Sanford H. Calhoun High School’s On Tour Company recently presented a sensory-friendly performance of The Old Man and the Old Moon, offering a more accessible theater experience for audience members with sensory sensitivities.
The performance, held Jan. 24 in the Sal Salerno Little Theater, was part of the company’s 2025–26 season and stemmed from a student-led initiative by senior Nattie Martin, the 2025 Merrick Herald Person of the Year. Martin worked alongside director James Crichton and the school’s special education department to develop the production with accommodations designed to create a welcoming environment for all audience members.
Sensory-friendly adjustments included modified lighting and sound levels, as well as a relaxed atmosphere that allowed audience members to move freely and express themselves during the show.
Directed and musically directed by Crichton, The Old Man and the Old Moon is a play with music by PigPen Theatre Co. The story follows a caretaker responsible for refilling the leaking moon with liquid light each night. When his wife mysteriously disappears, he leaves his post for the first time to search for her, plunging the world into darkness.
