Published in Lincoln Center's September 2015 Playbill, this feature discusses the Lincoln Center Education and Trusty Sidekick production of UP AND AWAY. The article specifically centers on the play being commissioned by Lincoln Center and designed for audiences diagnosed on the autism spectrum.

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In its ever-expanding efforts to
make the arts available to all,
Lincoln Center debuts a truly special
theater project this fall—Up and
Away—created for children on
the autism spectrum. An infinite
variety of challenges—sensory,
cognitive, and/or physical—make
attending the performing arts,
among other social scenarios,
hard for people on the spectrum,
their families, and their caregivers.
Guided by its principle of “Anyone.
Anytime. Anywhere,” Lincoln Center
Education (LCE), which celebrates
its 40th anniversary this year,
commissioned an original work from
Trusty Sidekick Theater Company
especially for this audience. This
marks the first time that a major
American cultural institution has
debuted a new work specifically
for this population. After an
intensive development process and
workshops last fall, Up and Away
premieres September 29 at the Clark
Studio Theater.
“There’s an incredible need for
this,” says Russell Granet, Executive
Director of LCE. “Current estimates
are 1 in 68 children are diagnosed
with autism each year in the United
States. That’s a growing popula-
tion of young people who are not
currently being recognized and
provided with the arts experiences
they, too, richly deserve.” Finding
ways for people on the autism
spectrum and their families to enjoy
Up and Away
Actors and audience members in the immersive set of “Up and Away”
Welcoming a New Audience
to Lincoln Center
By David Clarke
AlexisBuatti-Ramos

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the art of live theater together is not
a new idea. Theatre Development
Fund’s Autism Theatre Initiative has
famously adapted performances
of hit shows like The Lion King and
Matilda, but original work—particu-
larly intimate and immersive work—is
rare in North America. Jonathan
Shmidt Chapman, Associate Direc-
tor of Programming and Production
at LCE and Artistic Director of Trusty
Sidekick, explains, “When a Broadway
show modifies its production for an
audience, they work incredibly hard
to create a safe place for families to
come to Broadway and feel comfort-
able as a community. We aimed
to take this process a step further,
and envisioning our audience from
the beginning of the development
process. The result is an intimate,
one-on-one experience for each child
that allows him or her to experience
the show in an individual way.”
Drawing inspiration from the model
of UK based theater company Oily
Cart, which focuses on creating
multi-sensory and highly interactive
theatrical experiences for young
audiences, including children
diagnosed with complex disabilities,
Chapman was inspired to explore an
original work for young audiences on
the autism spectrum. “Young people
on the spectrum process content and
story [arcs] in a variety of ways, more
so than their more linear neurotypical
peers,” says Chapman. So, he and
his team agreed their work had to
answer these questions: “How do
you create narrative content that will
speak to multiple senses and that will
deliver information in a way that kids
all across the spectrum can relate to?
How do you create in a way that they
[the cast] can work with a small group
at a time so that you actually know
that you’re reaching each child? And
how do you create an environment
where there is no wrong way to
experience the show?”
For a full year, Chapman and his team
did extensive research. They met
with teachers and parents, and built
meaningful relationships with schools
that focus specifically on populations
Young audience member interacts with actor and props.
AlexisBuatti-Ramos

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with autism. The knowledge and input
gathered informed the immersive
and interactive design of Up and
Away, to which preview audiences
responded enthusiastically. “The
show was beautiful, simple, and
magic,” exclaimed one mother. “It
uses language that we use with our
kids to help them to be free from the
rigidity of the routine, in such a simple
and humorous way!”
For parents, caregivers, and teachers
of children on the spectrum, providing
opportunities for young people to
break free of rigid routines is often
a goal. Trusty Sidekick includes
this important theme in the show
by using hot air balloons as a plot
device, because this mode of travel
is less regimented than trains and
planes. “A hot air balloon ride for us
conjured images of Around the World
in 80 Days and Jules Verne,” says
Chapman. While the original novel
doesn’t actually feature a hot air
balloon, the Hollywood film adaption
does. “However, what was interesting
in revisiting this story is Phileas Fogg.
He actually demonstrates a lot of
characteristics associated with some
people on the spectrum,” Chapman
elaborates. “A lot has been written
about him being one of the first
literary characters who demonstrates
those traits.” Thus, Up and Away
became grounded in the world of
Jules Verne’s familiar tale, but with a
different focus—it tells the story of the
Fogg Family, balloonists who travel
the clouds. The child audience joins in
the ride, seated within the immersive
set designed to look like a ring of hot-
air balloons in flight. Trusty Sidekick
built Up and Away to explore “the
idea that while you may be following
a specific route, sometimes the best
things can happen when you off
schedule.”
Most importantly, Up and Away is just
a beginning. “We want to ultimately
use this as a way to encourage other
theater companies throughout the
country to think about audiences on
the autism spectrum,” says Granet.
He adds, “We want this to become a
model for how other companies can
do this work.”
AlexisBuatti-Ramos
Above:
David Clarke taught social skills to junior high
students diagnosed with autism spectrum
disorder in Texas. He is currently the Editor-
in-Chief of Theatrical Recordings and a
contributor to BroadwayWorld.com, Out
Magazine’s Out.com and Houston Press’
Art Attack blog.
For information about attending
a performance of Up and Away,
contact (LCE website to come)