The actor portraying Percy Jackson stands center stage with sword raised triumphantly in a sea of blue fabric flowing waves manipulated by actors in front and behind him. Two more actors shoot toilet paper “sea spray” at him from leaf blowers on either side.
1981-Present
1981-1992
Our Early Years
- Started by two moms with a passion for Civil Rights and inclusion for All Individuals.
- GrassRoots Community Organizing and engaging the Friday Night Fun Club, a social group for people with disabilities.
- Recruited local seniors from the Council on Aging to sew costumes and construct puppets.
1993-2004
Our Growing Community
- Built a mentorship model “Buddy System” to include actors and crew members of all abilities.
- Engaged whole families and expanded to include choruses and pre-show casts of 100 plus.
- Grew partnerships in our community to educate about access.
2005-2016
Building on our Mission
- We focus on Audience Engagement and Accommodations (ALD, ASL, AD, Autism/Sensory Friendly/Relaxed, Open Captioning, Expanded Wheelchair Seating and Physical Access)
- RJ Grey Theater was renamed the Dragonfly Theater and endowed in memory of our beloved Open Door Theater board member and alum, Jen Haan.
- We bring Deaf Actors and Deaf Professional Directors of Artistic Sign Language to our stage
- We start our own American Sign Language class for our community.
2017-Present
Taking it to the Next Level
- ODT brings our access mission to the forefront in all aspects of our programming and is awarded Most Accessible Cultural Organization in Massachusetts 2018 by the Massachusetts Cultural Council Universal Programing.
- In 2020, we retool our mission to offer free on-line classes, watch parties, weekly check-ins, parking lot workshops, and car concerts as micro-engagements to support the mental health of our community.
- We educate, train and model best practices in access for other arts organizations and community non-profits. Think Outside the Vox, an anti-ableist, arts consulting, non-profit outreach arm of ODT is born