October’s Accessible and Inclusive Performances in Seattle

Check out ASL, captioned, sensory sensitive, and audio described performances in the Puget Sound next month.

October’s Accessible and Inclusive Performances in Seattle
Village Theatre presents Camelot from September 10 to October 13 in Issaquah and from October 19 to November 10 in Everett. | Photo by Auston James

Seattle’s arts scene is increasing its options when it comes to accessibility. For organizations around the city, ensuring the performing arts are accessible is about much more than checking a box; it’s about ensuring everyone has the opportunity to enjoy and participate in the performance. 

When arts organizations and venues offer options like ASL interpretation, open captions, or sensory-sensitive environments, they break down barriers that can often leave people feeling excluded. Accessibility opens up a range of possibilities, allowing people of all abilities to engage with the arts. 

By offering these inclusive options, the Greater Seattle area’s arts community is sending a message that the arts are for everyone. It strengthens our cultural landscape, invites new perspectives, and fosters a more connected and diverse community. The more accessible we make our spaces, the richer the experience is for all of us.

If you’re looking for shows that offer a more inclusive experience—whether that’s in theatre, opera, or musicals—there are some great performances coming up.


Mouthwater Festival

Mouthwater Festival is three weeks of Disabled movement genius coming to Seattle. Disabled artists from all over the country will gather in town to share their work, develop their practice, foster cross-disability solidarity and grow their creativity. Mouthwater Festival is the beginning of an arts hub by and centering Black and Indigenous Disabled artists to present, collaborate and get uplifted for their crafts.

Mouthwater Festival is over a dozen events in six different venues. All events will be ASL interpreted. All venues have step-free access to the bathrooms and performance spaces. There will be a variety of seating as well as ear plugs available in all venue spaces. Masks will be required for the audiences. Mouthwater Festival runs September 23 to October 13.

Velocity’s Made in Seattle
velocitydancecenter.org


One Man Two Guvnors

  • ASL Interpreted: September 22 at 2 p.m.

Brighton, England. 1963. Change is in the air, and Francis Henshall is looking to make his mark. In search of work, he finds himself employed by small-time gangster Roscoe Crabbe. But Roscoe is really Rachel, posing as her own dead brother, herself in love with Stanley Stubbers who, in turn, becomes our hero’s other ‘guvnor’.

Tacoma Little Theatre
tacomalittletheatre.com


Fanny Brice wears a red dress holding her arms outstretched with a smile. She stands under a Cleveland Union Depot sign.
Funny Girl comes to Seattle from September 24 to 29 | Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

Funny Girl

  • Closed Captioning: Provided for all performances by GalaPro mobile devices
  • ASL Interpreted: September 29 at 1 p.m.
  • Audio Described: September 29 at 1 p.m.
  • Open Captioned: September 29 at 6:30 p.m.

The sensational Broadway revival dazzles with celebrated classic songs, including “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” “I’m the Greatest Star,” and “People.” This bittersweet comedy is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage. Everyone told her she’d never be a star, but then something funny happened—she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway.

Broadway at The Paramount
seattlebroadway.com


Mrs. Loman is Leaving

  • ASL Interpreted: October 19 at 2 p.m.
  • Audio Described: October 19 at 2 p.m.

This delightful backstage comedy unfolds on the opening night of the Teacup Theatre’s production of Death of a Salesman where two actors, returning after years away, find themselves grappling with more than just their roles. The stage becomes a platform for dramatic antics and witty repartee as the characters confront uncomfortable truths about identity, representation, and the stories theatres choose to tell.

ACT Contemporary Theatre
acttheatre.org


Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical

  • Audio Description On Demand (ADOD): Provided at all performances with advanced notice.
  • ASL Interpreted: October 19 at 1:30 p.m.
  • Sensory Sensitive: October 20 at 11 a.m.
  • Access Performance (sensory sensitive performance that includes ASL interpretation and audio description): October 27 at 2:30 p.m.

Cat Kid and Molly Pollywog have started an epic club to teach 21 rambunctious baby frogs how to make their own comics! Their fishy father Flippy is overjoyed that his kids will learn to unleash their creativity, but when the frogs’ constant bickering and outrageous imaginations send their comics comically off the rails.

Seattle Children’s Theatre
sct.org


A graphic of a globe is on fire with a blue background.
The Skin of Our Teeth plays at Seattle Rep from September 26 to October 20 | Photo courtesy of Seattle Rep.

The Skin of Our Teeth

  • Open Captioned: October 10 at 7:30 p.m.
  • ASL Interpreted: October 19 at 2 p.m.
  • Audio Described: October 19 at 2 p.m.

Imagine: You’ve been married for 5,000 years, raised a couple of kids, and survived multiple catastrophic disasters. But with the world constantly teetering on the edge of collapse, would you have the strength to save the human race, over and over again? Join the Antrobus family on a time-bending romp from the age of the dinosaurs, to our 21st century election year, to what might just be the end of the world as we know it.

Seattle Rep
seattlerep.org


Camelot

  • ASL Interpreted: September 28 at 2 p.m.
  • Captioned: October 12 at 2 p.m.

Discover the enchantment of Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot, one of the greatest musicals of all time. David Lee’s (co-creator of Frasier) intimate new adaptation cuts to the heart of the story to focus on the legendary love triangle at its core.

Village Theatre Issaquah
villagetheatre.org