It can be hard for people on the autism spectrum to find activities that they can enjoy without stress during the Passover holiday, so it is welcome news that the Safe Place Festival, which features theater and other activities in a sensory-friendly environment for people with autism, will be held from April 9-11 at the Mandel Cultural Center in Jaffa.
This festival is being held for the fifth time, and for the first time, it will feature programs in the evenings for adults on the autism spectrum. Supported by the Mifal HaPais Council for Culture and the Arts and the Ted Arison Family Foundation, the festival offers “sensitive culture” shows presented in a space where those on the spectrum can react and enjoy the experience in ways that come naturally to them, including laughing, speaking, making noises, jumping and walking around the auditorium.
From 2018 until today, the festival has made dozens of arts performances by top theatrical creators accessible to those on the spectrum and 11,500 people have enjoyed them. For some of those who participated, it was the first time in their lives that they were able to attend a performance. Potential triggers that might be stressful are noted in the program and there are quiet spaces for those who need a time out, with trained staff members to help.
As the mother of an adult son on the autism spectrum, I remember that when he was a child, we rarely left the house during the Passover holiday because there was nothing appropriate for him, since he could not sit still or sit quietly enough to attend any kind of performance or activity.
The organization that runs the Safe Place Festival was established and run since 2017 by the social entrepreneur and mother of a child on the autistic spectrum, Or Alterman-Barnea, and by theater creator Sharon Gabrielov. Together, the two studied making plays accessible as part of a special program at Lincoln Center in New York.
The shows for children include Elephant from an Egg, which combines dance, puppets and live music; Land Sea Land, a show about friends far apart and up close; Living Legend, which presents songs about animals; Angel of the Laundry, a show about the joys and secrets revealed when doing laundry; Sounds in a Jar, described as a “musical-technological solo performance” using all kinds of objects and sounds from all over; and much more.
For adults, there is a dance performance, Get Over It and Step Aside, and Echo Echo One One, a show that combines performance, sound effects video and more to investigate self-confidence issues.
Mifal HaPais CEO Avigdor Itzhaki said in a statement, “Mifal HaPais is proud to support this wonderful and unique project, as part of a large-scale movement that we have been leading in recent years for equal opportunities for people with disabilities and their integration in all areas of life. Israeli culture belongs to all of us, and we all have the right to enjoy the fruits of the creation it yields. Mifal HaPayis will continue to invest very significant resources in the field, with the understanding that our mission as a company is to make sure that the world of culture is accessible to everyone.”
Sharon Gabrielov, the artistic director of the festival, said: “This year we set ourselves the highest bar we could, without compromise and with many new ideas and together we created a rich and inclusive program for our audience.”
Or Alterman Barnea, the CEO of the Safe Place Festival, said: “Precisely during times like these, it is more important than anything to highlight the human diversity that our society is made of.”
The festival website contains the full program and details of the shows, with explanations to help prepare people to attend.
