Autistic children treated to reworked Blue Man show

For many people with autism spectrum disorder, the world is simply too busy, too loud and too crazy to deal with.

Things that other people don’t notice or are a mild annoyance at best can cause an autistic person to act out, withdraw or shut down. The Blue Man Group is known for over-the-top performances that can overwhelm anyone. However, the two came together for a special sensory-friendly show June 14 at the Monte Carlo, 3770 Las Vegas Blvd. South., to benefit the Grant A Gift Autism Foundation, and it was a success.

“Many autistic people respond very well to the show, in part because of the nonverbal communication in it,” said Lynda Tache, executive director and founder of the foundation. “They made a few changes, like lowering some of the lights and reducing the sound, and it helped out a lot.”

This is not the first sensory-friendly show the Blue Man Group has put on, but it is the first in Las Vegas. The company first tried the concept out in Chicago and hopes to bring it to other cities.

In addition to the sound and light changes, the company found sponsors to pay admission for people with family members who have ASD, and other sponsors were found to fund dark glasses and earplugs so the patrons could further shield themselves from the over-stimulation.

Jack Kenn, vice president, senior resident general manager of Blue Man Group Las Vegas, said the troupe brought in a team of experts from Grant a Gift and UNLV, and they delivered a list of changes to make the show more autism-friendly.

“The changes they asked for were really minimal,” Kenn said. “We took out some intimate moments where the Blue Men interacted intensely with the audience, and we took out strobe lights. The most important change we made was to the environment.”

They provided quiet places outside the theater, with soft lighting and beanbag chairs, so anyone who was finding the experience too intense could step out , get a break and watch the show on video monitors. Perhaps the most accommodating measure was providing an audience that anticipated possible disruptions.

“It was nice to take my son to an environment where if he acts out, you don’t have to explain yourself,” said Megan Glade Dresback, who attended the show with her son Jack. “When people talk to him, he doesn’t respond. He just ignores everyone’s voice but mine. Usually, I have to explain to people that he’s not being rude; you’re just not on his list of voices.”

Dresback has learned many techniques to help her son cope in stressful situations. She carries headphones and keeps her phone at the ready, packed with a few games and music Jack enjoys. He favors classical music and kids’ music, such as Baby Einstein puppet show videos.

“He texts lists of his favorite composers to family members,” Dresback said. “He doesn’t know how to ask something like, ‘How’s your day?,’ but he wants to connect with them, so that’s how he does it. He doesn’t have any trouble spelling the names; he’s been reading and writing since he was 2. I didn’t have to teach him. He just saw letters, and they made sense to him.”

Some individuals with ASD have savant qualities and an above-average attention to detail.

“I wish more people could get to where they don’t see this as a problem but just as a difference,” Dresback said.

Tache noted that many people with family members who have ASD never go to shows, because the affected member is ready to leave after a short time. Dresback’s son wanted to leave several times but made it through the show.

“I knew we were going to have trouble when we were waiting out front and I saw those blue lights,” Dresback said, referring to a bank of lights at the entrance that blinked in sequence from back to front. “It was good to expose him to that, because we live here, and we’re going to encounter that sort of thing a lot.”

The show raised more than $11,500 for the Grant A Gift Autism Foundation, and 858 guests attended the show, ate free popcorn and received chemical light necklaces.

For more information, visit blueman.com/lasvegas or grantagiftfoundation.org.

To reach East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor, email ataylor@viewnews.com or call 702-380-4532.