‘The most joyous things’: Relaxed performances benefit the entire theatre community

Rather than sitting motionless in a dark room, audience members can move freely under slightly dimmed house lighting. Hushed voices and a fully seated theatre are replaced with unrestricted noise and generous space. Feel like dancing? That’s fine, too.

Everyone is welcome in these performances, but they’re specially catered to people with sensory sensitivities, whether they have autism, Tourette’s syndrome, dementia, down syndrome, experiences of trauma, and everything in between.

In collaboration with Arts Centre Melbourne, Victorian Opera helped pioneer this type of theatre experience in 2014 with a production of Hansel and Gretel in the state’s first Relaxed performance (and the second ever held in Australia). Our upcoming performance of The Lyrebird’s Voice at The Round in Nunawading is the culmination of holding Relaxed performances each year since then.

The Lyrebird’s Voice, Victorian Opera’s newest commission, puts children’s feelings and experiences at its heart. It tells the story of a lyrebird who meets an assortment of larrikins, from a jittery emu to all manner of bugs, and learns that there’s power in being different.

Trailblazing a judgement-free zone

Victorian Opera’s Education Manager Katherine Norman helped put together the trailblazing 2014 performance while then working at the Arts Centre.  She says they literally wrote the handbook on how to deliver Relaxed performances.

“Many neurodivergent audience members had never been to the theatre until then. They’d never felt welcome before. It was the first time they felt they were allowed, because, for instance, they might have felt uncomfortable interrupting a performance,” Katherine says.

“That first show sold out in less than a day. And with a few adjustments, it has been used as a really effective model for arts companies since then.”

Indeed, many of our arts colleagues across Victoria now offer Relaxed performances, such as Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Theatre Company and Melbourne Recital Centre, to name a few.

Peter Rutherford, composer of The Lyrebird’s Voice, has been involved in a range of Relaxed performances throughout his career.

“They are the most joyous things,” he says. “You hear so much noise and vocalisation of big feelings about their enjoyment. And it feels like there’s permission to do that without the idea that being polite or quiet is the only way you’re allowed to respond. It’s beautiful.”

What does a Relaxed performance look like?

A Relaxed performance doesn’t start when the curtains raise, but weeks prior. To help families prepare, we release “visual stories”, which uses pictures to detail exactly what the audience can expect when they arrive.

This includes warnings and explanations about any confronting content or sensory elements, and very clear instructions for how to find the theatre and your seats.

Then, during the show, we make a few gentle adjustments. This includes dimming bright lights, and minimising loud noises and confronting themes, all the while maintaining the production’s creative integrity.

We keep theatre doors open for easy access to the foyer, breakout spaces and a secluded parents’ room. And with a reduced capacity and general admission seating, we encourage audience members to be comfortable, spread out and move around.

The Relaxed performance of The Lyrebird’s Voice will also be audio described for the blind community. This is where someone will prepare another script to explain what’s happening on stage during parts with no dialogue.

We also invite blind audience members to a ‘tactile tour’ before the show to touch the set, costumes and props, so they have a better grasp of the full experience.

How does the audience respond?

These spaces showcase the full power of experiencing live music and the beautifully diverse ways we express enjoyment.

As 2014 research on sensory friendly concerts points out: “A musician may have their first experience seeing someone enjoy their music with joyful hand-flapping, jumping up and down, and rocking.”

Katherine says that in Relaxed performances, children tend to become engrossed in the music, rather than spoken-word elements.

In a post-show survey, an audience member wrote: “It opened not only my eyes, but my children’s. It was a beautiful performance. With two children that usually can’t sit still through a movie, to have sat completely still and amazed at the performance just speaks volumes.”

Another wrote: “Had a ball, my son was dancing around after. Something he has never done! The space and everything about it were sooo enjoyable.”

The audience members aren’t the only people who benefit from Relaxed performances. Front-of-house staff, such as ushers, are trained to run the event. And the cast learns to perform in an anything-goes environment.

“Knowing the show was the first time some kids had ever been to the theatre and enjoyed music in that sense was really impactful for them as a performer,” Katherine says.

You can find detailed information about The Lyrebird’s Voice accessibility in our visual story, coming soon.

The Lyrebird’s Voice is also part of our education-focused Access All Areas program. Register your school now to take part and see this unique work.

Anthea Batsakis, Content Editor