The Sunderland Empire holds a Gold Standard Autism Acceptance Award for making sure its shows and services are as supportive, understanding and accessible as possible.

That includes its Christmas panto, which includes a relaxed performance where audiences can come in and out, make a noise, or withdraw to a quiet area. Here the Empire explains what goes into a relaxed performance, and how it can help everyone enjoy the magic of theatre.

It's not just the Empire that does relaxed performances - many shows around the region include autism-friendly dates. Here's our top 10 round-up:

Sunderland Empire - Beauty and the Beast. Relaxed performance Wednesday 27th December at 5pm. Book here
Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle - Peter Pan. Relaxed performance Friday 8th December at 1pm and Wednesday 3rd January at 4pm. Book here
Northern Stage, Newcastle - Cinderella: A Fairytale. Relaxed performances Sunday 17th December at 1pm, and Wednesday 20th December at 10am and 2pm. Book here
The Glass House, Gateshead - RNS: The Snowman in Concert. Relaxed performance Friday 22nd December at 2pm. Book here
Theatre Royal, Newcastle - Pinocchio. Relaxed performances Sunday 10th December at 12pm and Wednesday 10th January at 12pm. Book here
The Customs House, South Shields - Aladdin. Relaxed performance Thursday 28th December at 10.30am. Book here
Gala Theatre, Durham - Cinderella. Relaxed performance Friday 8th December at 1pm. Book here
Forum Theatre, Billingham - Jack & the Beanstalk. Relaxed performance Tuesday 5th December at 6pm. Book here
Darlington Hippodrome - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Relaxed performance Friday 15th December at 12pm. Book here
Alnwick Playhouse - Snow White. Relaxed performance Wednesday 27th December at 4pm. Book here