Hartford Stage’s Sensory-Friendly Performance of A Christmas Carol Set for Tuesday, December 8    

Hartford, CT, September 24, 2015 – Hartford Stage will host a sensory-friendly performance of its annual holiday classic, A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story of Christmas on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets for this special performance are 50 percent off regular ticket prices, starting at $18.50, and will go on sale Monday, September 28, 2015 at noon.

Hartford Stage was the first theatre in Connecticut to offer this type of performance for the community last year. Sensory-friendly performances are designed to create a theatre experience that is welcoming to all families of children with autism or other disabilities that create sensory sensitivities.

United Technologies is the exclusive Presenting Sponsor for A Christmas Carol. Additional funding to support the sensory-friendly performance is provided by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving Grant – as recommended by The Right Track Fund, as well as a generous contribution from an anonymous donor. Hartford Stage also extends special thanks to Theatre Development Fund’s Autism Theatre Initiative for serving as an advisor (www.tdf.org/autism).

The storyline and basic structure of A Christmas Carol will remain intact, but several important changes were implemented last year to help make the experience comforting and fun for those with sensory sensitivities. Overhead lights will remain lit but dimmed, and audience members are encouraged to move around during the performance as needed. There will also be a reduction in loud or jarring noises, flashing/strobe lights, and startling effects that are part of the production. Sensory support tools such as blankets, stress balls and ear plugs are offered to patrons, and a designated quiet area will be available. Trained staff and volunteers will be on hand throughout the performance to offer assistance.

To help prepare for their Hartford Stage visit, families can access free resource materials including a social story (a visual guide designed to detail the various social interactions, situations, and behaviors that occur during a visit to the theatre) and a comprehensive performance guide on the Hartford Stage website. These tools will help individuals with sensory sensitivities prepare to enjoy the play without any fear or uncertainty. A dedicated page on the Hartford Stage website is available to provide additional resources.

To purchase tickets for the sensory-friendly performance, call the Hartford Stage Box Office at 860-527-5151 or order online at http://www.hartfordstage.org/sensory-friendly. The Hartford Stage production of A Christmas Carol is recommended for children ages 8 and older.

HARTFORD STAGE

Now in our 52^nd year, Hartford Stage is one of the nation’s leading resident theatres, known for producing innovative revivals of classics and provocative new plays and musicals, including 68 world and American premieres, as well as offering a distinguished education program, which reaches more than 20,000 students annually.

Hartford Stage has earned many of the nation’s most prestigious awards, including four 2014 Tony Awards for A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder on Broadway, including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical by Darko Tresnjak, and the 1988 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Other national honors include Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, OBIE, and New York Critics Circle awards. Hartford Stage has produced nationally renowned titles, including the New York transfers of Enchanted April, The Orphans' Home Cycle; Resurrection (later retitled Through the Night); and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Water by the Spoonful, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

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