A Community-Led Approach to Making Theatre Safer for Photosensitive Audiences

It started with a question: When do the flashing lights in a Broadway show occur?

In 2022, a young performer named Anzli McNew, who lives with photosensitive epilepsy, wanted to attend a Broadway performance of Beetlejuice to see her uncle, Maxx Reed, perform in the ensemble. But before buying her ticket, she asked a question with no readily available answer: “When are the flashing lights?”

She didn’t want to know if there were flashing lights, but when. What scene? What kind of flash? Would it be a show she could tolerate, or was it a risk too great to take? 

The reality is that many photosensitive reactions—like seizures, migraines, or visual discomfort—can be mitigated by simply covering one eye before a flash occurs. But that’s only possible with clear, timely information. 

Anzli had access to that information because Maxx was part of the production and could walk her through the show. He could tell her when the flashes would occur and help her navigate the potential risks. But what if he hadn’t been in the show? What if she had been attending as an audience member without insider knowledge? That single, simple question—“When are the flashing lights?”—uncovered a troubling truth: This wasn’t just an oversight. It was a systemic failure of accessibility in the theatre industry.

As a board member of the arts advocacy nonprofit Design With Us and a longtime family friend of Anzli and Maxx, I instantly grew curious about solving this from an inclusive design perspective.

Vague, one-size-fits-all warnings like “this performance contains flashing lights,” which are often buried in small print or posted on the lobby walls, have become the norm in the industry. While these notices may fulfill legal obligations, they fail to empower audiences. They don’t give people the information they need to make informed decisions about whether they can safely attend a performance. They don’t offer agency, and most importantly, they don’t meet the moment. We realized this needed to change.

Community First: Forming the EpiArts Alliance

Out of this grew the EpiArts Alliance—a community-centered initiative founded by myself, Anzli, Maxx, and Heather McNew (Anzli's mother and longtime epilepsy advocate). With support from Design With Us, we began developing a network of artists, scientists, educators, and designers committed to making theatre safer and more accessible for those living with photosensitivity. Our concern isn’t just about epilepsy. It’s about people who experience migraines, vertigo, or sensory overload. It’s about creating space for neurodivergence.

Early on, we convened a roundtable discussion to better understand the scope of the problem and potential solutions. We invited a diverse group: Dr. Arnold Wilkins, a photosensitive researcher and author of Visual Stress; Dr. Laura South, a computer scientist at Williams College who focuses on photosensitivity; Donald Holder and Barbara Samuels, Broadway lighting designers; Paul Behrhorst, theatre accessibility consultant and co-founder of ConsultAbility; and Kristin Hanggi and Ben Decter, the director-composer team who developed It’s All Your Fault, Tyler Price!, a new musical inspired by Decter’s child who lives with epilepsy.

Together, we named two immediate goals: First, educate lighting designers about photosensitivity. Second, create a standard method of communicating flashing light cues to audiences.

Lighting design has a direct impact on audience health.

What Light Can Do: Building Knowledge and Language

We knew that if lighting designers were going to consider photosensitivity in their work, they needed more than good intentions. They needed a framework.

So we built one.

With contributions from Donald Holder and Dr. Wilkins, we developed the Theatre Lighting Guide on Photosensitivity. The guide outlines how flash frequency, contrast, color, and duration can all affect the human brain, especially those on the photosensitivity spectrum. The full guide is now freely available on our website, FlashCues.com, and insights from the guide are available below. 

We also partnered with United Scenic Artists Local USA 829 to provide a photosensitivity training session presented by EpiArts, Don Holder, and Dr. Wilkins. This training is now accessible to all USA 829 lighting designers across the nation. 

Key Takeaways from the Theatre Lighting Guide on Photosensitivity

Lighting design has a direct impact on audience health. Effects like flickering, rapid color shifts, and repetitive patterns can trigger migraines, seizures, or disorientation in people with photosensitivity, including those with epilepsy or photophobia.

The human visual system evolved to handle low flicker, soft color contrast, and irregular patterns. Theatrical lighting often mimics urban environments—high contrast, saturated colors, and repetitive visuals—and can overstimulate the brain.

Common visual triggers include flicker rates between 10–20 Hz, particularly when lights are bright, centrally placed, or directed at the audience. Rapid shifts between red and blue, vibrating stripes, or moving patterns in the 1–8 cycles-per-degree range are also risky. When combined with haze, even standard lighting effects can create sharp visual textures that some viewers may find distressing.

Designers can reduce these risks by avoiding high-risk frequencies, limiting contrast aimed at the audience, and using shielding or diffusion when needed. Clear audience advisories can also help patrons prepare. Creative lighting and accessibility aren’t at odds—with intentional choices, designers can craft bold, expressive visuals that remain safe for everyone.

The FlashCue Project: From Warnings to Empowerment

If knowledge is power, then transparency is freedom. Enter the FlashCue Project.

Working with Dr. South and Barbara Samuels, we designed a standardized tool for collecting data about flashing light cues in live productions. It includes the scene in which the flash occurs, the number of flashes, their duration, intensity, color, and whether the flash is directed at the audience.

To date, we've gathered flashing light data from twenty-two Broadway shows. Each entry is detailed and practical. Stereophonic, for example, poses minimal risk. MJ the Musical, on the other hand, includes over one hundred small strobes embedded in the set—information that's crucial for someone trying to weigh the risks of attending.

The FlashCue Project isn’t about limiting artistic vision—it’s about transparency. Just like a menu that discloses allergens so diners can make informed choices, FlashCue offers audiences the information they need to assess their own risk and decide whether, and how, to attend. It’s about access, not restriction.

Beyond Broadway: A Scalable, Inclusive Lighting Toolkit

This initiative began with Broadway as a controlled pilot environment to develop best practices for lighting safety. With the first regional production now included in our FlashCue database, we're hoping to expand this work to theatres of all sizes and geographies. 

One complexity that emerged early on is the distinction between Broadway, touring, and regional productions. Lighting designs often shift on tour due to equipment changes, venue constraints, or budget adjustments. A show like Back to the Future, for example, features immersive lighting and pre-show pulses on Broadway, while its touring version scales back or reconfigures these effects entirely. Regional productions may reinterpret the show altogether, using different cues and systems depending on resources and artistic direction.

To support broader adoption, we now offer:

• A lighting data collection survey for production teams
• A Flashing Light Signage Toolkit for use across websites, social media, box offices, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) stations so any production can clearly communicate potential visual risks to audiences

Our mission is to make live theatre safer and more inclusive across the industry—from Broadway to regional houses, from large institutions to community stages. Lighting design can remain bold and expressive while also being mindful of the diverse needs of audiences.

Design isn’t the problem. In fact, it’s the solution.

Expanding the Conversation: Photosensitivity as a Spectrum

Although the FlashCue Project began in response to epilepsy-specific concerns, it has naturally expanded. People with autism, albinism, vestibular disorders, and chronic migraines have reached out to us. The need is wider than we imagined.

Photosensitivity exists on a spectrum. For some, flashing lights trigger discomfort or sensory overload. For others, they can induce nausea, anxiety, or seizures. Knowing when these moments happen is essential. It gives individuals the ability to take preventive action—like covering one eye, stepping out, or preparing mentally.

Some theatres hold relaxed performances with adjusted lights and sound. These efforts are commendable, but they are not enough. True access means making every performance safer. Transparency enables that.

A Call for Empathetic Design  

Design isn’t the problem. In fact, it’s the solution. Our work isn’t about eliminating strobes or limiting creative tools—it’s about encouraging design that considers everyone in the room. Strobes may be essential to storytelling, but so is making sure the audience can witness that story safely.

We’ve been heartened by the response from lighting designers who’ve joined this conversation with curiosity and care. They’ve reminded us that collaboration, not censorship, moves theatre forward.

Since being a part of our photosensitivity roundtable and co-presenting the guide and training with Dr. Wilkins, Donald has been more empathetic in his design choices. Known for his Tony award-winning lights in The Lion King, Donald recently made thoughtful adjustments to the strobe design for the Toronto production of The Lion King. He re-angled strobes originally pointed at the audience to reflect off set pieces instead. He also reduced their frequency and contrast—all without losing the emotional intensity of the moment.

Similarly, the creative team behind It’s All Your Fault, Tyler Price!—Kristin, Ben, and Maxx—integrated photosensitivity awareness into every stage of their process. From lighting choices to detailed in-theatre signage noting exactly when flashes occur, their work demonstrates how access and artistry can not only coexist but enrich one another.

These examples show that conscious design choices can both protect audience wellbeing and elevate the storytelling—inviting everyone to engage fully with the performance.

Next Steps: Toward Structural Change

We believe that FlashCue data should be treated like captioning or audio description: an essential access tool, not an optional courtesy. 

To that end, our roadmap includes:

• Curricular Integration: Partnering with schools, universities, and United Scenic Artists Local USA 829 to embed the Theatre Lighting Guide on Photosensitivity and the USA829 video training into lighting design programs and continuing education series. Tomorrow’s designers should graduate with fluency in both creativity and accessibility.
• Industry-Wide Standardization: Working with producers, unions, and theatre owners to adopt a uniform FlashCue data collection protocol. By giving every production a clear template and deadline for submitting flashing light cue information, we ensure consistency, reduce administrative burden, and build trust with audiences.
• Automation Through Technology: Exploring collaborations with console manufacturers and software developers to automatically flag cues that exceed safe flicker frequencies. Imagine a system where, as a designer plots out a strobe cue above three hertz, the console prompts an “access alert” and logs the cue in real time.
• Digital Integration: Partnering with ADA compliant platforms such as GalaPro and emerging audience-engagement apps to surface FlashCue reports in mobile interfaces and in-seat screens. We also envision QR codes printed on tickets, playbills, and lobby signage that link directly to show-specific FlashCue data.
• Touring and Regional Outreach: Extending FlashCue beyond Broadway by training touring road crews and regional theatres to capture and share their own flash-cue profiles. This will ensure that access information travels with every production, regardless of geography.
• Advocacy for Performers with Photosensitivity: Championing the needs of photosensitive performers throughout auditions, rehearsals, tech, and performances. EpiArts Co-Founders Anzli and Heather actively raise awareness and promote inclusivity, recently sharing insights in Dance Teacher Magazine’s article, “7 Things to Keep in Mind When Setting Recital-Stage Lighting.” The EpiArts Alliance Instagram amplifies other photosensitive performers’ personal stories and experiences to raise awareness, build community, and foster greater support.
• Tools for Theatremakers: EpiArts is developing practical resources to help directors, designers, and choreographers create photosensitivity-inclusive productions. Kristin Hanggi Maxx Reed used insights from an EpiArts roundtable to shape their new musical It’s All Your Fault, Tyler Price!. Their upcoming SDC Journal interview (August 2025) shares how they approached the work with photosensitivity in mind. As we build a formal toolkit, we invite theatremakers to join us—share your experiences, ask questions, and help shape safer, more inclusive stages.

This is not the work of one group, but a collective, ongoing effort rooted in care. We welcome lighting designers, directors, producers, and technicians to collaborate with us, alongside disability advocates, researchers, performers, and audience members, to shape the tools that can redefine access. 

Conclusion: A Collective Vision for Change

What started with Anzli McNew’s simple question—“When are there flashing lights?”—has grown into solutions and tools that aim to make theatre more accessible for photosensitive audiences. By highlighting the need for clear, transparent information about flashing lights, we’ve seen how a small shift in design can make a big difference in how people experience a show.

The FlashCue Project and EpiArts Alliance are proof that when we work together—designers, theatremakers, advocates, and audiences—we can create a more inclusive, thoughtful theatre experience. 

The path ahead requires continued collaboration, innovation, and care. But the blueprint is clear. We invite you to join us—whether as a lighting designer refining your next cue, a researcher testing new detection tools, or an audience member or theatremaker advocating for clarity. Together, we can ensure that every person who asks “When are there flashing lights?” receives a clear answer and attends knowing they are making the best-informed decision for their health.

Let us build a theatre culture that shines its brightest light on inclusion.