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Eugene Ballet’s “Short & Suite,” a condensed version of “The Nutcracker,” this year will also be a sensory-friendly performance, meaning loud or starting spectacles have been toned down as the show is made more suitable for people with intellectual disabilities.
Eugene Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” is a classic holiday spectacle presented in dynamic style: a cannon blast as the Nutcracker and Mouse King do battle, strobe lights and fog during a dream sequence, Tchaikovsky’s famed score played by a live orchestra, snow falling in the concert hall.
For people with intellectual disabilities, those flashy elements can be overwhelming. That’s why, for the first time, the Eugene Ballet is putting on a sensory-friendly version of its condensed “Nutcracker,” called “Short & Suite.”
In doing so, the company is joining a national trend. Sensory-friendly versions of ballet performances have been a growing part of ballet lineups in recent years, as a call for wider accessibility has reached theater halls in New York City, Boston, San Francisco and beyond.
Katie Patrick, the ballet’s creative content director and a driving force behind putting on the sensory-friendly “Short & Suite,” said she had been following other ballets in the United States putting on sensory-friendly versions of their family-friendly shows.
Productions of “The Nutcracker,” “Cinderella” and “Alice in Wonderland” from other cities’ ballet companies lead her to wonder: What would that look like in Eugene?
The strobe lights, cannon blast and snow are out. But headphones, fidget spinners and other comfort items are welcome.
“We just want to make a really relaxed environment where people can experience the arts in whatever way works for them,” Patrick said.
An opportunity at the Hult Center
“Short & Suite” has a long history of bringing ballet to people who aren’t typically in the theater.
The company has been performing its version of “The Nutcracker” for more than 40 years, and the Eugene Youth Ballet — the performing branch of the Eugene Ballet Academy — has performed a condensed “Nutcracker” called “Short & Suite” for more than 30 years, Patrick said.
Each year, the “Short & Suite” production works as an outreach tour, with the youth ballet performing it at schools and nursing homes before a final performance, typically at Lane Community College or the Wildish Community Theater. But this year, the final performance was scheduled for the Hult Center, its largest venue yet.
“Once we realized we had that opportunity, we said, ‘Let’s make some modifications and see if we can create space for people that may not have attended the ballet before,’” Patrick said.
When she started exploring what a sensory-friendly “Short & Suite” could look like, she approached Sara Starlin, whose 14-year-old daughter, Kate, has been studying at the ballet academy since she was 7 years old.
Starlin, a longtime speech pathologist with more than 20 years of experience working with special needs students, said it’s a “gift” to be able to provide people with an alternate way to access an experience.
“The arts in particular can be very overwhelming for children and for families to think about attending something where there are perceived societal norms,” she said before voicing the concern she’s heard before: “What if we don’t fit in?”
Changes in practice
Modifying the show to be sensory-friendly means altering the performance itself, the lobby experience and expectations of etiquette during the show.
Narration will precede each scene, giving attendees context for the wordless plot of the ballet, with American Sign Language interpreters on hand to translate the narration. The music is prerecorded. And Brian McWhorter, the music director of the Eugene Ballet, edited out loud sound fluctuations to avoid startling audience members.
The lobby will serve as a space for people to decompress as needed. The doors to the concert hall will remain open in case someone needs to leave. A livestreamed video of the performance playing in the lobby will make sure no one is excluded from watching even if they do get overwhelmed. Arc of Lane County, a grassroots disability advocacy organization based in Springfield, will also have a calm-down area in the lobby.
The Hult Center has a limited number of sensory bags with headphones and fidget toys, but Patrick said the ballet expected it did not have enough. Oregon Community Credit Union, a sponsor, is providing 500 pop-it fidget toys for free.
Starlin also spoke with the academy dancers at a dress rehearsal, including her daughter, about what to expect during the show compared to prior performances.
“There may be people moving around,” Starlin said, summarizing what she told the dancers. “There may be people talking. That’s not your typical theater etiquette, but really emphasizing that it’s a unique opportunity that they have to introduce people to ballet who may find it not accessible or perceive it as intimidating.”
If all goes well, that opportunity may end up not being unique; Patrick said the sensory-friendly “Short & Suite” is a learning opportunity for the ballet, and the goal is to produce more sensory-friendly performances in the future.
“We don’t expect to do everything right, both at the Eugene Ballet and at the Hult Center,” Patrick said. “We’re just really eager to do better.”
How to see ‘Short & Suite’
The Eugene Youth Ballet will perform its sensory-friendly version of “The Nutcracker,” condensed into a 60-minute show including a 15-minute intermission.
- When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 23
- Where: The Silva Concert Hall in the Hult Center, downtown Eugene
- How much: Tickets are available online and start at $15.
The Hult Center website includes more information about the performance and what to expect in its FAQ.