Blue Man Group Teams with Autism Speaks for Shows Across the U.S.

Blue Man Group is teaming up with Autism Speaks for the third consecutive year and will be hosting autism-friendly performances suitable for individuals and families affected by autism in New York, Las Vegas, Boston, Chicago and Orlando.

In its fourth year working with Autism Speaks, Blue Man Group Chicago will also add a second autism-friendly performance to accommodate growing demand.

"We are overjoyed that Blue Man Group is continuing their partnership with Autism Speaks for a third year," said Lisa Goring, chief program and marketing officer at Autism Speaks. "This partnership raises funds and provides families the special opportunity to experience Blue Man Group in a setting that meets their needs. We are grateful for this commitment to the autism community."

All domestic Blue Man Group productions will offer an autism-friendly performance on select dates throughout the year. Tickets for these special performances in New York, Boston, Chicago and Orlando will be discounted, and $5 from each ticket will be donated to Autism Speaks. The Grant a Gift Autism Foundation is partnering with Blue Man Group for the sensory-friendly performance in Las Vegas.

For the autism-friendly performances, slight modifications will be made to the shows, including reducing sound and light levels at various moments and making earplugs available upon request. The Blue Men will keep their approach to the audience more subdued and limit the amount of direct interaction with the audience. Blue Man Group will also create calming environments outside of the performance for families seeking a break from the excitement.

The following is a list of all autism-friendly performances:

Las Vegas: Sunday, June 11 at 4 p.m.

Boston: Sunday, June 25 at 11 a.m.

Chicago: Sunday, July 16 at 4 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 1 at 4 p.m.

New York: Saturday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m.

Orlando: Saturday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m.

"Creating a version of our show that is more accessible for families that are affected by autism has been a very meaningful experience for us. We are thrilled to provide a safe and welcoming environment and are often quite moved by the emotional response to the show," said Phil Stanton, Blue Man Group co-founder.

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The fastest growing developmental disorder in the U.S., autism spectrum disorder affects 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys. Characteristics include social challenges, communication difficulties and repetitive behaviors. As a non-verbal, visually-stunning show, Blue Man Group serves as a great fit for many children and families affected by autism.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit blueman.com/autismspeaks or call 1.800.blueman. Fans may keep up with Blue Man Group through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat at @bluemangroup or the hashtag #DareToLive. For more information on Autism Speaks, visit autismspeaks.org. To find out more about the Grant a Gift Autism Foundation visit grantagiftfoundation.org.

Blue Man Productions is a global entertainment company best known for the award-winning Blue Man Group show, performed in over 20 countries and seen by more than 35 million people worldwide since 1991. A dynamic combination of art, music, comedy and technology, the show's euphoric celebration of human connection has universal appeal for a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds. The show is continually refreshed with new music, fresh stories, custom instruments and state-of-the-art technology. Blue Man Group has permanent theatrical productions in New York, Las Vegas, Boston, Chicago, Orlando, Berlin and a World Tour.

This creative collective has become part of the pop culture zeitgeist. Blue Man Group has served as the face of branding campaigns for Intel and TIM/Brasil and appeared countless times on hit shows like "The Tonight Show," "Arrested Development," "Ellen," "Schlag den Raab" (Germany), "WOWOW" (Japan), and "CaldeiraÞo do Huck" (Brasil).

Beyond the stage show, they are Grammy-nominated recording artists, known for their contributions to various film and TV scores and multiple Blue Man Group albums, including their most recent, THREE. Their "Megastar World Tour" rock concert parody played arenas across the globe. The group's recently published first-ever book, Blue Man World, is a visually stunning anthropological exploration of the curious bald and blue character.

Artist-owned-and-operated and based in New York City, Blue Man Productions has extensive production facilities, a training center, recording studios and a 6,000 square foot Research & Development Lab with numerous new creative projects in the pipeline.