Social Narrative [Image: I Come From Arizona production banner. Letters are all upper case.] For the November 16 Sensory Friendly Performance on the Cargill Stage at Children s Theatre Company An adaptation of AUGUSTA AND NOBLE Written by CARLOS MURILLO Directed by LISA PORTES For receptive 8-YEAR-OLDS AND UP
I am going to see a show at Children s Theatre Company. When I get there, I will walk up the long sidewalk to enter the building through the glass doors. [Young people stand in line to enter the Children s Theatre Company. In the background, The Children s Theatre Company is prominent on the building.] Entrance
I may have to stand in line to get my ticket for the show. [Three people stand in line at the box office. A worker sits behind the glass beneath a sign that says Will Call. ] Ticket Office
When I have my ticket, I will go through the doors marked Cargill Stage. Theses doors are to the left of the Ticket Office windows. [Set slightly back between orange walls are two wooden doors. Above them orange capital letters label the entrance Cargill Stage. Cargill Entrance
When I walk into the Cargill Lobby, I will show an usher my ticket so they can scan it. [A ticket is held under a portable scanner.]
Before the show, I will wait in an area called the Cargill Lobby. I will see an area serving concessions. I will also see a sign for the U.S. Bank Take-a- Break Space. [Wooden posts circle the center of the lobby. A balcony is above. The floor is a teal and orange spiral with a red ten-point star at the center.] Cargill Lobby
If I need to use the restroom before the show, I will find them near the entrance to the Cargill Stage. [Entrance path to the open doors of the Cargill Stage is carpeted. A sign for the men s bathroom is on the left; a sign for the women s is on the right.] Bathrooms
An usher will give me a program with information about the show. Program [A program the size of a magazine is extended in a person s hand.]
The number on my ticket tells me where I will sit. I may need to go up the stairs to locate my seat number on the benches. When I sit, I keep my feet on the floor and do not kick the seat in front of me. Many people will come into the theatre and locate their seats while I wait for the show to begin. If it's too loud when others are climbing the stairs, I can cover my ears or wear ear protection. [A ticket for Seat 12 is next to a rectangle with the number 12 on the back of the blue, carpeted bench seating.] Seating
The stage will be below me. Before the show starts, I can look at the stage and listen to the music playing. I cannot touch the things on stage. If I want to, I can dance in my seat. Stage [The stage is softly lit. Small kitchen with only partial walls at the front of the stage on the audience s left. There is a stove, counter, fridge, and cupboards. A single door is behind a circular table with three chairs. At the front of the stage on the audience s right, there is a bed on the floor with two blankets. Behind it is an industrial door with an Exit sign above it. To its right, there is a two-shelf bookcase. The backdrop of the stage is a brick apartment building with a mural. On the audience s left, there is a construction worker in a hardhat above two farm workers. On the audience s right, there are two graduates on the top and dancers in tradition Jalisco dresses on the bottom.
The lights dim when the show is ready to start. I will hear a welcome greeting in English and Spanish. If the sounds of the show or people coming in late are too loud, I can wear ear protection or cover my ears. I stay in my seat during the show. If I have a question, I will ask it very quietly. Audience [Audience members sit in the front row. A small child sits on an adult s lap. They are lit by the stage lighting.]
If I need to take a break, I can go to the Take-a-Break Space in the lobby. If I need to leave during the show, I move quietly out of the theatre without touching the things on stage. In the Take-a-Break Space, there are fidgets, weighted blankets, and other calming tools I can use. [A sign with a right-pointing arrow reads This way to CTC s Take-a- Break Space, made possible by US Bank.]
I will see many different characters in I Come From Arizona. Gabi Papi Mami Jesús [Gabi wears glasses. Her hair is in a ponytail. She holds a book and looks into the distance.] [Papi wears a hooded vest over a plaid shirt and a baseball hat. He is talking on a phone.] [Mami has her head in a bun and wears a striped shirt. She is smiling.] Ricardo Fiona Ms. Chan Ms. D [Jesús wears a pajama shirt printed with hotdogs and hamburgers. He looks to the side.] [Ricardo has a teal plaid t-shirt and a backpack printed to look like the galaxy. His expression is apprehensive.] [Fiona wears an orange argyle sweater; Her hair is in a bob. She is texting on her cell phone.] [Ms. Chan wears a patterned shirt, dress vest, and a head scarf over her bun. She s pointing her finger.] [Ms. D wears a florescent yellow safety vest over a black hooded jacket. She wears glasses and a baseball hat.]
The character I will see most in I Come From Arizona is Gabi. She lives in Chicago, Illinois with her Mami, Papi, and younger brother Jesús. [Gabi is sitting in a school desk. She is laughing. Gabi has dark, curly hair she wears in a pony tail and glasses. Her backpack is hanging off the back of the chair.
I will see Gabi say goodbye to Papi before he goes on a trip. [Papi and Gabi face each other. Papi wears a vest over his sweatshirt and Gabi is wearing a flannel shirt and flannel pajama pants. Gabi holds her stuffed bunny to her chest with one arm while locking pinkies with Papi.]
I will watch Gabi ride public transportation by herself for the first time. I will hear lots of voices and traffic. I will see lights moving. I will hear a man ask Gabi for money and yell when she gives him a candy bar. [Gaby sits on a train seat holding her backpack an looking with wide eyes at a man with a long beard wearing a tattered flannel shirt. He is leaning towards Gabi and three other passengers crammed beside her. ]
I will watch Gabi start high school at her new school. I will see Gabi meet new students and find her classes. [Gabi is standing in front of the desks. She is wearing her backpack and holding its straps. Gabi is looking away with her eyebrows furrowed.]
I will see Gabi work with Ricardo and Fiona on a school project. I will hear Gabi tell Ms. Chan about how she is worried her mother won t answer questions about where her family is from. [Ricardo, Fiona, and Gabi stand together wearing their backpacks. Ricardo s eyes are wide and his mouth is open. Fiona and Gabi both look at Ricardo. Fiona is laughing. Gabi has her lips pursed.
I will listen to Gabi tell Jesús a bedtime story. [Jesús and Gabi sit in front of their kitchen table. Jesús wears mismatched pajamas. Gabi holds up a Spiderman figure in one hand and has her stuffed rabbit of to the side in the other. Gabi is talking and they are both watching the action figure.]
I will hear the loud buzzer that startles Gabi and Jesús. It will go off more than once. [Gabi holds her hand to the buzzer speaker by their apartment door and has her ear next to its speaker. She clutches her stuffed rabbit to her chest. She looks away; her brows are furrowed and the corners of her mouth tilt downwards.
I will hear Gabi and Mami fight when Mami won t answer Gabi s questions. [Mami is wiping the kitchen table. Her face is in a scowl. Gabi is sitting at the table talking to Mami. She is holding her notebook.]
I will know it s intermission after Fiona send Gabi a text about working on their homework. I will see the lights go down on stage. [Fiona stands in front of the mural. She is holding her phone in front of her chest with both hands and speaking.]
During intermission, someone from CTC will lead the audience in stretches I can do in my seat. I can walk, talk, go to the bathroom, or go to the U.S. Bank Takea-Break Space. [A person stands on stage with their feet wider than shoulder width a part. They are facing left and have their left arm reaching in front of them and their right arm reaching behind.]
I will see the lights go down when intermission is over and the play is about to start again. I will watch Fiona volunteer for her group to present their homework first. I will see Gabi fidget and look around because she is not prepared. [Gabi, Ricardo, and Fiona stand behind Ms. Chan s desk. Beside them is a projection of the presentation. It says Global Perspectives: Our Origins. Gabi s lips are pursed and her shoulders are slumped. Ricardo is beaming with his hands behind his back. Fiona is talking and gesturing with both hands.]
I will see on stage what Gabi is feeling. I will hear voices of other actors. I will see the lights change to red and green. I will see characters who don t go to school with Gabi interact with her. Jesús will appear in an ice cream cart. I will watch Gabi experience fear. [The lights in the classroom are green. Jesús is rising out of an ice cream cart. His arms are above his head holding up the lid and his mouth is open. Gabi is behind him with her arms out.]
After the presentation, I will watch Gabi run away to hide in a locker. I will see Ms. Chan find her and hear Ms. Chan give Gabi advice. [Gabi sits in a locker. Her elbows rest on her legs, and she is clasping her hands together in front of her mouth. She is looking at the ground. Next to the open locker door, Ms. Chan is standing, holding her arms outwards and shrugging.]
I will see Papi call Gabi and tell her Abuelo has died. Even though Papi and Gabi are very far away from each other, I will see them onstage at the same time. [Gabi is next to the kitchen table talking on the phone. She holds a hand to her chest. Behind her in dimmer blue lighting stands Papi. He is also on the phone. Beside him is a suitcase.
After Gabi falls asleep at the kitchen table, I will see what happens in her nightmare. I will see the lights change color and hear lots of voices and buzzing. I will see an ICE officer with a giant popsicle enter her apartment. [Gabi is crouched in front of the kitchen table facing the door. The door is opening and green light is shining through it. An ICE officer is standing behind it in a bulletproof vest.
After they fight, I will hear Mami tell Gabi about the dangerous trip she took with Papi to get to the United States. Mami will tell Gabi about how the town they lived in Mexico was not safe. She tells Gabi about crossing the desert in the darkness to get to Arizona. [Gabi and Mami face each other. Their foreheads are almost touching. Mami is holding Gabi s face in her hands. Gabi s hands rest on Mami s forearms.
I will see the actors on stage be very sad and cry. I might see people in the audience wiping their eyes or hear them sniffling. They are feeling sad with Gabi and her family. It is okay to feel sad. If I am feeling sad, I can ask my family member for a hug. [Gabi hugs Mami on puts her head on her shoulder. Mami is crying.]
I will hear Gabi tell her class her origin story. [Gabi stands in front of her class. The other students and Ms. Chan sit in the desks facing her. Gabi has her arms outstretch as she gestures while she talks.
I will see Gabi talk with Ricardo. I will hear her tell him about her fears and her dreams. [Ricardo stands next to Gabi. He is looking at her and smiling. Gabi has one hand in the pocket of her jeans and the other hand facing palm up while she shrugs with a smile as she talks.]
When the show is over, I can clap and cheer when the actors come out on stage to bow. If the clapping is too loud, I can wear ear protection or cover my ears. Clapping [Four audience members smile and clap.]
When the actors leave the stage, I wait in line to leave the theatre. I can wait in my seat if I want to wait for the crowd to leave before I leave. I ll walk out of Children s Theatre Company the same way I came in. I can talk about the show as soon as the show ends. Leaving [Two audience members sit in their seats looking at their programs. Two other audience members walk by them to exit the theatre.]
This season s Sensory Friendly programming is made possible by [Fraser logo: Beneath Fraser, it reads: Special needs, bright futures. To the left of the words, simple lines depict a person with arms reaching upwards towards a star.] [US Bank Logo: US is in a red banner next to bank in blue lowercase letters. Beneath is their slogan, the power of possible. Power and possible are in uppercase letters. The and of are in lowercase italics.] [AUSM logo: large lowercase letters spell ausm; beneath in lowercase letters: Autism Society of Minnesota.