Relaxed performances

Relaxed performances, sometimes referred to as sensory-friendly or autism-friendly performances, are designed to make the experience of visiting venues and seeing a show more comfortable and fulfilling for autistic people.

Relaxed performances can also be beneficial for those with mental health conditions, neurological conditions, chronic pain conditions, people with learning differences and / or learning disabilities and parents with babies or very young children.

Traditional rules or etiquette that can exist in mainstream theatre can be difficult and stressful for certain people, so relaxed performances provide a safe space by removing these restrictions on a person’s behaviour. Putting on a relaxed performance/s will encourage attendance at the Fringe by previously neglected audiences.

Please note: Every show is different and so the number of adaptations you may need to make to qualify as a relaxed performance varies. Be clear about which restrictions you are removing.

Every show is different and so the number of adaptations you may need to make to qualify as a relaxed performance varies.

Introducing the show is a fundamental part of a relaxed performance – audiences should know what is allowed, the rules of the house, or lack of in this instance, and should also know that the other audience members alongside them are aware of what is okay. Importantly that this is a safe, welcoming environment.
Examples of what to include in the above could include it being okay if the audience makes noise or interacts with the cast.
Before the performance begins, have cast members introduce themselves using both their real and character names, and provide a synopsis of the show. This can assist the audience to be more comfortable and remove elements of uncertainty, and benefit audience members for whom familiarity rather than surprise is key to an enjoyable experience.
To also provide familiarity, make plot summaries, sometimes called visual stories, available in advance. This could contain a cast list with character names, song lists, a description of what will happen from entering the venue to leaving when the show ends, and a list of sensory triggers (what sights, sounds and smells they may encounter). This could be handed out beforehand or be made available online and for download. Provide the Fringe Access Bookings Service and your venue box office with a copy to send to customers who book through them.
It is advisable to have an open-door policy. If anyone in the audience needs to leave and come back, that’s fine. Audience members may need to walk around the performance space, or to play with fidget toys to help them concentrate. They may also be wearing ear defenders. These things all help them to focus and enjoy your show.
Softening the sensory environment is also beneficial for many people. Consider removing or camouflaging excessively bright or strobe lights and colours, loud, sudden or sharp noises, and strong odours. Alternatively, house lights can be dimmed or left on instead of it being completely dark.
Language and environment can also be taken literally; phrases like ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ can be confusing. So be wary of any communication directed solely at the audience (like the interaction during a panto) as this can be taken literally.
Relaxed performances often include a set-aside chill-out area or quite space at the venue. Although this may not always be possible at the Fringe with space restrictions, it would be welcomed by audiences if possible.
Remember to register any relaxed performances when registering your show to ensure these are listed on the Fringe website.

Communicate your plans to the venue early and fully, so the company and venue are both aware what is and isn’t possible. Venues should be aware what details are registered with the Fringe.
Your venue will also be more directly involved in the process of staging a relaxed performance, so keeping them informed is especially important. Front of house staff should be aware there is a relaxed performance on, and what this means, for example allowing an open-door policy or early entry. Ensure that the venue is onside!
Speak to your venue to confirm if venue staff will be available to assist with any audience access requirements. They may be able to assign extra staff for this purpose on the day. It is also beneficial if staff have undergone disability awareness training (such as the Fringe Society’s free online training).
Staff should be asked not to wear scented products such as perfume or aftershave on these occasions, as strong smells can cause severe discomfort to some autistic people.
The nature of the Fringe does mean that not all adaptations will be possible. Often there won’t be space for a chill-out area, or a small space might not have much room to move around. This is fine but makes the introduction all the more important – explain what is and isn’t possible within the confines of the venue.
If no chill-out area can be dedicated, ask if the venue can provide another space nearby that could be used.
As the Fringe is a busy environment, speak to the venue to arrange early access into the performance space to remove the need to queue. Audience members may also ask to sit at the end of an aisle to allow them to leave if they wish to. This can be confirmed with the audience at the point of purchase through the Fringe’s Access Bookings Service.
For other sensory triggers around the area, speak to the venue about switching off fluorescent lights where possible around performance times. With regards to sound, ask if electric hand dryers can be turned off and be replaced with paper towels, and if loud music in public areas can be temporarily lowered. While this might not all be possible, whatever can be done will make a difference to your audience, and increase their enjoyment of your show.

Zoo Co has toured with a ‘Relaxed Performance as Standard’ model since 2014, and passionately believe that when it comes to theatre, it’s only good if everybody is invited.

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After trialling our first relaxed performance at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2014, we soon realised they were our favourite shows – not in an ‘aww, how NICE are we?!’ way, as in, we literally performed better, our audiences (neurodiverse or neurotypical) responded better and it felt like we’re actually doing something that’s live. When you’re at the Fringe, dying of a mixture of exhaustion and too many late-night cheese-carb-combos, that live-ness is bloody precious. Now, all our shows are relaxed, everywhere we go, and we’ll fight it out with anyone that tells us that’s not ok.

You can find lots of guidelines online about things to consider if you want to host relaxed shows, but I would say the most important thing is communication with your audiences – before the show - online, in print, in person, and at the beginning of the show itself. There is no use hosting a relaxed performance at the Fringe if you don’t tell your audience that’s what it is – the Fringe is hectic!

If you don’t say anything at the beginning, or you only put a note in your programme, or ask venue staff to relay the info for you, you’ll still be risking neurodiverse or disabled audience members facing the same tutting and huffing they’d get in a non-relaxed performance, because audiences really do enjoy tutting and huffing unless you tell them they don’t need to do it. Don’t assume your whole audience will know what to expect, or know they’ve booked a relaxed show. Saying something at the beginning of your show, directly from the cast, indicates an open and clear commitment, and when it comes from the cast, the tutters have no one to do their tutting on behalf of. And then everyone can relax.

I think a lot of Fringe theatre-makers presume that a relaxed performance at the Fringe must be the same as a relaxed performance on the West End. So they don’t do one at all. I urge emerging and mid-career companies to consider what assumptions they might have on what makes a ‘good enough’ relaxed performance, and reconsider – are you worried about your tech? Your need for complete silence? Your loud soundtrack? Un-dig what’s stopping you and address it. Sirens (our show last year) threw up a lot of this stuff for us – we had a necessarily loud soundtrack so that our d/Deaf team members, and some of our d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences, could feel or hear the music. We explained this in our relaxed performance listing online. Make sure your venue staff know that your performance/s are relaxed, and let them know any answers about the set-up that audiences may ask before the show. Perhaps have a member of your team handy to welcome people in. Talk to your actors about what might happen – noise, movement, coming and going. Prepare to be flexible, to tailor to different needs.

Lastly, I also urge us all to consider why there’s a tendency to put relaxed performances on a quiet Tuesday in the middle of your Fringe run – how likely is it that this will actually reach anybody that benefits from it? And why should they have to show up to one designated performance at an obscure time in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday? Making every performance relaxed means that your shows will always welcome neurodiverse and disabled audiences – it sends a very clear invitation.

We think relaxed performances should be the standard model, perhaps with one ‘silent and still’ performance built into a run for people who really don’t want to attend a relaxed show! But I don’t want to go to that show? Do you? Isn’t theatre supposed to be live? If you don’t want your audience to respond however is natural to them, why not make a film? I digress.

To leave you with the words of someone awesome: Jess Thoms, AKA Tourettes Hero, AKA access champion, disability rights activist, and all-round creative revolutionary coined the term ‘extra live’ as a way of describing a ‘relaxed performance’ during a discussion we had at Devoted and Disgruntled years ago, and I think that sums it up – they are more live, more exciting, more real. I suppose if we’re being pernickety, they are the opposite of ‘relaxed’.

IN THIS GUIDE

Relaxed performances, sometimes referred to as sensory-friendly or autism-friendly performances, are designed to make the experience of visiting venues and seeing a show more comfortable and fulfilling for autistic people.

Developing your show

Working with venues

Case study: Zoo Co

Thank you!

IN THIS GUIDE

Relaxed performances, sometimes referred to as sensory-friendly or autism-friendly performances, are designed to make the experience of visiting venues and seeing a show more comfortable and fulfilling for autistic people.

Developing your show

Working with venues

Case study: Zoo Co

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