Accessibility

The transforming and entertaining experience that live theater provides belongs to everyone. Philadelphia Theatre Company is dedicated to its mission to serve all theater audiences, and to eliminate the barriers that keep individuals with special needs isolated from the arts and from their communities. In recognition of our dedication to this mission, we are proud recipients of the 2004 Mayor’s Commission on Disabilities Award and the 2004 Accessibility Beyond the Ramp Award.

Philadelphia Theatre Company’s Suzanne Roberts Theatre features state-of-the-art accessibility for patrons with disabilities, including:

  • Street level access to bathrooms
  • Elevator access between floors and wheelchair seating in both the Mezzanine and Orchestra
  • Assisted listening devices for all performances (please ask about our T-coil compatible device options that will work with your hearing aide)
  • Wheelchair-level ticket windows accessible to all
  • Automatic doors from the street into the theater
  • Braille signage throughout the building

  • Audio Described Performances & Pre-Show Sensory Workshops For audience members who are blind or low vision. Through wireless headsets, a trained audio describer fills in the details of action on the stage, which might otherwise have been visually missed. Large Print programs are also available upon special request. Check the season calendar for specific dates. Reservations are required for Sensory Workshops, which start 90 minutes before the show; please contact the Education Department at 215.985.1400 x122 for more information.

    • Audio Description (all matinees):
      Sweat – Wednesday, October 31st @1pm
      Bridges of Madison County – Wednesday, February 27th @1pm
      How to Catch Creation –  Wednesday, April 10th @1pm
  • Open Caption Performances For audience members who are hearing impaired. A large LED captioning screen, positioned beside the stage, scrolls text of the lyrics/dialogue in tandem with the lyrics/dialogue of the performance.

    • Open Captioning (all matinees):
      Sweat – Saturday, November 3rd @2pm
      Bridges of Madison County – Saturday, March 2nd @2pm
      How to Catch Creation – Saturday, April 13th @2pm

So that we may serve you better, please specify any special needs you may have.

Support for Philadelphia Theatre Company’s Accent on Accessibility program comes from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts’ Accessibility to the Arts in Pennsylvania for Individuals with Disabilities Program, VSA arts of Pennsylvania, Barra Foundation, Louis N. Casset Foundation, Independence Foundation, Lincoln Financial Foundation, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, R.K. Mellon Family Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and The Pew Charitable Trusts.