“A Christmas Carol” is a timeless holiday classic. Many are familiar with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter old miser who hates Christmas, but after being visited by three spirits, he becomes a changed man – kinder and gentler.
Countless theaters hold their own productions of “A Christmas Carol” this time of the year, and A Noise Within Theatre, based in Pasadena, is no exception. However, their “uniquely faithful” rendition will not add or change a single line from the original novel. It will run starting this Saturday, Nov. 29, to Christmas Eve.
Also, once a year, for this production only, this repertory theater has a special “Relaxed Performance.”
This performance, scheduled for Nov. 30, is designed to be as inclusive as possible for families with members who have autism, sensory sensitivities, anxiety, dementia and other challenges.
Lea Madda, director of education for A Noise Within Theatre, said that among the long list of slight changes they make from their regular performances, one of the biggest modifications is the lowering of the sound and light cue levels, so there are no strobe light effects and any sudden sounds are softened. The house lights are also kept on, so the theater is never left in total darkness.
They also lift many of the rules people are expected to abide by when attending a play: be silent, remain seated, no electronic devices and not entering or leaving the theater in the middle of a performance.
“To me, what makes the Relaxed Performance so powerful is the softening of those rules and giving our patrons the ability to come and go as they are and not have anyone shush or ask them to behave in any way that doesn’t feel natural to them,” Madda said. “We also offer a designated quiet area in the lobby that a patron is welcome to take advantage of. This can be helpful if someone needs a break and some time away from all the sensory input to take a breath.”
Cast members are also brought out in costume before the show starts to meet the audience and allow them to interact with them. This helps the patrons see the actors, especially those cast in “scarier” roles, as normal people.
The theater has years of experience putting on a “Relaxed Performance,” but when it began around 2018, it took a lot of research and feedback by specialists to incorporate these changes “appropriately and respectfully.”
Every year, the theater offers professional development training for the cast and crew. Last week, they met with a specialist from California State University, Northridge, about what life is like from an autistic individual’s perspective to help them grow a sense of understanding with their audience.
Madda said they only hold it for “A Christmas Carol” because other productions they run throughout the year are not as family-friendly and don’t naturally lend themselves to these kinds of modified performances, including the theater’s upcoming rendition of “Richard III” – a play known to have numerous depictions of violence.
“A major element of the Relaxed Performance is that it’s a chance for families to come together, even if the family has varying degrees of neurodivergence,” Madda said. “That sort of quality is really inherent in ‘A Christmas Carol’ specifically. Because of what the story upholds, it lends itself very well to a special day like this.”
And as a testament to how meaningful and powerful these showings are, she continued, the same families come back year after year. Oftentimes, families with neurodivergent members feel that they can’t attend a public event without encountering some sort of issue, conflict or barrier. It’s events like these that provide them with a rare opportunity to come out and be themselves.
In years past, the Relaxed Performance would draw a crowd of between 60 to 70 people. But this year, Madda said they’re expecting at least twice as many people – around 150. With another 50 seats still available, Madda is looking forward to the possibility of hosting 200 patrons this year.
To her, this shows that there is a demand for special productions like these. The theater only does it once a year, but if this upcoming Relaxed Performance is a big success, Madda said they’ll look into adding more of them throughout the year.
“Theater is an art form that claims to be for everyone, but sometimes, adjustments need to be made to really meet that definition of everyone,” Madda said. “I think these [special] days are really important to help us reach those communities that often, sort of, accidentally get excluded from public activities.
“I think we’ve made a lot of really wonderful progress with these Relaxed Performances in the last six or seven years, and I think we can continue to grow from there.”
The Relaxed Performance will be held on Sunday, Nov. 30, at 11 a.m. at A Noise Within Theatre on 3352 E Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena. To purchase tickets, go to https://www.anoisewithin.org/play/a-christmas-carol-2025/.