Live audio described performances for the 2024-25 season

Abilities Dance Boston (ADB)

This trailblazing company brings original musical scores, choreography, and audio description, ASL, and CART to make works accessible in the spirit of universal design to be enjoyed by all. Abilities Dance Boston disrupts antiquated ableist beliefs and disseminates the value of inclusion through dance. Their performing company is comprised of adult dancers/choreographers, with and without disabilities, composers who create original music, and more! ADB includes open, recorded audio description, so that everyone in the audience hears it. AD is part of the soundscape of every piece they produce! To learn more visit: AbilitiesDanceBoston.org.

Free/sliding scale tickets and general admission tickets are available, so finances aren’t a barrier. For more information contact: Ellice Patterson: [email protected]

Ballet: Tales from the Crips

Audio described: Friday, November 8, 2024 & Saturday, November 9, 2024, 8:00 PM, Livestream Saturday only, and in-person both dates at the Strand

Annual fall ballet. This year’s original show Tales from the Crips: Reimagining Fairy Tales with a Disabled Lens focuses on disability justice. Live from the Strand at Boston and Livestreamed to virtual audiences. All performances include recorded, open audio description.

Location: Strand Theatre, 543 Columbia Road, Boston, MA 02125

Ballet: Intersections V4

Audio described: Friday, April 25, 2025 & Saturday, April 26, 2025, 8:00 PM, Livestream & In-Person

Annual spring ballet. Honors BIPOC and disabled honorees and highlights the important intersections of race and disability. In addition, we will highlight bills that are currently on the state floor that affect the deaf/disabled community in collaboration with Disability Policy Consortium. Live streamed to virtual audiences. All performances include recorded, open audio description.

Location: Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second Street, Cambridge

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.)

Location: Loeb Drama Center

64 Brattle Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA

To purchase accessibility tickets for these performances or for access questions, contact [email protected] or call 617-547-8300 or Leah Harris at [email protected].

Diary of a Tap Dancer

Audio described: Saturday, December 21, 2024, 2:00 PM

Trailblazing tap dancer and choreographer Ayodele Casel (Chasing Magic, Funny Girl, Max Roach 100) returns to the A.R.T. in a new production that interweaves dance, narrative, and song to share the story of her own life and honor the histories and legacies of the extraordinary women tap dancers who came before her. Experience the joy, magic, and liberatory power of tap dance in this world-premiere production commissioned by the A.R.T.

Location: Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138

The Odyssey

Audio described: Wednesday, March 12, 2025, 7:30 PM, & Sunday, March 16, 2025, 2:00 PM

Acclaimed writer and adaptor Kate Hamill (Sense & Sensibility, Vanity Fair, Dracula), turns a contemporary lens on Homer’s Odyssey in this new play that reimagines the stories of both Odysseus and his wife, Penelope, and asks how we can learn to embrace healing and forgiveness in order to end cycles of violence and revenge.

Location: Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Arts Emerson (AEM)

Productions are at either the Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston or The Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont Street, Boston. Be sure to doublecheck locations for specific performances. To order tickets, contact the box office at [email protected], call 617-824-8400, or purchase tickets and reserve headsets online at ArtsEmerson.org. For more information, contact Jennie Anisimov [email protected] or call 617-824-3091.

On the Eve of Abolition

Audio described: Sunday, November 3, 2024, 2:00 PM

Witness the power of art as activism in this multimedia revolution. A radical imaginary sci-fi story set in 2047 about survival, struggle and the people’s liberation movement that made abolition possible. In this bilingual, multimedia masterpiece, puppets, video projection, and miniature sets collide to transport audiences to a future where prison abolitionists have created the conditions to end the prison industrial complex in the liberated lands formerly known as the U.S. and Mexico. Set in 2047, this performance imagines abolition camps, formerly incarcerated people, families, and organizers working together in a fight to end all prisons, all rooted in the realities of modern-day United States and Puerto Rico. Developed and performed by the visionary artists of Papel Machete, this project centers on community engagement with abolitionist organizations and currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families in an effort to create a vision of an abolitionist future. On the Eve of Abolition offers pathways to engage in real-time organizing toward the abolition of the prison industrial complex. Through a partnership with Prison Radio, Papel Machete has engaged with political prisoners and currently incarcerated artists and accessed materials created by incarcerated people in Prison Radio’s archives. They are also partnering with Sisters Unchained, a Boston-based program engaging women/femme-identified and trans youth with family members in the carceral system.

Location: Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington St, Boston

Life & Times of Michael K

Audio described: Sunday, February 2, 2025, 2:00 PM

Adapted and Directed by Lara Foot in collaboration with Handspring Puppet Company. Intricate marionettes come alive to depict the trials and tribulations faced by Michael K and his mother as they seek to escape political turmoil. The Booker Prize-winning Life & Times of Michael K, written by J.M. Coetzee, is a stunning novel depicting the personal struggles that accompany intense political conflict. South Africa’s Baxter Theater and Handspring Puppet Company’s poignant adaptation of this book has won praise across Europe in New York, and now it’s coming to Boston. The story follows Michael K, a simple man who embarks on a journey through South Africa, ravaged by civil war, to return his mother to die on the farm where she was born. He finds strength in his own humanity, his profound connection to the earth, and his unique path, which, as it unfolds, reveals to him his reason for living.

Location: Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington St, Boston

The Seasons

Audio described: Saturday, March 15, 2025, 2:00 PM

A co-production between Boston Lyric Opera and Arts Emerson with a script by Sara Ruhl. A group of contemporary artists comes to a retreat in nature to make art. They feel the emotional weather inside them more than they feel the weather outside. But extreme weather affects them without warning and changes their lives forever. The Seasons is a meditation on the relationship between our contemporary moment, and Vivaldi’s iconic music that appreciates the harmonious seasons. The Four Seasons, paired with additional arias and ensembles by Vivaldi, becomes an occasion to see our own disordered seasons more clearly.

Location: Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington St, Boston

It’s a Mother F***ing Pleasure

Performances run from April 2-13, 2025, but there is no need for an audio describer because two of the actors are blind, so description is already baked into the play. You can attend any performance that works for your schedule, be sure to confirm the start time.

Usually disabled people want to do the right thing. But what if they don’t? What if they were out to make as much money as possible from the guilt of non-disabled, anxious people (like you)? Hot off the back of their smash-hit Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Soho Theatre NY runs, multi award-winning, disability-led theatre company FlawBored presents a scathing satire on the monetization of identity politics that spares no one and literally has audiences catching their breath between fits of laughter.

Location: Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington St, Boston

Broadway in Boston (BIB) at Citizens Opera House

539 Washington Street, Boston, MA

For tickets contact Rachel Jensen, Audience Services Manager for the Opera House at 617-259-3448 or email [email protected].

& Juliet

Audio described: Sunday, November 10, 2024, 1:00 PM

This hilarious new musical flips the script on the greatest love story ever told. & Juliet asks: what would happen next if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo? Get whisked away on a journey as she ditches her famous ending for a fresh beginning and second chance at life and love. & Juliet bursts to life through a playlist of pop anthems as iconic as her name, including “Since U Been Gone‚” “Roar,” “Baby One More Time,” “Larger Than Life‚” “That’s The Way It Is,” and “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” The only thing tragic about & Juliet would be missing it.

Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington Street, Boston

Peter Pan

Audio described: Sunday, January 26, 2025, 1:00 PM

This musical has been thrilling audiences of all ages for close to 70 years. The adventure begins when Peter Pan and his mischievous sidekick, Tinker Bell, visit the bedroom of the Darling children late one night. With a sprinkle of fairy dust and a few happy thoughts, the children are taken on a magical journey. This extraordinary musical full of excitement and adventure features iconic and timeless songs including “I’m Flying,” “I Gotta Crow,” “I Won’t Grow Up” and “Neverland.” Peter Pan embraces the child in us all so go on a journey from the second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning – your entire family will be Hooked!

Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston, MA

Funny Girl

Audio described: Sunday, February 9, 2025, 1:00 PM

Funny Girl dazzles audiences with one of the most celebrated musical scores of all time, including classic songs “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.

Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston, MA

Shucked

Audio described: Sunday, April 13, 2025, 1:00 PM

SHUCKED is the hilarious Tony Award–winning musical comedy. Featuring a book by Robert Horn, a score by the Award-winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and directed by Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien, this corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy your appetite for great musical theater.

Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston, MA

The Book of Mormon

Audio described: Sunday, April 27, 2025, 1:00 PM

“It is the kind of evening that restores your faith in musicals.” And Entertainment Weekly says, “Grade A: the funniest musical of all time.” Jimmy Fallon of The Tonight Show calls it “Genius. Brilliant. Phenomenal.” It’s THE BOOK OF MORMON, the nine-time Tony Award^® -winning Best Musical. Contains explicit language.

Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston, MA

Back to the Future: The Musical

Audio described: Sunday, July 13, 2025, 1:00 PM

Back to the Future, the beloved, cinematic classic is now a Broadway musical. Winner of the 2022 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, Back to the Future has been adapted for the stage by the iconic film’s creators Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, and directed by the Tony Award-winner John Rando with original music by multi-Grammy winners Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, alongside hit songs from the movie including “The Power of Love,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Earth Angel,” and “Back in Time.” When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past, and send himself … back to the future.

Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston

The Wiz

Audio described: Sunday, August 17, 2025, 1:00 PM

In this new Tony Award-winning musical The Wiz, adapted from The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, this revival returns “home” to stages across America in an all-new Pre-Broadway tour, the first one in 40 years. This groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway—from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and finger-snapping 70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world. Audiences get to enjoy such hits as “Ease on Down the Road,” which became the show’s break-out single, and the bona fide classic “Home”, conjure up an Oz unlike anything ever seen before. So everybody rejoice! An all-new 21st-Century WIZ is sliding into an Emerald City near you.

Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston, MA

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) Shakespeare on the Common

Boston Common, 115 Boylston Street, Boston, MA

(show and dates TBA – generally weekends in late July & early August)

Location: Boston Commons

Emerson Colonial Theatre (ECT)

106 Boylston Street, Boston, MA

For tickets: contact the Colonial Theatre Box Office 617-902-6131.

Six

Audio described: Sunday, December 8, 2024, 1:00 PM, & Sunday, December 22, 2024, 1:00 PM

From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the six wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st-century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over! SIX won 23 awards in the 2021/2022 Broadway season, including the Tony Award for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical. The SIX: Live on Opening Night Broadway album debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard cast album charts and surpassed 6 Million streams in its first month.

Location: 106 Boylston Street, Boston, MA

Parade

Audio described: Wednesday, March 19, 2025 7:30 PM

For tickets: contact the Colonial Theatre at 617-902-6131.

Amid religious intolerance, political injustice and racial tension, the stirring Tony Award-winning Parade explores the endurance of love and hope against all the odds. With a book by acclaimed playwright Alfred Uhry and a colorful and haunting score by Jason Robert Brown, Parade is a moving examination of the darkest corners of America’s history. In 1913, Leo Frank, a Brooklyn-raised Jew living in Georgia, is put on trial for the murder of thirteen-year-old Mary Phagan, a factory worker under his employ. His only defenders are a governor with a conscience and, eventually, his assimilated Southern wife who finds the strength and love to become his greatest champion. Daring, innovative and bold, Parade is filled with soaring music and a heart-wrenching story, offering a moral lesson about the dangers of prejudice and ignorance that should not be forgotten.

Location: Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St, Boston

Kimberly Akimbo

Audio described: Sunday, May 11, 2025, 1:00 PM

For tickets: contact the Colonial Theatre Box Office 617-902-6131.

A new musical about growing up and growing old (in no particular order), Kimberly Akimbo is the winner of 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Kimberly is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. In this howlingly funny heartbreaker of a show, Kim is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush … and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure.

Location: Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St, Boston

Gazebo Players (GZP)

The performance is outdoors, and free! Patrons are encouraged to bring folding chairs, blankets, sunscreen, and picnics if they wish. Pre-show notes will be available prior to the performance at GazeboPlayers.com. For more information, contact Cynthia Small, [email protected] — 508-317-1764

Richard III

Audio described: Saturday, August 2, 2025, 5:00 PM

Bent in mind, spirit and body, Richard of Gloucester wants to be King of England and uses manipulation and deceit to achieve his goal.

Location: Bird Park Music Court, 135 Polley Lane, Walpole, MA. Rain location Walpole Footlighters, 2 Scout Road, Walpole

Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts (HAN)

2 Southbridge Street, Worcester, MA

For tickets call the box office at 877-571-7469 or email [email protected] mentioning audio description seating, and for discounted tickets use the code “AUDIO”.

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical

Audio described: Sunday, October 20, 2024, 1:00 PM

An uplifting comeback story like no other, Tina is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers to became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll. One of the world’s best-selling artists, Tina Turner won 12 Grammys and her live shows were seen by millions, with more tickets sold than any other solo performer in history.

Location: Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life & Times of the Temptations

Audio described: Sunday, November 10, 2024, 1:00:00 PM

Ain’t Too Proud is the electrifying, smash-hit Broadway musical that follows The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. With their signature dance moves and silky-smooth harmonies, they rose to the top of the charts creating an amazing 42 Top Ten Hits with 14 reaching number one.

Nominated for 12 Tony Awards Ain’t Too Proud tells the thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty and betrayal, as the group’s personal and political conflicts threatened to tear them apart during a decade of unrest. Their story is set to the beat of the group’s treasured hits, including “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Get Ready,” “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” and so many more.

Location: Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester

A Christmas Carol

Audio described: Sunday, December 22, 2024, 2:00 PM

Be sure to get seated early to enjoy a pre-show concert featuring the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, the largest and most versatile theatre pipe organ in New England. Led by A Christmas Carol Music Director Tim Evans, and adapted by the president and CEO Troy Siebels, this annual production returns to the stage with timeless music, colorful costumes, and spectacular lighting and scenery. Cast members tell the tale of curmudgeonly miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by the Spirits of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet To Come.

Location: Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester

Dear Evan Hansen

Audio described: January 12, 2025, 1:00 PM

Dear Evan Hansen is the first contemporary musical about connection in the digital age. Meet Evan Hansen, a high school student who feels he’s on the outside looking in. After writing a letter to himself that was never meant to be seen, Evan becomes entangled in a lie that was never meant to be told and a life he never dreamt could be his. As a result, Evan finally gets what so many of us are searching for—the chance to finally fit in. Dear Evan Hansen features an uplifting score including “You Will Be Found,” “Waving Through A Window” and “For Forever.”

Location: Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester

The Cher Show

Audio described: February 16, 2025, 1:00 PM

The Cher Show is the Tony Award-winning musical of her story, and it’s packed with so much Cher that it takes three women to play her: the kid starting out, the glam pop star and the icon. The Cher Show is 35 smash hits, six decades of stardom, two rock-star husbands, a Grammy, an Oscar, and an Emmy, all in one unabashedly fabulous new musical that will have audiences dancing in the aisles!

Location: Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester

Clue: A New Comedy

Audio described: April 6, 2025, 1:00 PM

Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or was it Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench? Clue, the uproarious new play based on the popular 1985 Paramount movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, is the ultimate whodunit that will leave you dying of laughter and keep you guessing until the final twist.

Location: Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester

Come From Away

Audio described: April 13, 2025, 1:00 PM

This New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers on 9-11 and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.

Location: Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester

The Huntington Theatre Company (HTC)

264 Huntington Avenue, Boston

The Huntington’s newly renovated theatre on Huntington Avenue is the place to be for great accessible theater this season. Some shows will run at the Huntington Theatre, and others will be at the Huntington’s Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts in the South End. Please note the location of each production. For more information on The Huntington’s access programs and to reserve tickets, please email [email protected] or call 617-266-2800. Tickets are $20 for each blind/low vision patron and a guest. Season Ticket Packages can be booked in advance. Keep the same seats for every performance, and renew into the same seats next season! Attend All Access Performances. Don’t want to see all the shows? Pick and choose which ones you want for the same $20 price. Please note that the start times vary for each production!

Nassim

Audio described: Saturday, October 19, 2024, 2:00 PM; & Friday, October 25, 2024, 10:00 AM (student matinee)

From Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour comes an audacious theatrical experiment. Each night a different VIP joins the playwright on stage, while the script waits unseen in a sealed box. NASSIM is a striking theatrical demonstration of how language can both divide and unite us. NASSIM is toured globally and is translated and performed in the native language of each country where it appears.

Location: Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

Sojourners

Audio described: Thursday, November 14, 2024, 10:00 AM (student matinee); & Saturday, November 30, 2024, 2:00 PM

Marriage, migration, and the pursuit of education collide when a young and brilliant Nigerian couple arrives in Houston, looking to earn their degrees and bring insights back to their home country. But when Abasiama discovers that her husband has been seduced by Motown records and American culture, she has to choose between the Nigerian Dream and her obligations as a matriarch. Director Dawn M. Simmons helms the lively and funny Sojourners at the historic Huntington Theatre following her acclaimed production of K-I-S-S-I-N-G at the Calderwood Pavilion.

Location: Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston

The Grove

Audio described: Thursday, February 27, 2025, 10:00 AM (student matinee); & Saturday, March 8, 2025, 2:00 PM

Abasiama’s eldest daughter Adiaha wants to become a writer to make her family proud, but at her graduation party, she has to choose: fulfill her parents’ desires to settle with a traditional Nigerian man, or stay true to her own romantic match. Director Awoye Timpo (The Bluest Eye at The Huntington) reunites with longtime collaborator Udofia for a play with the rich heart of a family drama against the thrilling theatrical backdrop of a Greek chorus of ancestors.

Location: Wimberly Theatre/Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

The Triumph of Love

Audio described: Thursday, April 3, 2025, 10:00 AM (student matinee); & Saturday, April 5, 2025, 2:00 PM

Love takes center stage in this uproarious classic French comedy by 18th century playwright Pierre Carlet de Marivaux. A clever princess is smitten at first sight – but to win her prince, she must woo him in disguise. Mistaken identities, hilarious complications and deeply felt desire collide head on with Rationalist Philosophy – and surprising romantic entanglements ensue! Artistic Director Loretta Greco stages Stephen Wadsworth’s magnificent adaptation which inspired a passion for Marivaux in America.

Location: Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA

Don’t Eat the Mangos

Audio described: Friday, April 11, 2025, 10:00 AM (student matinee); & Saturday, April 26, 2025, 2:00 PM

Playwright Ricardo Pérez González’s wickedly funny tragedy Don’t Eat the Mangos portrays life on his home island of Puerto Rico with compassion and humor through the saga of three sisters living just outside San Juan. As a hurricane approaches the island, secrets and ugly truths are revealed that cause the sisters to wrestle with how to stay true to their family and homeland.

Location: Calderwood Pavilion/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

The Light in the Piazza

Audio described: Friday, May 16, 2025, 10:00 AM (student matinee); & Saturday, June 7, 2025, 2:00 PM

Winner of 6 Tony Awards including Best Original Score. A lush and soaring romance unfolds as Huntington Artistic Director Loretta Greco creates a brand-new production of Adam Guettel’s sweeping Tony Award-winning score and Craig Lucas’ profound book in this must-see story of a mother, a daughter, and the many meanings of love. Florence, summer 1953. Protective American mother Margaret Johnson brings her daughter Clara abroad for a glimpse of Italy’s romantic history. But when a real-life attraction sparks between Clara and a local boy, Margaret must ask: can she reconcile her own hopes with her daughter’s future?

Location: Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA

Moonbox Production (MBX)

Tickets: The standard ticket price is $65, but Moonbox now also offers an option to Pay-What-You-Wish (as little, or as much as you choose).

To order tickets for access performances, email: Kara Crumrine, Director of Community & Accessibility Initiatives at [email protected].

The Thanksgiving Play

Audio described: Saturday, December 7, 2024, 2:00 PM, & Saturday, December 14, 2024, 7:30 PM

Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally woke teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month.

Location: Arrow Street Arts, Inc, 2 Arrow Street, Cambridge, MA

Crowns

Audio described: Sunday, April 27, 2025, 2:00 PM, & Saturday, May 3, 2025, 7:30 PM

A moving and celebratory musical play in which hats become a springboard for an exploration of Black history and identity, as seen through the eyes of a young Black woman who has come down South to stay with her aunt after her brother is killed in Brooklyn. Hats are everywhere, in exquisite variety, and the characters use the hats to tell tales concerning everything from the etiquette of hats to their historical and contemporary social function. There is a hat for every occasion, and the tradition of hats is traced back to African rituals and slavery and forward to the New Testament and current fashion. Some rap, but predominantly gospel music and dance underscore and support the story. The conclusion finds the standoffish young woman, whose cultural identity as a young Black Brooklyn woman has been so at odds with the more traditional Southern Blacks, embrace hats and their cultural significance as a part of her own fiercely independent identity.

Location: Arrow Street Arts, Inc, 2 Arrow St, Cambridge

Boston New Works Festival

Audio described: Sunday, June 29, 2025, (TBA Afternoon)

Specific plays will be announced in spring 2025.

Location: Calderwood Pavilion/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

Open Door Theater (ODT)

R.J. Grey Junior High School

16 Charter Road, Acton, MA

Tickets are $15. Contact the ticket team at [email protected] or call 978-264-8150 for more information.

The Prom

Audio described: Friday, March 28, 2025, 7:00 PM, Saturday, March 29, 2025, 7:00 PM, & Sunday, March 30, 2025, 1:00 PM

Four eccentric Broadway stars are in desperate need of a new stage. So when they hear that trouble is brewing around a small-town prom, they know that it’s time to put a spotlight on the issue…and themselves. The town’s parents want to keep the high school dance on the straight and narrow—but when one student just wants to bring her girlfriend to prom, the entire town has a date with destiny. On a mission to transform lives, Broadway’s brassiest join forces with a courageous girl and the town’s citizens and the result is love that brings them all together. Winner of the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical, THE PROM captures all the humor and heart of a classic musical comedy with a message that resonates with audiences now more than ever.

Location: R.J. Grey Junior High School, 16 Charter Rd, Acton, MA

SpeakEasy Stage Company (SPK)

All performances of SpeakEasy Stage Company productions will take place in the Roberts Theatre at the Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St., Boston MA

Tickets for patrons utilizing the Audio Description service (and their guests), are $25, with the code SPKAUDIO. Call the BCA box office at 617-933-8600, or email Alex Lonati at [email protected].

Pru Payne

Audio described: Friday, November 8, 2024, 7:30 PM, & Saturday, November 16, 2024, 2:00 PM

Prudence, a.k.a. Pru Payne is a contemporary Dorothy Parker: a sharp-tongued intellectual and critic who recently signed on to share her extraordinary life in an eagerly-awaited autobiography. But when Pru’s memory starts to fade, her son sets her up in a state-of-the-art care facility, where love takes hold just as the world she once knew begins to slip away. With wit, verve, and above all, heart, Pulitzer Prize nominee Steven Drukman explores questions of memory, identity, and connection.

Location: Roberts Theatre/BCA, 527 Tremont St, Boston

A Man of No Importance

Audio described: Friday, March 14, 2025, 7:30 PM, & Saturday, March 22, 2025, 2:00 PM

1960’s Dublin is the setting for this charming musical about the redemptive power of theatre, love, and friendship. Bus conductor Alfie Byrne has two joys in life: the poetry of Oscar Wilde and staging amateur productions with his local theatre troupe, the St. Imelda Players. But when church officials try to shut down his plans for a production of Wilde’s Salome, Alfie must confront the forces of bigotry – and his own shame – over “the love that dare not speak its name.” This production will mark the New England Premiere of the recently reimagined version of this beloved classic, which includes the use of on-stage musicians.

Location: Roberts Theatre/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

JaJa’s African Hair Braiding

Audio described: Saturday, May 24, 2025, 2:00 PM, & Friday, May 30, 2025, 7:30 PM

2024 Tony Nominee for Best Play! It’s a hot summer day in 2019, and in Harlem, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding salon is open for business, even though its owner is about to be married. Presiding over the shop’s team of talented, high-spirited, West African designers is Jaja’s daughter Marie, a Dreamer who has set her sights on college. When shocking news disrupts the day’s festivities, the women must grapple with what it means to be outsiders in the place they call home.

Location: Roberts Theatre/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

Wheelock Family Theatre (WFT) at Boston University

180 The Riverway, Boston, MA

For tickets, call 617-353-3001 or visit WFT’s website at WheelockFamilyTheatre.org. All performances will be Open Captioned. To learn more about accessibility at Wheelock Family Theatre, contact Jamie Aznive at (617) 353-1451 or at [email protected].

Spongebob Squarepants

Audio described: Sunday, October 20, 2024, 2:00 PM, Thursday, October 24, 2024, 10:30 AM (student matinee), & Saturday, October 26, 2024, 2:00 PM

SpongeBob SquarePants is the musical adaptation of Nickelodeon’s long-running animated children’s sitcom of the same name. In the undersea city of Bikini Bottom, inhabited by happy-go-lucky and ever-optimistic yellow sea sponge SpongeBob SquarePants and his equally quirky circle of friends and neighbors. SpongeBob’s pleasant existence is abruptly interrupted when it is discovered that Mt. Humongous, a nearby volcano, will erupt within the next 48 hours and completely obliterate Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob, trying to prove to himself and the world that he is not “just a simple sponge,” resolves to save the day when everybody else has given up all hope.

Recommended for ages 6 and above.

Location: Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston

A Year with Frog and Toad

Audio described: Sunday, December 8, 2024, 2:00 PM, Thursday, December 12, 2024, 10:30 AM (student matinee); & Saturday, December 14, 2024, 2:00 PM

Waking from hibernation in the Spring, Frog and Toad plant gardens, swim, rake leaves, go sledding and learn life lessons along the way. The two best friends celebrate and rejoice in the differences that make them unique and special. Part vaudeville, part make believe… all charm, A Year with Frog and Toad tells the story of a friendship that endures throughout the seasons.

Recommended for ages 4 and above.

Location: Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston

Flora & Ulysses

Audio described: Saturday, March 1, 2025, 6:00 PM, Thursday, March 6, 2025, 11:00 AM (student matinee); & Saturday, March 8, 2025, 2:00 PM

After getting sucked up by a vacuum cleaner, a (now hairless) squirrel is rescued by Flora Belle Buckman, a 10-year-old self-proclaimed cynic. She names him Ulysses and discovers he has been reborn as a superhero. Indeed, this once average squirrel can suddenly understand Flora, fly, and even write poetry. Together they embark on an adventure full of quirky characters and bursting with heart. Recommended for ages 8 and above.

Location: Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston

The Prom

Audio described: Sunday, June 1, 2025, 2:00 PM, Thursday, June 5, 2025, 10:30 AM (student matinee); & Sunday, June 8, 2025, 2:00 PM

Four eccentric Broadway stars are in desperate need of a new stage. So when they hear that trouble is brewing around a small-town prom, they know that it’s time to put a spotlight on the issue…and themselves. The town’s parents want to keep the high school dance on the straight and narrow—but when one student just wants to bring her girlfriend to prom, the entire town has a date with destiny. On a mission to transform lives, Broadway’s brassiest join forces with a courageous girl and the town’s citizens and the result is love that brings them all together. Winner of the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical, THE PROM captures all the humor and heart of a classic musical comedy with a message that resonates with audiences now more than ever.

Location: Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston

2024-2025 audio described shows listed by date

October 2024

Saturday, October 19, 2024: Nassim
2:00 PM (HTC)
Location: Calderwood Pavilion/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

Saturday, October 19, 2024: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
8:00 PM (MBX)
Location: Arrow Street Arts, Inc, 2 Arrow St., Cambridge

Sunday, October 20, 2024: Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
1:00 PM (HAN)
Location: Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester

Sunday, October 20, 2024: Spongebob Squarepants
2:00 PM (WFT)
Location: Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston

Thursday, October 24, 2024: Spongebob Squarepants
10:30 AM (student matinee) (WFT)
Location: Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston

Friday, October 25, 2024: Nassim
10:00 AM (student matinee) (HTC)
Location: Calderwood Pavilion/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

Saturday, October 26, 2024: Spongebob Squarepants
2:00 PM (WFT)
Location: Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston

November 2024

Sunday, November 3, 2024: On the Eve of Abolition
2:00 PM (AEM)
Location: Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston

Friday, November 8, 2024: Pru Payne
7:30 PM (SPK)
Location: Roberts Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St, Boston

Friday, November 8, 2024: Ballet: Tales from the Crips
8:00 PM (in person only) (ADB)
Location: Strand Theatre, 543 Columbia Road, Boston

Saturday, November 9, 2024: Ballet: Tales from the Crips
8:00 PM (in-person & livestream Saturday only) (ADB)
Location: Strand Theatre, 543 Columbia Road, Boston

Sunday, November 10, 2024: & Juliet
1:00 PM (BIB)
Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington Street, Boston

Sunday, November 10, 2024: Ain’t Too Proud
1:00 PM (HAN)
Location: Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester

Thursday, November 14, 2024: Sojourners
10:00 AM (student matinee) (HTC)
Location: Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston

Saturday, November 16, 2024: Pru Payne
2:00 PM (SPK)
Location: Roberts Theatre/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

Saturday, November 30, 2024: Sojourners
2:00 PM (HTC)
Location: Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston

December 2024

Saturday, December 7, 2024: The Thanksgiving Play
2:00 PM (MBX)
Location: Arrow Street Arts, Inc., 2 Arrow St, Cambridge

Sunday, December 8, 2024: Six
1:00 PM (ECT)
Location: Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston

Sunday, December 8, 2024: A Year with Frog & Toad
2:00 PM (WFT)
Location: Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston

Thursday, December 12, 2024: A Year with Frog & Toad
10:30 AM (student matinee) (WFT)
Location: Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston

Saturday, December 14, 2024: A Year with Frog & Toad
2:00 PM (WFT)
Location: Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston

Saturday, December 14, 2024: The Thanksgiving Play
7:30 PM (MBX)
Location: Arrow Street Arts, Inc, 2 Arrow St, Cambridge

Saturday, December 21, 2024: Diary of a Tap Dancer
2:00 PM (ART)
Location: ART, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St, Cambridge

Sunday, December 22, 2024: Six
1:00 PM (ECT)
Location: Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston

Sunday, December 22, 2024: A Christmas Carol
2:00 PM (HAN)
Location: Hanover Theatre , 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester

January 2025

Sunday, January 12, 2025: Dear Evan Hansen
1:00 PM (HAN)
Location: Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester

Sunday, January 26, 2025: Peter Pan
1:00 PM (BIB)
Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington Street, Boston

Friday, January 31, 2025: Ain’t No Mo
7:30 PM (SPK)
Location: Roberts Theatre/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

February 2025

Sunday, February 2, 2025: Life & Times of Michael K
2:00 PM (AEM)
Location: Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston

Saturday, February 8, 2025: Ain’t No Mo
2:00 PM (SPK)
Location: Roberts Theatre/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

Sunday, February 9, 2025: Funny Girl
1:00 PM (BIB)
Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston

Sunday, February 16, 2025: The Cher Show
1:00 PM (HAN)
Location: Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester

Thursday, February 27, 2025: The Grove
10:00 AM (student matinee) (HTC)
Location: Calderwood Pavilion/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

March 2025

Saturday, March 1, 2025: Flora & Ulysses
6:00 PM (student matinee) (WFT)
Location: Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston

Thursday, March 6, 2025: Flora & Ulysses
11:00 AM (student matinee) (WFT)
Location: Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston

Saturday, March 8, 2025: Flora & Ulysses
2:00 PM (WFT)
Location: Wheelock Family Theatre, 180 Riverway, Boston

Saturday, March 8, 2025, The Grove
2:00 PM (HTC)
Location: Calderwood Pavilion/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

Wednesday, March 12, 2025: The Odyssey
7:30 PM (ART)
Location: ART, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge

Friday, March 14, 2025: A Man of No Importance
7:30 PM (SPK)
Location: Roberts Theatre/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

Saturday, March 15, 2025: The Seasons
2:00 PM (AEM)
Location: Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston

Sunday, March 16, 2025: The Odyssey
2:00 PM (ART)
Location: ART, Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St, Cambridge

Wednesday, March 19, 2025: Parade
7:30 PM (ECT)
Location: Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street, Boston

Saturday, March 22, 2025: A Man of No Importance
2:00 PM (SPK)
Location: Roberts Theatre/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

Friday, March 28, 2025: The Prom
7:00 PM (ODT)
Location: R.J. Grey Junior High School, 16 Charter Rd, Acton

Saturday, March 29, 2025: The Prom
7:00 PM (ODT)
Location: R.J. Grey Junior High School, 16 Charter Rd, Acton

Sunday, March 30, 2025: The Prom
1:00 PM (ODT)
Location: R.J. Grey Junior High School, 16 Charter Rd, Acton

April 2025

April 2-13, 2025: It’s a Mother F***ing Pleasure
(AEM) Audio description incorporated right into the performance; two actors are blind in this production. Be sure to confirm date and times.
Location: Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston

Thursday, April 3, 2025: The Triumph of Love
10:00 AM (student matinee) (HTC)
Location: Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave, Boston

Saturday April 5, 2025: The Triumph of Love
2:00 PM (HTC)
Location: Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave, Boston

Friday, April 11, 2025: Don’t Eat the Mangos
10:00 AM (student matinee) (SPK)
Location: Calderwood Pavilion/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

Sunday, April 13, 2025: Come From Away
1:00 PM (HAN)
Location: Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge Street, Worcester

Sunday, April 13, 2025: Shucked
1:00 PM (BIB)
Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston

Friday, April 25, 2025: Ballet: Intersections V4
8:00 PM (Live Stream, & In-Person) (ADB)
Location: Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second Street, East Cambridge

Saturday, April 26, 2025: Don’t Eat the Mangos
2:00 PM (SPK)
Location: Calderwood Pavilion/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston 

Saturday, April 26, 2025: Ballet: Intersections V4
8:00 PM (Livestream, & In-Person) (ADB)
Location: Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St, East Cambridge

Sunday, April 27, 2025: The Book of Mormon
1:00 PM (BIB)
Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston

Sunday, April 27, 2025: Crowns
2:00 PM (MBX)
Location: Arrow Street Arts, Inc., 2 Arrow Street, Cambridge

May 2025

Saturday, May 3, 2025: Crowns
7:30 PM (MBX)
Location: Arrow Street Arts, Inc, 2 Arrow St, Cambridge

Sunday, May 11, 2025: Kimberly Akimbo
1:00 PM (ECT)
Location: Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St, Boston

Friday, May 16, 2025: The Light in the Piazza
10:00 AM (student matinee) (HTC)
Location: The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave, Boston

Saturday, May 24, 2025: JaJa’s African Hair Braiding
2:00 PM (SPK)
Location: Roberts Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St, Boston

Friday, May 30, 2025: JaJa’s African Hair Braiding
7:30 PM (SPK)
Location: Roberts Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St, Boston

June 2025

Saturday, June 7, 2025: The Light in the Piazza
2:00 PM (HTC)
Location: The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave, Boston

Sunday, June 29, 2025: Boston New Works Festival
(TBA, Afternoon) (MBX)
Location: Calderwood Pavilion/BCA, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

July 2025

Sunday, July 13, 2025: Back to the Future: The Musical
1:00 PM (BIB)
Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston

August 2025

Saturday, August 2, 2025: Richard III
5:00 PM (GZP)
Location: Bird Park Music Court, 135 Polley Lane, Walpole

Sunday, August 17, 2025: The Wiz
1:00 PM (BIB)
Location: Citizens Opera House, 539 Washington St, Boston
 
This schedule is also available in braille or large print upon request by contacting Perkins Library at 617-972-7240 or 1-800-852-3133 or by email at [email protected].

This announcement is brought to you by Perkins Library.