Howlround Theater Commons Home Page

Accessibility

Interested in making every aspect of theatre practice and participation accessible to people of all abilities? You've come to the right place! Here, you'll find content created by folks with disabilities as well as allies on what to do, what not to do, and how we can all do better. Go to this page to find out what HowlRound is doing.

The Latest

How to Produce a Livestream Event, Part 2
Essay

How to Produce a Livestream Event, Part 2

A Beginner’s Guide to Using the Commons-based OBS Studio Live Broadcast Software

by Vijay Mathew
14 October 2020
Livestreaming the Panel: (Re)Imagine Accessible Theater (ASL interpreted & live captioned)
Video

Livestreaming the Panel: (Re)Imagine Accessible Theater (ASL interpreted & live captioned)

A series by Seattle Rep that brings artists and community leaders together

Thursday 17 December 2020
United States
#DeafWoke: An Evening with Samantha Figgins
Video

#DeafWoke: An Evening with Samantha Figgins

Samantha shares her #DeafWoke journey as a Black Hard of Hearing woman and professional dancer

Thursday 17 September 2020
United States
Howlround Theatre Commons
From the World Theatre Map
blue graphic of actor onstage against yellow background
Livestreaming the Panel: (Re)Imagine Accessible Theater (ASL interpreted & live captioned)
Seattle Rep
Video

Livestreaming the Panel: (Re)Imagine Accessible Theater (ASL interpreted & live captioned)

A series by Seattle Rep that brings artists and community leaders together

Thursday 17 December 2020
United States

Seattle Rep presents (Re)Imagine Accessible Theater livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 17 December 2020 at 5 p.m. PDT (Seattle, UTC-7) / 6 p.m. MDT (Denver, UTC-6) / 7 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 8 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

Cuban woman with headphones talking in a video conference.
How to Produce a Livestream Event, Part 2
Essay

How to Produce a Livestream Event, Part 2

A Beginner’s Guide to Using the Commons-based OBS Studio Live Broadcast Software

14 October 2020

HowlRound’s cultural strategist, Vijay Mathew, offers a part two to his guide on how to produce a livestream, this time focusing on the commons-based OBS Studio.

poster with pictures of Samantha Figgins, Antoine Hunter, and the event description text.
#DeafWoke: An Evening with Samantha Figgins
dancers performing against white background
Urban Jazz Dance Company
Video

#DeafWoke: An Evening with Samantha Figgins

Samantha shares her #DeafWoke journey as a Black Hard of Hearing woman and professional dancer

Thursday 17 September 2020
United States

Urban Jazz Dance Company presented #DeafWoke: An Evening w/ Samantha Figgins livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 17 September 2020 at 4 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 6 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 7 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

Spectrum Theatre Ensemble logo.
Spectrum Theatre Ensemble’s Neurodiversity New Play Festival
Spectrum Theatre Ensemble logo.
Spectrum Theatre Ensemble
Video

Spectrum Theatre Ensemble’s Neurodiversity New Play Festival

Premiering capstones for four new 10-minute plays, four public readings of works by playwrights on the spectrum, and panels on neurodiversity in the arts

Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August 2020
United States

Spectrum Theatre Ensemble presented their Neurodiversity New Play Festival livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August 2020.

Achy Obejas, Sean Gasper Bye, and Elizabeth Rose.
Queer Literature, Queer Legacies: Looking Toward the Future of LGBTQ Translation
black and white outline of a lion's head
Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers
Segal_Centre_Logo
Segal
Center
pen america in red text box
PEN World Voices
The Center for the Humanities logo.
Center for the Humanities
Video

Queer Literature, Queer Legacies: Looking Toward the Future of LGBTQ Translation

With Achy Obejas and Sean Gasper Bye

Tuesday 30 June 2020
United States

PEN America, the Center for the Humanities at CUNY Graduate Center, and the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library presented Queer Literature, Queer Legacies: Looking Toward the Future of LGBTQ Translation livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 30 June 2020 at 10:30 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 12:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 1:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 18:30 BST (London, UTC +1) / 19:30 CEST (Berlin, UTC +2).

illustration of baby with label "deaf"
A workshop performance of Please UNtranslate Me
IRT Theater
Video

A workshop performance of Please UNtranslate Me

Performed in American Sign Language with English subtitles

Monday 29 June 2020
United States

IRT Theater presented a workshop performance of Please UNtranslate Me written by Deaf playwright Monique Holt livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 29 June 2020 at 4 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 6 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 7 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

zoom video chat of two people
Opening the Screen on “Live Video Theatre”
Essay

Opening the Screen on “Live Video Theatre”

10 June 2020

Peter J. Kuo discusses live video theatre—what it is and what it isn’t, the current difficulties and limitations around creating it, what it can do and how accessible it is, and more.

musician with guitar in front of colored background
Mass Cultural Council’s Universal Participation (UP) Award (ASL-interpreted)
orange background with white text M C
Mass Cultural Council
Video

Mass Cultural Council’s Universal Participation (UP) Award (ASL-interpreted)

Celebrating excellence in access and inclusion throughout the Commonwealth’s cultural sector

Monday 1 June to Friday 5 June 2020
Massachusetts

Mass Cultural Council presented the Universal Participation (UP) Award livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Monday 1 June to Friday 5 June 2020 at 8 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-8) / 10 a.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 11 a.m. EDT (Boston, UTC-4) / 4 p.m. BST (UTC+1).

Laurel Lawson and Diana Wyenn.
Directors Lab West Connects: Laurel Lawson and Diana Wyenn (ASL-interpreted)
Directors Lab West Logo.
Directors Lab West
Video

Directors Lab West Connects: Laurel Lawson and Diana Wyenn (ASL-interpreted)

Disability and Equity as Creative Forces

Tuesday 26 May 2020
United States

Directors Lab West presented Directors Lab West Connects: Laurel Lawson and Diana Wyenn livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 26 May 2020 at 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 1 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 19:00 BST (London, UTC+1) / 20:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC+2).

an actor onstage
Reaching One Audience Member at a Time
Essay

Reaching One Audience Member at a Time

18 May 2020

Staff members at the Huntington Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts discuss their response to their theatre’s closure due to COVID-19: calling audience members and reading them monologues over the phone.

image of cracked land with text unsettling dramaturgy
Praxis Sessions for Virtual Collaboration: Irreconcilable Spaces
colored earth
Unsettling Dramaturgy
Video

Praxis Sessions for Virtual Collaboration: Irreconcilable Spaces

hosted by Unsettling Dramaturgy: Crip & Indigenous Dramaturgies

Friday 15 May 2020
United States

Unsettling Dramaturgy presented Praxis Sessions for Virtual Collaboration: Irreconcilable Spaces livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 15 May 2020 at 3:15 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 5:15 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 6:15 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 20:15 p.m. BST (London, UTC+1) / 21:15 p.m. CEST (Berlin, UTC+2).

Daylight lighting. The puppeteer, dressed in black, is sitting on a short black cube on a grey stage in front of bookshelves. The puppet, with white body and light blue costume, is sitting on the puppeteers knee. The puppet head, bald and painted off-white, is blocking the puppeteers face. The puppet's right leg is separate from the rest of its body, connected to the right leg and toes of the puppeteer. There is a large space between the two puppet legs. The gesture of the right hand of the puppet is raised
Puppetry and Disability Aesthetics
Essay

Puppetry and Disability Aesthetics

4 May 2020

Marina Tsaplina examines the complexity of the word “disability,” how puppetry can push forward disability justice, and disability aesthetics, offering what she deems a “grammar of animacy” for artists working with disability.

Stylized event promotion.
Praxis Sessions for Virtual Collaboration: Prefigurative Spaces
colored earth
Unsettling Dramaturgy
Video

Praxis Sessions for Virtual Collaboration: Prefigurative Spaces

hosted by Unsettling Dramaturgy: Crip & Indigenous Dramaturgies.​

Thursday 30 April 2020
United States

Unsettling Dramaturgy presented Praxis Sessions for Virtual Collaboration: Prefigurative Spaces livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 30 April 2020 at 3:15 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 5:15 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 6:15 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 20:15 p.m. BST (London, UTC+1) / 21:15 p.m. CEST (Berlin, UTC+2).

Spectrum Theatre Ensemble logo.
Neurodiversity Matters Conference
Spectrum Theatre Ensemble logo.
Spectrum Theatre Ensemble
Video

Neurodiversity Matters Conference

Topics include Opportunities & Challenges with Neurodiverse Inclusion, Sensory Friendly Awareness, and much much more!

Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 April 2020
United States

Spectrum Theatre Ensemble presented Neurodiversity Matters Conference livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 April 2020 at 10 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 12 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4) / 18:00 BST (London, UTC+1) / 19:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC+2)

a screen capture of an ASL interpreter and live captions for a presenter on a Zoom video conference that was livestreamed
How to Produce a Livestreamed Event
Essay

How to Produce a Livestreamed Event

A Producer’s Guide to the Tools and Embedded Values

14 April 2020

Vijay Mathew, HowlRound’s cultural strategist, offers a guide to producing and livestreaming events online.

graphic landscape with text unsettlign dramaturgy
Praxis Sessions for Virtual Collaboration: Cripping Practice
colored earth
Unsettling Dramaturgy
Video

Praxis Sessions for Virtual Collaboration: Cripping Practice

hosted by Unsettling Dramaturgy: Crip & Indigenous Dramaturgies ​​​​​​

Friday 10 April 2020
United States

Unsettling Dramaturgy presented Praxis Sessions for Virtual Collaboration: Cripping Practice livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 10 April 2020 at 2 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 4 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 5 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

hand sanitizer labeled "don't touch the art"
It Was Always Possible: Centering the Leaders Who Were Here All Along (ASL & Captioned)
Video

It Was Always Possible: Centering the Leaders Who Were Here All Along (ASL & Captioned)

an #ArtistResource talk with Rachel Spencer Hewitt (PAAL); Claudia Alick (CallingUP); Ashley Hanson (Department of Public Transformation); and more

Tuesday 7 April 2020
United States

Livestreaming the #ArtistResource panel It Was Always Possible: Centering the Leaders Who Were Here All Along (ASL & Captioned) on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 7 April 2020 at 8 a.m. HST (Honolulu, UST-10) / 10 a.m. AKDT (Juneau, UTC-8) / 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 1 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

colored earth with text unsettling dramaturgies
Praxis Sessions for Virtual Collaboration: Land Acknowledgements
colored earth
Unsettling Dramaturgy
Video

Praxis Sessions for Virtual Collaboration: Land Acknowledgements

hosted by Unsettling Dramaturgy: Crip & Indigenous Dramaturgies ​​​​​​

Tuesday 31 March 2020
United States

Unsettling Dramaturgy presented Praxis Sessions for Virtual Collaboration: Land Acknowledgements livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 31 March 2020 at 2 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 4 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 5 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

a backstage crew in the process of hanging lights in a theatre
Panel Conversation Backstage with Deaf Artists and Technicians
Video

Panel Conversation Backstage with Deaf Artists and Technicians

Making production processes more accessible to Deaf staff, artists, and overhire folks.

Friday 13 December 2019
Web

Production Managers’ Forum (USA) Diversity and Inclusion Committee presents the panel discussion Backstage with Deaf Artists and Technicians livestreaming on the commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 13 December 2019 at 11 a.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. MST (Denver, UTC -7) / 1 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 2 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 19:00 GMT (London, UTC +0)

A man is sitting holding a phone up to his ear while a toddler sleeps on him. The toddler is holding a rainbow colored stuffed animal.
Redefining “Radical” In Terms of How We Support Parents
Essay

Redefining “Radical” In Terms of How We Support Parents

4 December 2019

Mickey Rowe, co-founder and co–executive director of National Disability Theatre, talks about the difficulties of being a single parent with disabilities and working in theatre.

three actors onstage
When the World Isn’t Made for Your Body
Essay

When the World Isn’t Made for Your Body

How Interconnected Access Benefits Multiple Communities

1 December 2019

Introducing the second installment of the Parent-Artist Advocacy series, Sally Lobel talks about how the parent-artist community and the disability community have the potential to be excellent accomplices and allies.

three seated people laughing
“But Does It Pay?”
Essay

“But Does It Pay?”

Internship Culture and Diversity in Theatre Administration

7 November 2019

Brídín Clements talks about the accessibility of educational and professional programs, like internships, in theatre administration.

a person seated and blindfolded
Notes on Making Theatre in the Dark
Essay

Notes on Making Theatre in the Dark

15 October 2019

Ezra Brain discusses the experience of creating a piece of theatre in the dark, the theory of “rasa,” the act of performance, and more.

a painting of a girl in Mexican "day of the dead" skull makeup.
2019 Grantmakers in the Arts Conference: Cultural Intersections
blue square with white text G I A
Grantmakers in the Arts
Video

2019 Grantmakers in the Arts Conference: Cultural Intersections

in Denver, Colorado, USA

Monday 14 October and Wednesday 16 October 2019
Denver, Colorado, USA

Grantmakers in the Arts presented the 2019 GIA Conference Cultural Intersections livestreaming from Denver, Colorado on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 14 October and Wednesday 16 October 2019.

colorful illustrations of folk tale characters with performance information
A performance of :HUMPTY
The VORTEX
Video

A performance of :HUMPTY

at The VORTEX in Austin, Texas

Friday 27 September 2019
Austin, Texas

Ethos and The VORTEX presented a performance of :HUMPTY livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Friday 27 September 2019 at 9 p.m. EDT (New York) / 8 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles).