The City of Sacramento’s Office of Arts and Culture is supporting “The Forum on Accessible Theater,” a June 27 discussion focused on advancing disability inclusion in the performing arts.
The Forum will take place Friday, June 27, from 2-4:30 p.m. at the Wilkerson Theater in the R25 Arts Complex (1725 25th St.) as part of “ALL IN: The Festival of Accessible Theater.”
Funded in part by the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the City-sponsored event is a two-and-a-half-hour discussion toward creative professionals, event producers, policymakers, and academics. It is designed to explore inclusive practices and expand opportunities for access in the performing arts.
“The ALL IN festival is a meaningful step toward a more inclusive creative community,” said Jason Jong, cultural and creative economy manager with the Office of Arts and Culture. “By supporting events like “The Forum on Accessible Theater,” we’re helping ensure that the arts are accessible—not just in content, but in participation and leadership.”
As part of the ALL IN’s official programming, the Forum will feature a brief talk on the history of disability rights in California, followed by two panel discussions which will explore the evolving landscape of accessible theater. Topics include:
- How accessible theater supports disability rights
- The meaning of accessibility for disabled performers
- Strategies for building audiences for accessible productions
- A vision for the future of accessible performance
- The use of audio description as a tool for blind and low vision inclusion
The session will be presented in spoken English and American Sign Language (ASL), with ASL interpretation and audio description provided. All events are free and wheelchair accessible.
“ALL IN” is presented by Short Center Repertory, a program of Developmental Disabilities Service Organization, in collaboration with InnerVision Theater and Theater V58, with support from the City and grant funding from the Sacramento County Transient Occupancy Tax, the Sacramento Cultural Arts Award and the Alan and Mary Short Endowment.
“We’re building on the success of last year’s inaugural festival,” said James C. Anderson, artistic director of Short Center Repertory and ALL IN. “Each of the three companies performing in this year’s festival embraces innovative theater techniques, including devised theater, performative ASL, and theatrical clowning, to tell their stories.”
For more information and a full schedule of festival events, visit allintheaterfestival.org.
(Cover photo courtesy of “ALL IN: The Festival of Accessible Theater”)
