In 2018, we’ve been working to make our shows as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. That includes making a Relaxed Performance a regular occurrence in every season.

A Relaxed Performance is pretty much as it sounds – everything is a little bit more relaxed.

We keep the house lights on low, so you can move around safely whenever you need to.
The actors and crew all expect there to be noise and movement from the audience.
Getting up from your seat and leaving the theatre to take a break at any time is totally fine.
There’s a designated ‘quiet’ area, away from the stage, that you can relax in if you need a break during the show.
Trained ushers are available to offer assistance if you need it.

Stim and tic friendly

Sam Anderson as Horatio and Leigh Scully as Hamlet. Image: Jack Dixon-Gunn

We don’t want anyone to spend unnecessary energy trying to control their tics or avoid stimming – we’d much rather you be able to relax and enjoy the show.

The cast and crew all expect noise and movement from the audience, so there’s no need to try to sit still and quiet.

Take a break if you need to

Even though we keep the house lights on low and the sound a bit quieter than usual, there’s still a LOT going on. If you find that you need to take a break – for whatever reason – you’re welcome to do so.

There’s an area at Front of House that you can use to relax and breathe, and the door to Lawson Place is left unlocked, so you can even head outside if you need to.

If you think you might need a break during the show, you can talk to the team when you arrive and they can let you know which seats are best to sit in. Even if you haven’t done that, you can get up and take a break whenever you need to.

Sarah Clarke as Ophelia and Ruby Lauret as The Maid. Image: Jack Dixon-Gunn

Help is on hand

If at any time during the show you need help – maybe you want to take a break, but you’re having trouble getting your body to cooperate – you can raise your hand and one of our trained Front of House staff will come and help.

Every show has at least one person on hand with a First Aid Certificate and a Mental Health First Aid certificate, so you’re in good hands.

No surprises

Sarah Clarke as Ophelia. Image: Jack Dixon-Gunn

We know that sometimes it’s the surprises that are the biggest hurdle. If that’s the case, you can get in touch before the show to let us know that you’d like to see the stage before the show starts – you can walk around, see what’s what, and hear about some of the things that happen during the show.

If you need to hear the music and sound effects in advance, you can get in touch with us and we’ll send you a link to a playlist with most of the sounds included.

We want you to enjoy our shows

At the end of it all, we just want everyone to know that they are wanted at our shows. We think everyone should get to enjoy live theatre and we’re doing what we can to help make that happen.

The Relaxed Performance for Ophelia Thinks Harder is on Sunday 18 November at 3pm. For more information, contact hello@witinc.com.au