Theatre asks autistic boy to leave

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That child and his family sure won't be coming back.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

An acceptable loss.......

Autistics and their families know people, who in turn know people. Imagine the domino effect that could have in ticket sales.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

It won’t………
And they’ll lose a helluva lot more ticket sales if they let disruptions like that go unchecked and word gets around. A lot more dominos will fall, in other words.
Just around here where I live we have two 16 room theaters within a few miles of each other. If one gets sloppy the other will be glad to take their customers.

It’s a simple matter of business and that “no child left behind” BS won’t cut it.

Then it might help to have a show specifically shown to autistic children, like at least one theater in Spokane does.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

In Spokane I'm sure they'd have no problem filling a theater full of people on the spectrum every day.

Not the case here

No, no, there probably isn't anymore people on the spectrum here than there, but AMC theaters figured it would make them look humane... and it does.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

Spokane and also the Seattle area are known for being Aspie havens.

I've heard that. I guess I just thought it was over blown. Then again, if you live in the center of a tornado, you won't really notice the debris whirling around you.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

I take it you're in the Spokane area or near there Kraichgauer.

Having an autism friendly showing is different because they then cater and everyone else who chooses to go has to buck up and deal with it because they were warned. It did say autism. Plus also expect they may not hear the show or enjoy it as much and may have troubles enjoying it.


AFAIK, there are no autism showings here.

Yes - more exactly, Spokane Valley, a suburban area to the east of Spokane, which because of a growing industrial base and large business community, had become incorporated as a city a few years ago. The school district in which we live has a very good reputation for providing special education and therapy for children on the autistic spectrum, and other disabilities, I'm very happy to say. My daughter, who has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS has been making strives in her education so far.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

This thread title is misleading, if you read the article the theatre staff repeatedly ASKED the family to calm the boy down, during the interval they ASKED the family to stay outside in a quiet room until the boy was calm enough to go back in to the second half of the performance.

The family then decided to leave because the boy wouldn't calm down.


At no point in the article does anyone claim the theatre staff asked them to leave, ordered them to leave or called in security to forcibly eject them.

So claiming the staff 'attacked' him for being disabled is pushing things a bit far... The staff seem to have been more than reasonable in their handling of the situation.

I disagree, what was the linked story headline ?

"Shrek theatre asks autistic boy to leave "

The journalist who wrote the story may have included the misleading headline but not me.

There is not a whole lot of information in the article, but if this child was being noticeably disruptive compared to the rest of the audience then yeah the theater would have the right to ask them to leave. However if they where you know clapping and cheering with everyone else then that is extreme.

But I imagine the people who paid to go to the performance wanted to see the performance not a kid who's being disruptive.

Who cares why this child was being disruptive?

Let's be clear--this was not a "children's production" of Shrek, this was a West End musical with ticket prices ranging from £20 to £95.

A disruptive audience member has a significant impact not only on fellow audience members, but on performers as well. I recall with dread the number of school performances I have done in my time as a working actor, and the number of disruptive audience members I have faced in my time as a community theatre performer.

From what I read in the article, the theatre was not only entirely within its rights, but it acted in the best interests of its patrons and the performers.