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January 16, 2004

Gaining access

From: Boston Globe, MA - Jan 16, 2004

More deaf and blind people will be able to attend theater thanks to a new arts initiative by the Cultural Access Consortium Inc., supported in part by a grant of $20,000 from the Boston Foundation.

The project, called the Access Collaborative, gives five theater companies technical and financial support for programs that involve audience members and artists who are deaf and/or blind. The first collaborators include Lyric Stage Company, New Repertory Theatre, Nora Theatre Company, Underground Railway Theater, and Wheelock Family Theatre.

Over a three-year period, the consortium will consult with collaborating theaters on new or expanded access programs, providing support on such things as program design, technical and personnel support, and outreach and marketing to specific audiences. In the first year, the program will enable some 150 members of the deaf and blind communities to attend theater productions and it will create 30 jobs.

© Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.