Letter: Go see "Goodnight Moon"?

This is the closing weekend of our 08-09 season, with both "I Was a Rat!" and "Goodnight Moon" coming to an end. This week, we received an email that we just had to, with the author's permission, share with all of you.


My family was recently given tickets to see Goodnight Moon. Our daughter is four years old, but we weren't sure how she would react. Claren has autism, and Goodnight Moon is one of her favorite books. After beginning to talk last year, she now recites it perfectly. I knew the play would have to veer away from the original words, and when it did, because of her adherence to routine, I worried that she would lose it and have to be removed.

She was mesmerized. Her eyes lit up as she took in the set, and saw the book come to life. For Claren, who does not know how to pretend, you are not putting on a play. Your set *is* Goodnight Moon. And she fell in love with it. After the show, I purchased the Goodnight Moon puzzle as well as the partner book, My World. And every time she's said, "Go see Goodnight Moon?" I have replied, "Of course we can. We'll go in a few weeks."

I didn't realize the show ended so quickly, nor did I ever dream that it would sell out. I'm writing to ask you if there's anything I can do to help her see the show again. To have Claren request something is a very big deal in our family. Claren is not interested in baking cookies with me, or doing crafts, or shopping. She doesn't make the connection between process and result. But Goodnight Moon she understands. I know many parents who find their children's constant demands very stressful. We are not blessed with that problem.

Please let me know if there is anything that can be done. We will come at any time, on any day. I will stand, holding her, in the back or off to the side if need be. We will watch it from the "cry room." We would come to a dress rehearsal if there are any left. I'm sure I must sound like a crazy parent, but because we have so few opportunities to engage and enthrall Claren, it means so much to us when one presents itself. I deeply regret the assumption that tickets would remain available. Please let me know if there is a way for us to see the show again. Although we were planning for my husband and I to bring her, we would be thrilled if just one of us could bring Claren again.


We didn't think she sounded like a crazy parent at all, but rather someone working very hard to provide the best for her daughter. And, of course, we found a way for Claren to attend.

But, the point isn't how nice we are at SCT. It's about the incredible power of the human connections that live theatre provides. I can't imagine a better testament than this letter.

We hope that Claren and her family enjoy "Goodnight Moon" this weekend as much as the first time around. And we hope that you will all join us for the 2009-10 Mainstage Season, starting in September, when we offer another year of stories with the power to enrich the lives of your family.