Parents of young people with additional needs in Salford can take their families to performances at the Lowry.
This is part of the Booths Charities Family Scheme which is aimed at helping families experience theatre together.
Children and young people up to the age of 25-years-old can access three free lowry tickets for their families.
Learning manager at The Lowry, Emily Harwood said: “Its about having that shared experience together.
“Parents have responded to me to say that’s the first time my child has sat down for longer than 20 minutes, they were mesmerized by the show.
“Or they say it was the first time they were able to go somewhere with their brothers and sisters.”
“Taking down that barrier of cost means that parents feel like they’ll give something a try because they don’t feel like they’ve got anything to lose.
“If they need to leave ten minutes in they can.”
Families can be reluctant to take their children with special needs to theatre performances because of the cost.
There can be worries over losing out on ticket money if their child has a meltdown or sensory overload during performances.
This means that sometimes those families must miss out on days out or leave their child with additional needs at home.
Dumoe Moyo has an eight-year-old nonverbal son with autism and has just signed up to the scheme.
She said: “There aren’t a lot of opportunities for us so I’m interested in anything that could get us out of the house and that my son can enjoy.
“We’ve not taken him to the theatre at all because of that worry of having to spend money and then not being able to do anything. It’s an experience I’d like him to have.”
The Lowry holds special relaxed performances for young people with special needs.
In these performances the actors on stage are trained to not react to any noises being made in the audience.
The Smartest Giant in town and the Smeds and the Smoos are the upcoming shows that will be shown as relaxed performances.
253 people have signed up for the scheme in Salford.
If you are eligible for this scheme, you can sign up using the link below:
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