MAYBE HAPPY ENDING and More Set For TDF's 14th Season of Autism Friendly Performances
The season also includes The Lion King, MJ, and The Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
By: Stephi Wild Jul. 09, 2025
TDF will launch its 14th season of Autism Friendly Performances (AFP) with the 2025 Tony-winning Best Musical Maybe Happy Ending on Sunday, August 17 at 1 p.m. at the Belasco Theatre. The season will also include The Lion King on Sunday, September 28, 2025 at 1 p.m. at the Minskoff Theatre, the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes on Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 10 a.m. at Radio City Music Hall, and MJ The Musical on Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 1 p.m. at the Neil Simon Theatre, with additional shows to be announced.
“We couldn’t be prouder to launch our 14th season of Autism Friendly Performances with the poignant, Tony-winning musical for all generations, Maybe Happy Ending,” said Deeksha Gaur, TDF’s Executive Director. "This season will have something for everyone, from 2025's Tony-winning Best Musical to the continued support of long-running shows like our inaugural AFP production The Lion King, the ever-popular Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes®, and fan favorite MJ The Musical. We are so grateful to share this diverse lineup of shows with families and individuals impacted by autism in a no-judgment, no-apology environment where everyone is welcome. We look forward to announcing several more shows to round out the season soon."
“I am thrilled to be a part of creating an Autism Friendly Performance of Maybe Happy Ending on Broadway,” said Michael Arden, who won his second Tony Award® for Best Direction of a Musical for his work on the production. “This is a show about connection, care, and what it means to be seen and loved – themes that resonate deeply with all of us. At its heart, Maybe Happy Ending reminds us that everyone deserves belonging, and this performance is a meaningful step toward making theatre more inclusive. We hope this special event allows audience members to experience the show in a way that feels welcoming, joyful, and entirely their own.”
AFP tickets typically go on sale six to eight weeks before a performance and can only be purchased through TDF’s website. Tickets to Maybe Happy Ending will go on sale Wednesday, July 16 at 11 a.m. Individuals must create an account via this form for access to TDF AFP tickets. TDF is the only site for all AFP tickets.
TDF Autism Friendly Performances launched in 2011 with a performance of Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway. Since then, there have been AFP of Broadway's & Juliet, Aladdin, Cats, the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes®, Come From Away, Elf: The Musical, Hamilton, Hadestown, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, How to Dance in Ohio, JOB, Kinky Boots, Mary Poppins, Matilda The Musical, MJ The Musical, My Fair Lady, New York City Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, Our Town, SIX, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The King and I, The Phantom of the Opera, and Wicked.
The program operates under the umbrella of TDF Accessibility Programs. To create an autism-friendly setting, the shows are performed in a supportive environment for children and adults diagnosed with autism or other sensory sensitivities and their families. Slight adjustments are made to the productions where possible, including the reduction of jarring sounds and strobe lights focused into the audience. In the theatre lobby, there are staffed break areas in case audience members need to leave their seats during the performance. For AFP, TDF purchases every seat in the theatre and makes the tickets available at discount prices exclusively to families, groups, schools, etc. whose members include individuals on the autism spectrum.
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