Campus News

UK Alum's Company First to Present Sensory-Friendly Musical for Autistic, Epileptic Patrons in Central Kentucky

poster for "Just So" production by Bluegrass Opera
Bluegrass Opera's "Just So," adapted from Rudyard Kipling’s "Just So Stories," will be Central Kentucky’s first sensory-friendly live theater production — designed to be safe and welcoming for those with autism, epilepsy and other sensory sensitivities.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 1, 2016) — The Bluegrass Opera, co-founded by University of Kentucky alumnus Lorne Dechtenberg, will present a new musical this weekend that is much more than just another world premiere. "Just So," adapted from Rudyard Kipling’s "Just So Stories," will be Central Kentucky’s first sensory-friendly live theater production — designed to be safe and welcoming for those with autism, epilepsy and other sensory sensitivities.

On the surface, "Just So" is a fun fable about a crab, a kangaroo and the way each animal gets its distinctive features, but it also teaches a lesson about the dangers of egoism and greed, and the importance of compromise and personal responsibility. The British team of Paul Ayres and Sarah Grange created this musical adaptation of Kipling's work.

Sensory-friendly performances feature more gradual light and sound changes as well as relaxed house rules that permit audience members to move, make sound, or leave and re-enter during the show. This production format has recently allowed those with autism spectrum disorder to experience Broadway shows, as well as stage events in other large cities, but only a few have been presented in Kentucky, and none have been specifically designed to be safe for those with epilepsy until "Just So."

“We’re incredibly excited to be able to make the musical theater experience accessible to a part of our community that hasn’t been able to enjoy it until now,” said Dechtenberg, who is directing the production. “My mother, Linda Dechtenberg, who is a clinical research nurse in UK Chandler Hospital’s Emergency Department, has been instrumental in helping us to connect with a number of experts whose input has shaped this production, and we’re really proud of what we’ve come up with.”

Bluegrass Opera's performances of "Just So" and their formats are as follows:

  • school matinees: Nov. 3 (conventional) and Nov. 4 (sensory-friendly);
  • conventional performances: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4 and 5; and
  • sensory-friendly performances: 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 5 and 6.

All "Just So" performances will take place at the Downtown Arts Center. Tickets for this musical are $15 for general admission, $12 for seniors and $8 for students. Tickets can be ordered online via Downtown Arts Center's box office or by phone at 859-940-9379.

"Just So" was made possible with the support of many individuals in the community. The consultants and advisors include UK Epilepsy Nurse Coordinator Rachel Ward-Mitchell, as well as individuals from the Kentucky Autism Training CenterKentucky Center for the ArtsEpilepsy Foundation of Kentuckiana and Autism Society of the Bluegrass.

Dechtenberg, who holds degrees from UK School of Music in composition and conducting, co-founded the Bluegrass Opera in 2008. In 2010, he and his "Honeymoon Symphony" were chronicled in the KET documentary "Composer at Work," an effort that brought together members of the Lexington Philharmonic, UK Symphony Orchestra and the Lexington Community Orchestra for a premiere at UK's Singletary Center for the Arts.

In addition to Dechtenberg, "Just So" will feature other performers with ties to UK, including UK College of Medicine faculty member Dr. Stephanie Rose and graduate student Tanya Roodhouse.

The Bluegrass Opera is a nonprofit performing arts company that specializes in the performance of new and underperformed musical works for the stage — operas, musicals and everything in between.