Imagine watching a performance and—suddenly—you hear a loud noise, or a sudden flash of light, or a fog descends onto the stage.

For some, these moments are a delightful surprise, a part of the magic. But for those with sensory sensitivities, these effects can be overwhelming—at least without some warning.

Now, Cultural Trust patrons can prepare for the more stimulating moments with a new show effects and warnings sheet, provided at PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh performances on Fridays through Sundays.

True to its name, the sheet calls out moments when sounds, lighting, and other unexpected effects will occur throughout the show. If the production is a road, the sheet is the yield sign, alerting patrons to moments when they can expect a particular show effect.

Lights, cues, action

While productions often provide general content advisories, this resource— which includes the timing of each effect and the cue that precedes it—is the first of its kind for Broadway patrons.

The Cultural Trust’s Accessibility team soft launched the sheet during the first Broadway show of the season, A Beautiful Noise.

Karoline Smith, Accessibility Manager, attended the first show in the run to gather information for the sheet. When she clocked an effect that may be surprising or bothersome, she marked it down in the script.

During the performance, Smith noted fog, a fake firearm, loud noises, and strobe-like lighting.

“There’s no set list or template for which effects to include,” she explains. “As a professional in the industry, we just have to understand what neurodivergent people need to know.” With this information on hand, patrons can better prepare for these moments, says Vanessa Braun, Accessibility Director.

“We want to help people navigate through their show experience,” she explains. “After reviewing the sheet, audience members can plan when they might want to close their eyes, put on noise cancelling headphones, or go to the Quiet Room.”

   

Visualizing show effects

After watching the show, Smith compared her notes with another colleague and cross-referenced those notes with the content advisories provided by the tour.

Next, she worked with Jonathon Daybear, Senior Designer, and Daniel Alexandar, Creative Director, to translate the information she’d compiled into an easy-to-follow sheet.

“We had to figure out how to visually represent what a warning or show effect might look like,” Daybear explains.

The team decided to use icons to illustrate various effects. While Daybear was able to repurpose some existing icons, other effects—like those for fog or haze—had to be designed from scratch. For inspiration, he explored weather apps and meteorological websites. Another challenge for Daybear was finding distinct icons for similar lighting effects like flashing lights, strobe lights, and pulsing lights.

Building a more inclusive environment

When the team started sharing the sheets for remaining days of A Beautiful Noise, the response was immediate.

“As soon as we placed the sheet on the table, people started reaching for it,” said Smith.

Alongside KultureCity bags—which are available at the Guest Services table for any performance—this sheet serves as another valuable resource to support neurodivergent theatergoers.

“There are people with sensory challenges and sensitivities who need a bridge into the theater—a way to feel more comfortable in the space,” said Braun. “With these sheets, we’re one step closer to welcoming this segment of the audience back into the theater.”

The team plans to continue developing show effects and warnings sheets for future Broadway productions, with the hope that other markets will adopt and expand these resources as well.

Have you used a Cultural Trust show effects and warnings sheet? Email sharfman@trustarts.org to share your experience.