Online Interactive Performance of Pericles for Individuals with Autism

Online Performance of Pericles for Individuals with Autism

Flute Theatre is a touring theater company that performs the work of William Shakespeare for individuals with autism and their families around the world. 

Many individuals with autism are facing a lot of isolation due to COVID-19, that’s why they decided to have a series of online interactive shows of Shakespeare’s Pericles from June 22 until July 18 of 2020 through Zoom for individuals with autism and all their family members. 

Pericles were scheduled to perform in the UK theaters during 2020, but since the lockdowns, Flute Theatre can be seen and experienced online so they could continue to play for the individuals with autism and their families. Their mission is to help them fight their isolation and ease their anxiety produced by this crisis. 

“COVID-19 has changed everything I do; in the last 3 months I’ve worked every day adjusting my games to be played online without losing the drama, the impact and the love. Just as Pericles gets across oceans to find his family, we’ve pushed ourselves to keep contact with our community of individuals with autism and we’ve created a whole new way of telling this story that we can now share with the world, one family at a time. The story of Pericles is one of hope in the face of adversity; our performances will offer families who feel marginalized and locked away a place to combat their isolation, express their feelings and shine their inner lights as brightly as they are able,”

Kelly Hunter, Artistic Director of Flute Theatre to London Theatre News.

The Pericles tried to design was an online fairground having different games that offered different sensory experiences. You are welcome to stay in one ride for as long as you want and at the end of the show, you would get photos as a souvenir and a chance to talk to the actors that were performing so that everyone can take their own time to leave the experience. 

The performances of Pericles are an hour long and they don’t have an age limit for you to be able to participate. Schools can also join with up to three autistic individuals.

Flute Theatre also created online resources and games for individuals with autism and their families to play at home. For more information you can go to www.flutetheatre.co.uk/how-to-play-at-home.