The Theatre Development Fund has announced the lineup for the 12th season of Autism Friendly Performances, and it is full of Broadway stalwarts.

Beginning with an October 1 matinee at The Lion King, this season will welcome the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes and MJ: the Musical for their first ever autism-friendly performances, November 19 and March 10, 2024, respectively. The four-show season will conclude with a performance of Aladdin May 5, 2024.

"At TDF our mission is to remove barriers to access for all audiences of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities," said Deeksha Gaur, TDF’s Executive Director. "That's because we believe that the performing arts are a right, not a privilege. What we see at our autism friendly performances are audiences that love the theatre and love the arts but are not always invited to participate. That's where TDF comes in. We facilitate the process so audiences can see shows on their own terms, and so families can have these transformative experiences together."

Past productions that have participated in the program include Aladdin, Cats, Come From Away, Elf: The Musical, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Kinky Boots, The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Matilda The Musical, My Fair Lady, New York City Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, SIX, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The King and I, The Phantom of the Opera and Wicked.

Learn more at TDF.org.