Special sensory-friendly production of ‘Magic School Bus’ to be performed on RiverCenter stage
A new education initiative—sensory-friendly programming— will be launched at the RiverCenter for Performing Arts Saturday morning.
“The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System” will be performed at 10 a.m.
“We work in schools all the time and are aware of the special needs of hundreds of children,” said RiverCenter Executive Director Norman Easterbrook. “Adding sensory-friendly performances to our schedule is a natural progression for our commitment to make RiverCenter more accessible for our entire community. We want to provide a welcoming atmosphere for kids with autism and other sensory, social or learning disabilities.”
It will be a little different than the usual RiverCenter show. The theater staff, volunteers, and performers understand that some in the audience may vocalize and move around throughout the performance. Adaptations of the performance include eliminating any strobe or flash lighting, tempering loud, startling noises and keeping the house lights up with no blackouts, as well as allowing extra seats in between patrons, allowing comfort toys in the theater, and providing lobby space for those patrons who need a break from the show.
“We will also be providing other amenities that we hope will make the RiverCenter experience more accommodating for audiences with special needs,” Easterbrook said. “We are not only doing this for the 10 a.m. public performance, but all of our school-time shows will have a performance that is sensory-friendly. As a community service organization, we have a responsibility to ensure that as broad a population as possible can access as much of our programming as possible.”
RiverCenter met with the Muscogee County School District, the Autism Hope Center and Anchors for Autism Parents Coalition to develop the performance around the needs of children on the autism spectrum. The performance lasts about 55 minutes and there is a 30 percent discount for the 10 a.m. sensory-friendly performance.
An afternoon matinee with standard performance conditions will take place at 2 p.m. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at RiverCenter’s Box Office or by phone at (706) 256-3612 and online at www.rivercenter.org.