For Some Families TDF Serves, One Program Is Not Enough
These vets with kids on the spectrum are thankful for our Autism Friendly Performances and our Veterans Theatregoing Program
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For more than 50 years, TDF has shared the power of the performing arts with everyone through an array of initiatives that remove physical, financial and invisible barriers to attendance. For some families we serve, multiple TDF programs are needed to ensure that parents and their children feel welcome at the theatre.
When she came across TDF’s Autism Friendly Performances, she booked tickets right away. “His first autism-friendly performance was The Lion King when he was 6 years old,” she recalls. “It was helpful because it didn’t have the flashing lights and the music wasn’t as loud. My son was singing all the songs with no one shushing him. Now my daughter has been diagnosed with autism as well, so these performances have been great for my family.”
Since Debra served in the Army, she is also eligible to see shows for free through TDF’s Veterans Theatregoing Program, which she likewise found via googling. “At first, I didn’t realize TDF ran both programs,” she admits with a laugh. Even though the veterans’ performances do not have accommodations for individuals with autism, she decided to take her kids to the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes. The outing was a resounding success. “I’m just so thankful because I would never be able to afford anything like this on my own,” she explains. “It’s so hard with two kids with special needs and myself. We’re going to see Aladdin in February through the Veterans Theatregoing Program. We’re so excited!”
Kevin Chimilio, who was in the Marine Corps, had the opposite journey with TDF: He was initially introduced to the Veterans Theatregoing Program while serving as the president of the student veterans club at LaGuardia Community College. Of all the shows he saw with his fellow vets, Come From Away, about human connection in the wake of the September 11 attacks, was his favorite. “I was in junior high school when 9/11 happened and it shaped my decision to join the military,” he says. “That event is something that impacted a lot of us veterans.”
When Vicki Bello, who works as TDF’s Coordinator of Veterans & Accessibility Programs, learned his son Brandon was on the spectrum, she told Chimilio about our Autism Friendly Performances. “My son and I had gone to a performance in Brooklyn and, sensory-wise, it wasn’t a great experience,” Chimilio recalls. Attending autism-friendly mountings of Wicked and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in a supportive environment helped Brandon graduate to typical performances. So his dad knows firsthand how transformative the program can be for families impacted by neurological and developmental disabilities.
Joe Orecchio first attended one of TDF’s Autism Friendly Performances as a photographer for hire. As the father of Theo, who has autism, he says he’s “honored to have the gig. I get to capture the joy that’s being offered.”
Theatre has always been a big part of his family’s life. “I proposed to my wife on stage and Theo is theatre born, theatre raised,” Orecchio says. Now grown, Theo has been happy to volunteer at TDF’s Autism Friendly Performances because he understands intimately what the kids in the audiences are going through. “Theo has deep empathy,” Orecchio says. “He sees other children who can’t control themselves the way he can and knows how to calm them.”
Since Orecchio served in the Army, Theo also attends shows with his dad through TDF’s Veterans Theatregoing Program. “He’s studying playwriting in college, and he really enjoys devising stories,” Orecchio says. “To have the access to go watch plays for free, it’s a blessing.”
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