Dementia Friendly Panto performances at the Mercury Theatre

Aladdin Relaxed and Dementia Friendly Performance

Tue 5 Jan 2016

2pm & 7pm

The Mercury Theatre, will be holding relaxed performances of Aladdin, designed to welcome people with Autistic Spectrum Conditions,on Tuesday, January 5.  For the first time, two performances will be ‘relaxed’ – an evening show as well as a matinee, and the performances are also dementia friendly for the first time.

Relaxed and Dementia Friendly performances give those who otherwise might feel excluded the chance to experience live theatre with their families.

During the performance, audience members will be free to come and go as they please and make noise if they want to. The lighting and special effects will be slightly altered, but the content of the show will not be specifically changed.

Over the past three years, the theatre has held ten relaxed performances designed to welcome people with an Autistic Spectrum Condition, learning disability or sensory and communication disorder. To enable more people to benefit from relaxed performances, the theatre now has an in-house Dementia Friends Trainer. Deputy Audience Services Manager Maria Harrison, trained through the nationwide scheme Dementia Friends, offers advice to the Mercury’s Audience Services team on how best to support audience members with dementia. 

Director of Communications and Audience Services, Robin Fenwick, said:

 “The Mercury is one of the leading providers of relaxed performances anywhere in the country – access for all is an important part of who we are and what we do. As an organization we welcome anyone, from anywhere, and of any background.”

The Relaxed and Dementia Friendly Performances will take place at 2pm and 7pm on Tuesday, January 5, 2016. Tickets start at £10. To book tickets visit www.mercurytheatre.co.uk or call 01206 573948.