Theatre Tulsa Academy Will Hold Two Low-Sensory Adaptations In July

Theatre Tulsa Academy will complete its 2023 summer education program with full productions of “Finding Nemo Jr.” and “The Little Mermaid Jr.,” along with low-sensory adaptations for each show.

Theatre Tulsa Academy is an interactive theatre training program for youth. The course trains students on the essentials of musical theatre – auditioning, acting, vocal music, dance, and more. 

Theatre Tulsa was the first theatre company in the city to provide sensory-friendly programming for people with social and cognitive disabilities, with a primary focus on families with neurodivergent children. 

The adapted performances will be “Finding Nemo Jr.” on July 16 and “The Little Mermaid Jr.” on July 23. Both matinees will be at 1pm.

A sensory-friendly performance involves adapting technical aspects of a performance to provide a low-stimulation experience that minimizes any sounds, lighting effects, or onstage action that may trigger a negative response. 

An American Sign Language interpreter will also be at the adaptive performance to provide signing services to any hearing-impaired audiences.

The Theatre Tulsa Academy series of shows features youth-oriented and “junior” versions of popular musicals as a supplement to Theatre Tulsa's regular season of mainstage shows. Theatre Tulsa Academy produces four additional works per season.

The full run of performances for “Finding Nemo Jr.” will be July 13-16. Performances of “The Little Mermaid Jr.” will be July 21-23. 

Evening performances will be at 7:30pm. Matinee performances will be at 2pm Saturdays and 4pm Sundays. The adapted performances for neurodivergent audiences will be Sunday at 1pm.

All performances will be in the Doenges Theatre of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available at tulsapac.com or by calling 918-596-7111.

Theatre Tulsa Academy is sponsored in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council.

For questions or more information about Theatre Tulsa and its upcoming shows and programs, visit theatretulsa.org, call 918-587-8402 or email info@theatretulsa.org