Sensory-Friendly Performance sponsored by Astra Foundation

Going to See “Shrek” Saturday March 28 th, 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

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.