Photo by Molly Arias
Article by Mia Takahashi
NEWBERG, Ore. – The lights dim as the audience waits with anticipation for the show to begin. One person in the audience might be celebrating an anniversary with another having just finished a grueling exam. Some may be going through a stressful period and looking for a break. Every person in the audience has a different story and deserves a chance to experience the show in a way that is most helpful to them.
The experience of attending a show begins before an audience member purchases a ticket. From that first step until the curtain closes, George Fox University (GFU) offers various accessibility accommodations to help everyone enjoy the magic of theater.
Many of these accommodations have been developed with the help of Atalia Fisher, who has served as the Performing Arts Department's accessibility coordinator for the past few years.
As an accessibility coordinator, Fisher has incorporated captions into every performance instead of just a couple. Now, at each GFU production, an open captions board stands in the corner, displaying the script in a way that makes sense for audiences, adding sound cues, dialogue, music and anything that is explicitly audible.
Other accommodations available at performances include content warnings, large-print programs, wheelchair-accessible seating, fidgets and earplugs (offered outside the auditorium), and accessibility walk-throughs. You can find more information on these accommodations in the accessibility section of GFU’s Theater Program website.
Accessibility walk-throughs are designed for visually impaired audience members. They are designed to provide them the chance to walk around the set and hear what it looks like, including costume design, different visual cues and anything else conveyed visually which is important to the plot.
Although these walk-throughs are designed for visually impaired audience members, they are also open to anyone who may be interested.
One of Fisher’s most memorable experiences as Accessibility Coordinator was giving her first accessibility walk-through for GFU’s production of “The Hiding Place” in October 2024. After the show, the patron reached out to share that it helped their daughters fully enjoy the performance.
During the walk-through, the family explored the set, which helped them better understand what was happening during the show. Another memorable experience for Fisher was meeting a foreign exchange student who said that captions helped them to fully understand what was happening as well.
Over the years, a number of accommodations have been introduced through curiosity and new opportunities. The most recently introduced accommodation is social stories, which help prepare audience members to attend a show by explaining what to expect navigating the venue.
Accommodations for GFU Theater productions are not limited to what is currently available and listed on the website. If you have any questions about current accommodations or an accommodation that isn’t listed, feel free to reach out to the Box Office at boxoffice@georgefox.edu.
Fisher said, “We want to work with you, and we want to be able to have you enjoy the show in the way that is most helpful to you.”
