NATIONAL ACROBATS MARTIAL ARTISTS OF CHINA AND AUTISM-FRIENDLY RELAXED PERFORMANCES SOCIAL STORY
2 I am going to State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick to see a show!
3 The show is The National Acrobats and Martial Artists of China. The acrobats will do lots of amazing stunts! Jumping Balancing Juggling Body Bending Rope Spinning Plate Spinning
4 I will be going to the show with We will have a lot of fun!
5 I will go to the theater in a car or on a school bus. I will get out of the car or bus in front of the theater. Or I will park nearby and walk to the theater.
6 If I go to the show on a bus, I will wait quietly until it s time to go into the theater.
7 I will go into the theater. I will be in the lobby. A helper called an usher will tell me where to go next. The usher will show me where to sit.
8 There will be a lot of people at the theater. I must stay with my parent or teacher so I don t get lost.
9 There are a lot of seats in the theater! My seat might be downstairs. My seat might be upstairs. Upstairs is called the balcony. I will walk up the stairs if my seat is in the balcony.
10 There are bathrooms downstairs that I can use if I need to. LADIES ROOM MEN S ROOM There are also bathrooms upstairs I can use.
11 If I get scared or things are too loud, I can cover my ears, use my ipad or my headphones, or squeeze a toy. Or I can take a break in a quiet room where I can sit, color, or do something else.
12 I will wait quietly in my seat for the show to start. When the show is ready to start, the lights will get a little darker. But not too dark. When the show starts, I will stay in my seat and watch the show.
13 When the show starts, I will hear music. I will see the acrobats in their beautiful costumes. The acrobats will not talk. They will do many amazing tricks!
14 I will see acrobats spinning ropes around and around.
15 Then I will see acrobats bend and twist their bodies into amazing shapes!
16 Next I will see the acrobats throw and catch a toy on a rope.
17 Then I will see some amazing magic tricks. After that, I will see the acrobats spin plates on top of sticks. They will try not to let the plates fall!
18 Then I will see jugglers throw balls in the air and catch them. They will try not to drop them!
19 Then I will see acrobats throw and catch lots of hats. They look like they are having a lot of fun! This is the last trick I will see.
20 The music will stop playing. The lights will get brighter. Then the acrobats will bow to the audience. I can clap and cheer.
21 Then the acrobats will leave the stage. The show will be over. I will wait quietly until it is time to go. photo: Nancy Swolensky Then I will go home or back to school.
22 Going to the theater is so much fun! photo: Nancy Swolensky
DO & DISCUSS 23 IT TAKES TEAMWORK. Explain to your child that it is very important for the acrobats work together to give a great performance. The acrobats practice their tricks over and over again to make sure each person knows what to do. It is important for them to work together to make sure no one gets hurt when they do their tricks. For the acrobats to work well together as a team, they need to have: COOPERATION TRUST RESPECT FOR OTHERS IN THE GROUP EACH PERSON TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR PART OF THE PERFORMANCE Ask your child to pay attention during the show to the ways the acrobats work together when they do their stunts. QUESTIONS FOR BEFORE THE SHOW Discuss what it s like to go to the theater: Have you ever gone to a theater to see a show before? If you have, what was it like? What did you see? What was it like to be a member of the audience? What is the difference between watching a show on TV or at the movies and watching a show onstage at a theater? How do you behave differently at the performance of a play in a theater? Why? QUESTIONS FOR AFTER THE SHOW What are the different acts (tricks) you saw in the show? Which ones were your favorites? What did you like about them? Pretend you are describing the acrobats show to someone who didn t see it. How would you describe the tricks, costumes, music, lighting, and anything else you noticed? When did you see the acrobats working together and helping each other? How could you tell they were working together and helping each other? Who are the people who help you? How do they help you? Do you ever help other people? How do you them? DRAW WHAT YOU SAW After the show, have children decide what part of the show was their favorite. Have them draw a or paint picture of that act. You can even have them put themselves into the scene, performing with the acrobats. Have them describe what s going on in their picture.
24 EDUCATION & OUTREACH SUPPORTERS State Theatre New Jersey s Education & Outreach programs are funded in part by Andersen Corporate Foundation, the Frank & Lydia Bergen Foundation, Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, Colgate-Palmolive, Deluxe Corporation Foundation, E & G Foundation, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Ingredion Incorporated, Investors Bank, Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, The George Link Jr. Charitable Trust, The Harold I. & Faye B. Liss Foundation, McCrane Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Plymouth Rock Assurance, PNC Foundation, PSEG Foundation, RBC Wealth Management, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Silver Line Building Products, Victory Worldwide Transportation, Wells Fargo, and others. Additional in-kind support is provided by Cream-O-Land Dairy, La Bonbonniere Bake Shoppe, and Miller s Rentals. Their support is gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks to Maria Arnold at Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, advisor for State Theatre New Jersey s Autism-Friendly Relaxed Performances. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund. Autistm-Friendly Relaxed Performances made possible in part by The Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation with additional support from Unity Bank Made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. OFFICIAL AIRLINE OFFICIAL HOTEL Eden Autism is pleased to partner with State Theatre New Jersey to make the thrill of live theater accessible for individuals with autism. OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER Relaxed Performances Social Story 2017 State Theatre New Jersey Find us at www.stnj.org Contact: education@stnj.org State Theatre New Jersey creating extraordinary experiences through the power of live performance.