Sensory-Friendly Performance
sponsored by Astra Foundation
Going to See “Shrek”
Saturday March 28th, 2015
Seeing a show is a little like seeing
something on TV, or a movie; but the
people in a show are right there on the
stage. They are called actors.
SHREK is a special kind of show called
a musical. The actors will tell a story by
talking, singing and dancing.
Where am I going?
• The Raymond J. Grey
Junior High School in
Acton,
Massachusetts. The
address is 16 Charter
Road, Acton,
Massachusetts 01720.
The Dragonfly Theater
• This is inside the
school and that is
where I will see the
show SHREK. Another
word for a theater is
an Auditorium.
Waiting
• We may have to stand in line to get into the
theater. I will do my best to be patient while
we wait. We will show our tickets to a person
who will tell us where to go.
Bathroom Break
• Once we enter the school, the bathrooms are
located down the hallway to the right of The
Dragonfly Theater. I can ask if I need to go.
Meeting Actors
• Before the show some of the actors come out
on the stage to introduce themselves. They
will tell me about themselves and how they
pretend to play a part or act in the show.
Shrek
• This is Kevin, he is pretending to be Shrek in
the play. He will have green makeup on and
sometimes act like a grumpy ogre. He is not
green in real life, and a very nice person.
Fiona
• This is Katie and she is pretending to be Fiona
during the show. She will sometimes look like
a person and sometimes look green like an
ogre, but it is the same person.
Donkey
• This is Dave and he is playing Donkey. He is a
person but might look like an animal who
sings, dances, and talks.
Lord Farquaad
• This is Paul who is
pretending to be very
short by walking on
his knees and also
mean. In real life, he
is very nice and walks
on his feet.
The Dragon
• Charisse is pretending to be a dragon. Dragons
are not real and this actor is a very nice
person who might act scary sometimes. The
dragon body is going to have a few people to
help make it look really big.
Inside the Theater
• There are 450 seats in the theater. An usher
will help us find our seats. The ticket will tell
us what number seat to find.
Program
• The usher will also give us a Program. This is a
book that tell you about the people who
helped make the show. Programs have the
names of the actors and the names of the
songs you will hear in the show.
Sitting Down
• I will find my seat by matching the ticket
number to the seat. When we get to our seats,
I will fold down my theater chair and sit down.
The Auditorium
• I can look all around the theater before the
show starts. There are many different things
inside an auditorium that are new to me.
There are stage lights, speakers and musical
instruments.
Starting the Show
• When it is time for the show to start, the
theater will get darker and everyone will get
quiet. I will try to be as quiet as I can during
the show so that I can hear everything.
It can get noisy
• If it is too loud, I can cover my ears, wear my
headphones, or squeeze the Open Door
Theater ball that I was given before the show.
It is important to stay in my seat.
Actors in the Aisles
• Some of the actors may come close to me
while they are telling the story of SHREK. This
will happen a few times throughout the show.
I will see that the actors are wearing
costumes, and remember this is pretend. It is
important to keep my hands to myself when
they come near me.
Chill Out Room
• If I feel like I need to move out of my seat, I
can quietly ask if I can take a break. Then, I will
exit the theater into the lobby and go to the
“Chill Out” room to take a break in the library.
I can stay here until I feel ready to go back
inside the theater.
• When the show starts, I will hear music from
the orchestra and I will hear the actors start to
talk and sing.
• The first song I will hear is “Big, Bright,
Beautiful World” and the actors will be singing
and dancing in costumes.
• I will have a lot of fun at the show! There will
be a lot of singing and dancing. After each
song, some people will clap. Clapping is nice
because it tells the actors you liked their song.
Intermission Time
• In the middle of the show, there will be a
break. This break is called Intermission. During
the break, many people will stand up to
stretch, get a drink or use the bathroom.
Snacks
• During Intermission, The Open Door Theater
will be giving out free snacks! They will have
plain Lay’s potato chips, plain M&M’s and
water bottles. I will be allowed to bring my
snack into the theater.
Back to the Show
• After the break, everyone will come back and
sit down in their seats again. It will get darker
and quieter again just like at the beginning of
the show. The actors will come back on the
stage and finish telling the story SHREK.
Curtain Call
• After the wedding scene, all of the actors will
come out on stage. This is called a curtain call.
Many people will clap and cheer so the actors
know how much they liked the show.
After the Curtain Call
• After the actors take a bow, there is still one
last song called “I’m a Believer”. The actors
will sing and dance, then the show will be all
done.
Exiting the Theater
• After the show is over, the lights will come on
and we will exit the theater. Many of the
actors will be in their SHREK costumes in the
lobby. If I want to, I can wave hello, shake their
hand or get their autograph in my Program.
• I am very excited to go see SHREK!
Adapted by Lauren Cantos Smith from social story (Working,
2014) with original input from The Autism Alliance of
MetroWest, a Program of Advocates, Inc.