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August 6-16, 2026

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SummerWorks > Accessibility

Accessibility at SummerWorks

SummerWorks is committed to increasing accessibility for our audiences.

Each year, we work alongside Festival artists to find opportunities to incorporate a range of diverse audience access measures with their performances, where possible and when appropriate.

This webpage highlights the range of accessibility measures offered at the 2026 SummerWorks Performance Festival.

If you have any questions about accessibility at SummerWorks, contact us at access@summerworks.ca.

ACCESSIBILITY & COMMUNITY WELLNESS PROGRAM

Thanks to the generosity of Aubrey & Marla Dan Foundation, SummerWorks continues to offer our Accessibility & Community Wellness Program (ACWP). Through this program, we aim to cultivate progressive practices that foster greater diversity, accessibility, equity, and sustainability across the performing arts sector. It has been developed over the past four years in response to the emergent and urgent needs of the creative communities that engage with SummerWorks, and formalized in 2023. This program encompasses a diverse range of activities that prioritize increased access and mental health supports for artists, staff, volunteers, patrons, and our local communities of West Queen West, and Regent Park. In 2024, we formalized a new, four-pillar structure that encompasses all of the activities within the ACWP – Accessibility, Learning, Mentorship, and Programming.

Beyond the access measures listed on this page, the major public-facing components of the ACWP in 2026 are:

These performance projects and workshops are created with attention and care to lived experience, youth mental health, visible and invisible disability, and resilience. 

The ACWP supports our ongoing partnerships with The AMY Project, The Switch Collective, and The AFC – organizations rooted in community, and committed to fostering opportunities for creative expression, skills development, and empowerment. 

SummerWorks is grateful to Aubrey & Marla Dan Foundation for their continued support of this important work, helping us create a lasting impact in our communities.

Aubrey & Marla Dan Foundation logo

ASL Interpretation

ASL Interpretation is the process of translating spoken language into American Sign Language (ASL) or vice versa, facilitating communication between individuals who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing and those who are hearing. ASL Interpreters act as neutral mediators, often conveying not just the words but also the meaning, tone, and intent of the communication.

ASL Interpretation will be provided for the following events and performances:

*This work is performed in ASL and English. All performances will offer a Deaf-led Patron Services team with ASL interpreters onsite.

Captioning

Captioning provides a textual representation of the audio in a video, including spoken words, speaker identification, and relevant sound effects, making the content accessible to individuals who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing, or to individuals who speak a different language from the spoken language in the performance.

Captioning will be provided (in English) at the following performance:

Audio Description

Audio Described Performances (AD) offer verbal descriptions of key visual elements of a performance such as sets, costumes, or significant actions to offer greater access to Blind or Low Vision patrons.

Open Audio Description is when an Audio Describer, or a performer in the show, speaks the description so that everyone in the audience can hear it. The levels of how this is creatively integrated into the performance can vary per project. 

Closed Audio Description is when an Audio Describer, or a performer in the show, speaks the description so that only the individual patron can hear it.  This description is usually delivered through an electronic device called a receiver, with an audio track that can sometimes be turned on or off.

Audio Description and Sighted Guides will be provided at the following performances:

Integrated Audio Description and Sighted Guides will be available at the following performance:

SummerWorks’ audio description devices are generously funded by the Government of Ontario, through the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Language Access

Language Access refers to performances where multiple languages occur. At the following performances, language access has been considered in a variety of ways:

  • Body Story — Chinese transcript is available on the project webpage
  • GPO Box No.211 — letters used in the performance are available in English and Chinese
  • Tandava — created in both English and Tamil and will be comprehensible to listeners of both languages
  • Date of Performance — delivered in Farsi with English Captioning

Touch Tours

A Touch Tour is a pre-show event, facilitated by our Accessibility Producer and/or a member of a project’s creative team, that provides time and space for individuals to explore theatrical elements such as the stage, set, props, and costumes through touch. They are usually offered to one small group at a time, and create the opportunity for one-to-one interaction and engagement with sensory elements of a project. This tactile experience provides any audience member who would benefit from the experience of greater access.

These tours can offer Blind and Low Vision audience members a greater understanding of the visual elements of the production. Tours will be provided at the following performances:

These tours are specifically created to give Sensory-Seeking audience members an intimate encounter with elements of the production. Tours will be provided at the following performances:

*Please visit this webpage for specific details about the timing and locations for all Touch Tours.

SENSORY-CONSIDERED PERFORMANCES

Sensory-Considered Performances have considered sensory-sensitive audience members in a curated or specialized way. 

Sensory-Sensitive Route: In a Moving Performance, a curated Sensory-Sensitive Route has been developed by the Creative Team and Accessibility Producer for audience members who might benefit from a relaxing or lowering of theatrical elements such as sound, lights, and proximity to performers. Sensory-Sensitive Routes will be provided at the following performances:

Lower Sensory Area: In a Moving Performance, a curated Lower Sensory area to view/experience a performance has been developed by the Creative Team and Accessibility Producer for audience members who might benefit from less exposure to theatrical elements such as sound, lights, and proximity to performers. It is important to note that the experience will still include these elements. Lower Sensory Areas will be established at the following performances:

Familiarization Visit: A Familiarization Visit occurs before a performance start time and offers audience members an opportunity to experience theatrical elements in advance of the performance. This has been developed by the Creative Team and Accessibility Producer for audience members who might benefit from the opportunity to be shown theatrical elements in advance, such as sound, lights, and proximity to performers. A Familiarization Visit will be established at the following performances: 

*Please visit this webpage for specific details about the timing and location of this Familiarization Visit.

Active Listeners

Peer Support (or Active Listeners) provides compassionate, empathetic, and confidential support to individuals during or following a performance. Peer Support can help individuals navigate complicated content and the feelings created during or following a performance. Peer Support is offered in a designated, quiet area outside of the theatre, and facilitated one-on-one by a qualified support person or Active Listener – ideally, someone whose lived experiences are relevant to the content of the performance, so they can create an empathetic relationship with the individual based on common experiences and other shared histories.

Peer Support (Active Listeners) will be provided at the following performances:

Alternative Seating

Alternative Seating provides audience members with diverse options to better meet their individual comfort needs at a performance or event. Different seating options are a vital accessibility measure for individuals with various physical access needs. Examples include removal of seats to accommodate wheelchairs and other mobility devices; reserved seating close to the stage for Blind or Low Vision patrons; and size-inclusive seating options for Fat patrons and others whose bodies require more space.

Fat-Inclusive Seating will be available at the following workshop (upon request/limited supply):

Soft Seating (i.e. blankets, pillows, yoga mats, etc) will be available at the following workshops and performances (upon request/limited supply):

Relaxed Performances and Environments

A Relaxed Performance (RP) is a designation for specific dates of performance, and is created for audience members who would benefit from a relaxing of sensory elements. There are changes to the show’s design elements, done in collaboration with the Accessibility Producer, the project’s creative team, and venue technicians. Before a RP, audiences will have access to a show-specific Access Guide that gives them more detailed information about the performance (content and sensory advisories, description of the performance elements, etc).

A Relaxed Environment (RE) is very similar in that it is created for audience members who would benefit from a relaxing of the traditional theatre environment, though there are no changes to the show’s design elements. Before a RE performance, audiences will have access to a show-specific Access Guide that gives them info about the performance (content and sensory advisories, description of the performance elements, etc).

For Relaxed Performances audience members can expect:

  • adjusted light, sound, and other technical effects levels;
  • a performance introduction by a member of the project’s creative team that introduces the performance and any notable sensory information.

For both Relaxed Performances and Relaxed Environments audience members can expect to:

  • enter and exit the theatre throughout the performance;
  • move around throughout the theatre;
  • make noise or sounds;
  • keep their phones on at silent, vibrate, and/or low screen light;
  • some lighting over the audience, for navigation.

The following performances are Relaxed Environments:

Moving Performances

Moving Performances require audiences to move short distances to follow a roving/ambulatory performance. Close attention is paid to the terrain on the route in the development of the work, and specific details of this will appear on relevant individual project pages. All Moving Performances will be accompanied by at least one Front of House assistant or volunteer who will be able to assist patrons, if required. Some moving performances may have alternate routes or slight detours to allow for greater accessibility.

The following performances are Moving Performances:

Physical Access

SummerWorks prioritizes physical accessibility when working with venue partners, including accessible entrances, lifts, interiors, and washrooms. Some venues are actively improving their accessibility infrastructure but may not be ready in time for the Festival, while some do not yet have the resources to undertake these kinds of upgrades.

Of our six (6) primary theatre venues:

  • four (4) are fully accessible to audiences;
  • one (1) is partially accessible with limitations in specific areas (The Theatre Centre*);
  • one (1) is not physically-accessible (Winchester Street Theatre).

*Note: While The Theatre Centre’s BMO Incubator remains physically-accessible, the Franco Boni Theatre is currently not physically accessible, as The Theatre Centre completes upgrades to their lift.

Of our three (3) alternative and site-specific indoor venues:

  • two (2) are fully accessible to audiences;
  • one (1) is not physically accessible (Delta Upsilon Fraternity).

All outdoor public space performance areas are physically-accessible.

Full venue accessibility details will be available as part of each venue’s ‘Venue Guide,’ which will be added to this webpage as they are updated. We update these guides annually to reflect the current accessibility status of our venues.

Washrooms

All indoor performance venues have All-Gender washrooms available to the public.

Our outdoor Festival locations (Evergreen Brick Works and Lisgar Park) have designated All-Gender washrooms located in close proximity to each performance site.

Personal Support Workers

A person with a disability who is accompanied by a personal support person may have that person accompany them to our venues and attend the performance. Admission fees will not be charged for personal support persons at SummerWorks venues. Please indicate whether you will be accompanied by a personal support person when you buy your ticket, or when you arrive at the venue.

Service Animals

We welcome people with disabilities and their service animals. Service animals are allowed in the parts of our venues that are open to the public.

VENUE GUIDES

To help you plan for your Festival experience, SummerWorks offers Venue Guides for our Festival venues and locations. These guides are PDFs that you can review before your visit or download to your device for easy access onsite. They are updated annually to reflect changes to the spaces and programming. 2026 Venue Guides will be available to download on this page, as they are updated.