Lisha and her son Lumen, a 13-year-old who is non-verbal and has autism, live in Westminster and love attending relaxed performances across the capital.
Previously, the pair have seen various pantomimes at the Lyric Hammersmith, The Nutcracker at Sadler’s Wells, and even Christmas carols at the Royal Albert Hall.
“The best thing for me is that there’s no judgement from other attendees – everyone is on the same page. All the parents have gone through similar experiences.
“So if one of the children shouts out or starts clapping and dancing at the wrong time, it doesn’t matter,” she says.
For Lisha, the biggest help is preparation. She explains how before the day of the performance, detailed “social stories” are often sent out showing the venue layout, staff or actor details, and what will happen during the show.
At relaxed performances, the house lights are usually left on but turned down to a lower level so that people can easily dip in and out of a performance as needed.
“For my son, he doesn’t understand social norms. He doesn’t know people won’t accept that you’re going to stand up and sit down and walk out and come back in,” says Lisha.
“So for us, the only way we can access these things is through the relaxed performances.”
She adds that for many parents, these shows mean reclaiming festive traditions for their own families.
“Things that maybe they did in their childhood that brought them good memories or put them in the holiday mood – they can’t necessarily do them with their own children unless their children can access it the way they can.”