The Prince Edward Theatre is the first theatre in the West End to receive the National Autistic Society Award
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Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels
(Updated on Feb 20, 2019)
Aladdin's place of residence, The Prince Edward Theatre, made history this month when it became the first ever West End theatre to be given a National Autistic Society Award for its efforts in holding autism-friendly performances.
The theatre has also been lauded for its autism awareness training that it provides to its staff. The more accessible shows are designed to accommodate those with autism by modifying the booking process, theatre environment and performances. There are designated quiet and activity areas all throughout the theatre and there are trained autism experts ready in case anyone should need to leave their seats. Performance changes include a reduction of both excessive strobe lighting and jarring sounds.
The National Autistic Society's autism access specialist, Chris Pike, said that there are over 700,000 people in the UK who are affected by autism and many of them struggle with unfamiliar places and ordinary sights and sounds that others are able to cope with just fine, such as traffic noise, background music and artificial lighting.
Thanks to the Aladdin production team's admirable efforts, many of those with autism can now finally enjoy the excitement of a live performance.
The next performance of Aladdin that is adapted for those affected with autism is scheduled for the matinee time slot on 28 August 2018.
For more information on London theatre accessibility for those with limited mobility, click here.