Accessible Pantomime

In September 2024, the UK Pantomime Association held a panel discussion about relaxed and accessible pantomime performance at the North Wall Arts Centre in Oxford.

Panel:

• Chris Jarvis: CBeebies presenter, Pantomime Director, Performer and Writer.
• Annie Bannister: Freelance Access Consultant.
• Dr. Chris Abbott: Emeritus Reader in Assistive Technologies at King’s College London, with experience in accessibility of theatrical performance for children and young people with learning difficulties, particularly through the use of graphic symbols for communication and literacy.  
• Jess Thom: Writer, Artist and Activist. Co-founder of Tourette’s Hero, renowned for her work in advocating for inclusivity in the arts.

Relaxed Performance Best Practice

Touretteshero defines Relaxed Performances as performances that feature seven key elements:

1. A Shared Understanding – Artists, staff and volunteers have a shared understanding about what taking a relaxed approach means, and a clear, positively framed way of explaining this to audiences or visitors.
2. Pre-Show Information – provided in advance about what to expect. This should include information about the sensory, participatory and thematic landscape of the show. It should be in plain language and use images or symbols to support the text. It could also include access provisions such as Sonic Stories, a tool developed by our Director of Research Dr Will Renel, which we can create for venues or artists. Sonic Stories show the sonic elements of a performance so that people can understand what to expect the show to sound like.
3. Staff Training – Staff who have received Disability Equality and Relaxed Performance Training and have the skills and knowledge to confidently support disabled artists and audiences. In our view, training should be disabled-led and provided by those with an established track record in inclusive practice.
4. A Pre-Show Announcement – that lets the whole audience know it’s a relaxed performance and explains what this means. This should include an invitation to move, make noise and go in and out of the performance space as required. Pre-show announcements should happen regardless of what information has been shared at the time of booking.
5. A Multi-Sensory Approach – that meets different types of access requirements and makes a commitment to providing information in a multi-sensory way. Consideration should be given to sound and lighting levels, taking into account sensory sensitivities and making adjustments where required. Information on the sensory landscape of the show should be included in pre-show information.
6. A Chill-Out Space – outside the main performance space where people can go if they need to. Ideally this is a separate, uncluttered area with a range of different seating and lying options. Where a separate space isn’t available, a sectioned-off or pop-up space can be created. The chill-out space should be clearly signposted, and all staff should be familiar with its location and the various ways it might be used.
7. A Clear Plan – for how any complaints from audience members will be managed.

More info can be found on the Tourettes Hero website here: https://www.touretteshero.com/safe/2023/10/26/dont-relax-your-commitment/

Relaxed performances should have a reduced capacity of between 50% and 75% depending on the show and any access requirements it may need.

When advertising your relaxed performance highlight what the benefits are and the kinds of individuals and groups who may benefit, but make it clear that this guidance is not exclusive and anyone can use the access provision.

Training:

• FOH, Box Office and all public facing staff should be fully access trained and briefed on the access provision for each individual performance as they may differ.
• Staff (including performers and crew) should complete training on what a relaxed performance is within the specific context of that venue, setting and show.
• An opportunity to ask questions is essential.
• Performers may be concerned about how best to continue with a performance if they are distracted by noises or movements from the auditorium.
• Performers often reflect that performing on a relaxed performance requires a higher focus and energy than normal. This can often enhance the performance.

Access Friction

Access friction occurs when one individual or group’s access requirements conflict with another individual or group’s access requirements.

To explore solutions to access friction dialogue and planning is essential. There are usually solutions which support everyone in that situation.

Access provisions without judgement

It is best practice to provide access provisions to any/all audience members without judgement. Some audience members may find a tool useful, or may have hidden access requirements.

For example, 59% of Gen Z survey respondents and 52% of millennials said they use subtitles when watching TV (https://amplify.nabshow.com/articles/connect-genz-captions/).

Sound Levels

Sound is often relative to the other sound levels in the piece. Sudden noises or unexpectedly loud noises can be problematic.

Best practice is to assess sound levels from multiple locations in the auditorium. Panel members and audience reflected that in several productions of the 2023/24 season sound levels were frequently so high that audience members had fingers in their ears at non-relaxed performances.

Sonic stories can be a great way to visualise when loud noises are approaching in a production for audience members who use that information. They are a visual timeline of sonic waves with annotations and approximate timecodes for loud noises. See an example here: https://www.touretteshero.com/safe/2024/03/06/en-oh-no/

Venue Audits

• Create a Social Story – a text, image and video based description of the physical and geographic experience of visiting your venue. This could include:
  • Route to the box office, toilets, changing places, cloakroom, auditorium and other key areas
  • Key access information

Widgit Symbols

Some pantomime producers have worked with widgit.com to create visual symbols including the costumes of key characters, locations etc.

These can support with marketing materials as well as access communications. They can be shared digitally, printed and links to from a QR code around the venue.

Scripts and Stories

The panel reflected that a strong pantomime plot should be able to be told using only pictures of key plot developments.

Listening

A key part of access provision is listening to audiences and evaluating your existing provision to improve it for the future.

Making access provisions available make audiences who use them feel considered and become more likely to attend in future.

Commercial Imperative

In England and Wales 17.8% percent of people consider themselves disabled (https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandwellbeing/bulletins/disabilityenglandandwales/census2021). Making up nearly 20% of potential audiences, not considering this population is a lost commercial opportunity.

Access Provision Outside of Relaxed Performances

• Live scribing – visual meeting notes. Helps jog memories of the meeting and capture key discussions.
• Soft endings – the transition in and out of a relaxed performance. Allow time and space for audiences to transition out of the space in their own time.
• Resting spaces available in the building.
• Remote audiences for those who are unable to attend the venue in person. During the height of the pandemic lockdowns this was widely available however provision has decreased massively.
• Freedom to pick seating type – eg. outside theatre you might sit on a picnic blanket. Other venues provide beanbags and benches.

Access Riders

• Best practice is to ask all company members – actors and crew – if they have an access rider.
• Read a person’s access rider thoroughly, and schedule a conversation with them to discuss what supporting actions you could take.
• An access rider should be the starting point for a conversation, not just a set of instructions.

Access for Actors

• Cryptic Arts ‘Always the Audience (Never the Star)’ report is a good introduction to how the sector can support more disabled artists.

Touch Tours

• Opportunity to explore the set and costume of a performance.
• Best practice:
  • Have available as a bookable event, similar to the performance itself.
  • Describe who it might be for, but do not be exclusionary or prescriptive (see earlier comments re: access without judgement)
• If Touch Tours aren’t possible, can you present key objects, fabrics, descriptions and images in advance, or front of house at the venue?
• Sensory resource packs – a kind of touch tour in a folder. Containing fabrics, designs and descriptions. Can be sent in advance to larger groups.

Should relaxed performances have combined BSL interpretation?

• Choice is important. A mix of individual BSL, captioned and audio described performances, alongside relaxed and BSL/captioned performances provides choice to individuals who may have other access requirements which conflict.
• Ideally relaxed performances would also be signed and captioned.
• Consider how access needs might present Access Friction (see above). For example, Annie Bannister reflected that she once attended a Dementia Friendly performance which was also a relaxed performance, and found that the venue was not able to properly support either the access requirements of those attending for the Dementia Friendly aspect or those attending for the Relaxed aspect.
• Relaxed performances early in the day can be problematic because of the amount of additional time some of those attending require to get up and out in the morning.

Marketing for Access in Theatre

• Tourettes Hero provides training for marketing teams.
• Best practice includes:
  • Image descriptions on assets and socials
  • BSL synopsis
  • Training on where to find access materials such as social stories, sonic stories etc. for staff particularly public-facing roles like Box Office and Marketing.
  • Send access information on communications for all audience members (access without judgement).
  • Ensure what happens in a relaxed performance is communicated fully to all audience members both before booking, after booking and in pre-show communications. This helps prevent complaints and misunderstanding at the venue on the day.
• Marketing to audience groups who typically use access provisions a commercial and content opportunity!
• Marketing for relaxed performances and similar should be an ongoing action to build relationships with audiences and their friends and family. This is often not considered by venues and producers.
• Special Schools are often a great way to partner on pantomime in particular. They will often bring groups to schools performances, and send leaflets home with students.

Further Resources

• Unlimited – disabled-led organisation. Resource: Demystifying Access aimed at small and medium arts orgs.
• Imagine Theatre attended, bringing with them their recording kit, and you can now listen to interviews with the panelists on Episode 89 of the Just Imagine podcast:

We also compiled a document detailing all of the above best-practice advice from the event which you can download.