The first-ever sensory-friendly performance of the holiday classic The Nutcracker made its American debut in Pittsburgh five years ago. For the fifth consecutive year, Pediatric Alliance is again proud to support Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre by raffling tickets to our very special families for this very special performance. On Tuesday, December 26th at 2:00 pm at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Pittsburgh, PBT invites patrons to “experience the joy of live dance in a supportive theater setting”:
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is proud to offer sensory-friendly performances for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder, sensory sensitivities or other special needs. We have produced sensory-friendly performances since 2013; PBT was the first professional ballet company in the country to present a sensory-friendly performance of The Nutcracker. Other ballets in our sensory-friendly repertoire are Jorden Morris’ Peter Pan and Lew Christensen’s Beauty and the Beast.
Here is more from Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre:
What makes it “sensory-friendly?”
These performances feature a friendly, supportive environment for families with a loved one with special needs. Adaptations to the performance are slight, including:
- lower sound levels
- elimination of potentially startling special effects and lighting
- house lights on at about 20%
PLUS, at this performance we have
- relaxed house rules–you are free to get up, move around, and leave whenever you need to
- allowed use of iPads and other electronics for therapeutic uses
- volunteers scattered throughout the theater to assist and direct audience members as needed
- quiet areas and activity areas in the lobby for taking a break
- fidget objects and ear plugs available
- trained staff, dancers, ushers and volunteers
Here are the details on how to enter our popular annual ticket contest:
What: Sensory-friendly performance of The Nutcracker performed by Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.
When: Tuesday, December 26, 2017 at 2:00 pm.
Where: Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Pittsburgh.
Who: This contest is open to patients of Pediatric Alliance who would enjoy this special sensory-friendly performance. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre recognizes that this needs to be a safe event for our families. Therefore, each group attending must have at least one member with special needs, including sensory sensitivities or autism spectrum disorder.
How to Enter the Pediatric Alliance Ticket Contest:
Type the following information in the comments box below this post (this information will not be shared):
— Parent Name and Email address
— Child’s Name
— Number of tickets desired (2-6 per family)
OR, you can email the information above to PALblog@pediatricalliance.com.
(In order to respect your privacy, we discourage entering this contest via Facebook. But please keep up with our daily PediaBlog posts on Pediatric Alliance’s Facebook page!)
We will accept one entry per family per day, but you can enter every day until we pick the winners!
Winners will be picked randomly on Thursday, December 14, 2017, so we can get tickets to families before the performance.
Read reviews from previous ticket contests on The PediaBlog here.