 at 11 a.m. Tickets are available at tulsapac.com or by calling 918-596-7111.

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