Accessibility At The Smith Center Series: Part Four

In part three of our series with The Smith Center, we looked at the process for putting shows together and how this works on the day. In part four, we are reflecting on the impact of sensory friendly shows and looking to the future of accessibility with Melanie Jupp.

Melanie Jupp is the Associate Director of Education and Outreach at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and has served as project lead for The Smith Center’s sensory friendly programming, which is accomplished through the collaborative work of numerous individuals and departments of The Smith Center. Sensory friendly programming is one step presenting venues can take toward prioritising inclusion in their organisations. 

Hi Melanie, thank you for speaking to us at TheatreArtLife once again for part four! In parts one, two and three, we dived deep into how The Smith Center makes accessible shows happen, from concept to performance day. Today, I wanted to ask you about what happens afterwards; the effect of the shows, and the impact of the work that you do. Firstly, what have the audience numbers been like?

The shows have been very well attended overall. Unfortunately, while we don’t have the exact data on our attendance trends for sensory friendly programming, I will say, we had a sold out house for both The Lion King and Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas – this translates to around 1500 people at each show, and this takes into account the highest level of the theatre which was taken off sale to ensure a comfortable experience for our audience members.

For performances in our smaller studio theatre, we see about 50-75 people for these shows, which is a really comfortable number for the space.

That’s great to hear. So what has the audience reaction been like with the bigger sold out shows?

It’s been overwhelmingly positive – we regularly receive feedback from many of the families who have attended our shows. Here are just a few examples we received from The Lion King sold out show:

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for offering a sensory friendly show. We have always wanted to take our whole family to enjoy a show in the theatre but have never felt comfortable. All of the staff members were exceptionally friendly and helpful. We felt welcome the entire time. As I looked around the theatre, I saw many happy families also experiencing the joy of being in the theatre together.

I appreciate the great patience of the actors and musicians because of the noises in the audience. Their sacrifice was worth it to see so many smiling and clapping families, delighted with the entire experience. I sincerely hope that you will consider more sensory friendly performances. These performances are vital to provide a real opportunity for everyone, regardless of their abilities, to enjoy the performing arts. What a wonderful thing. Thank you.”

“Our family is so grateful to The Smith Center and Disney on Broadway for offering and putting on a sensory production of The Lion King. We had considered taking our son to a show, but were concerned that he might have an outburst or need to get up, and we would be a distraction or annoyance to other patrons. This performance gave us an opportunity to introduce the arts to our son without those concerns.

After reading the 2015 article about The King and I, I am so proud, thrilled, and thankful Disney on Broadway has taken this monumental step for families. When you are caring for your child who is different than others, you feel alone and concerned they don’t understand. Being at the show last night made us feel like we were one. And to see so many families relaxed and just happy, the moment was magical. Thank you!”

“As the parents of a child on the spectrum, I cannot express how grateful we are that The Smith Center offers this performance. We also utilised the “quiet area” on the 2nd story. Often times sitting still can be a challenge. This was a fantastic idea and set up from whoever thought of it. The folks passing out the sensory squishy toys was also a huge plus. Children on the spectrum express their excitement in varied ways and these toys help. Our son is non-verbal, so expression can be difficult. All greatly appreciated. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

The family endorsements really help to appreciate the impact accessibility has on people – it’s heartwarming to read these personal accounts. What about other shows you’ve done? I know our friends at Cahoots NI have performed at The Smith Center – did your audiences love them as much as we do?

Absolutely, we also had fantastic feedback when Cahoots NI brought their specially created sensory friendly show, Shh! We Have A Plan to The Smith Center:

“I loved it! I sat and wept tears of joy as I attended my first event, designed and supported for my 32 year old special needs son. I didn’t have to worry if he was making noise or flapping. It was so awesome! I am so grateful for the trained staff and their attention to all of my sons’ and his peers needs. We felt listened to and heard! Thank you, thank you!”

“My family was visiting from California. My niece is 32 years old and has autism. Every time she visits, I have had a hard time entertaining her. She doesn’t like many activities, except the movies sometimes. On Saturday morning I was watching the news when they were announcing things to do in Las Vegas. I was so excited when I learned about the play. I woke up my family that was visiting and I bought tickets for everyone. I was so amazed at how closely she paid attention to the show. She was so focused, which is not something she does often.

She LOVED the play. We owe a lot of gratitude to the people that are responsible for creating and putting this together. We look forward to more entertainment in the future. I will be more than happy to volunteer if you need any help. I am so ready to be supportive. Thank you very, very much!”

“A great performance that was well planned and executed. My son did well. This opens the door for us to attend performing arts events, and prepares us for when he is older. The email we received prior to the show day with pictures of the venue and explaining the experience was wonderful!”

This is fabulous, Melanie. Throughout the series, we’ve discussed and highlighted why accessibility is so important, and looking at the real life experiences reaffirms the positive impact of all you do at The Smith Center. To wrap up this fascinating insight into sensory friendly shows, what final thoughts do you have about how we can work to increase accessibility in the entertainment industry, and what are your hopes for the future?

I think the most important thing we hope to continue to strive for is making accessibility the default experience in our venues. With the various ADA services we’ve offered since opening in 2012 as well as our sensory friendly programming, we are well on our way.

If more venues and public spaces approached their design and events/programme planning from the perspective of creating the most accessible spaces, everyone would benefit.

It’s encouraging to see so many theatre companies and venues leading the way in creating more accessible programming and spaces, and we hope to continue to learn from their example.

Catch up on Accessibility At The Smith Center: Parts One, Two, and Three.

Website: https://www.thesmithcenter.com/ 

Facebook: @thesmithcenter

Twitter: @SmithCenterLV

Instagram: @smithcenterlv

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