Open Door Theater

06/14/2026

We are so honored! ( Photo of the Open Door team accepting the Elliott Norton Educational Award in English and American Sign Language)

06/07/2026

Open Door Theater proudly announces our 2027 production of BIG FISH (School Edition) with performances April 2-4 and 9-11, 2027! Auditions will take place in early December, with dates, times and registration available in early fall.

Production Team:
Director - Yo-EL Cassell
Producers - Sam Gould and Dawn Gomez
Director of Artistic Sign Language (DASL) - Kristin Johnson
Choreographer - Becky Robichaud
Stage Manager - Lisa Jensen-Fellows

Visit www.OpenDoorTheater.org to sign up for our newsletter to get all the latest updates.

IMAGE ID: Graphic on royal blue background with Open Door logo proudly presents Big Fish a New Broadway Musical, Auditions Dec 2026, Shows April 2-11, 2027, with access symbols, website, and licensing.

06/04/2026

We were deeply honored to receive the 2026 Elliot Norton Award for Arts Education this week from the Boston Theater Critics Association. Open Door's President Sam Gould and Board Member/Producer Dawn Gomez attended the event with DASL Kristin Johnson and ASL Interpreter Ingrid O'Dell from Think Outside the Vox.

Accepting the award, Sam Gould said, "For 46 years, Open Door has done something sustainable and revolutionary. We treat accessibility, not as an accommodation, but as an artistic choice, baked in from the very first production meeting. We hold auditions as an inclusion master class; all of our performances for the whole run are Open Captioned via integrated projections that match set designs; Sensory-Friendly with quiet areas and a live feed of the show; and half of our productions are Audio Described with tactile tours. Half of our casts, crew and a significant portion of our audiences self-identify as Deaf, Blind, disabled, Neurodivergent and even DeafBlind. That is our baseline.

Every year, for everyone involved – the 50-plus actors on stage, the 150 volunteers, and even patrons – the experience of an Open Door production is transformative. Open Door is a training ground of disability joy and innovation for actors, tech crew and access providers. Together, we remove barriers, and inclusion is woven into the very fabric of the performances. Through our sister organization, Think Outside The Vox, we train, mentor and collaborate with Blind, Deaf, disabled and nondisabled actors and the culturally competent access providers, ASL Interpreters, Audio Describers and tech who work across the sector and in this very theater to make accessibility services as rich, authentic and creative as the original art."

Image ID: Sam and Dawn pose with the award in front of the stage at the Huntington Theater.

05/13/2026

Kristin Johnson of Think Outside the Vox and the Director of Artistic Sign Language (DASL) for our recent production of "HONK!", and Lisa Jensen-Fellows, "HONK!" Stage Manager and longtime ODT Board Member, recently presented about Accessible Theater on a panel at the 40th Anniversary event of The Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH/MA).

IMAGE1 ID: A tactile guide is provided to a DeafBlind awardee while Kristin Johnson and Lisa Jensen-Fellows proudly hold their citations.

IMAGE2 ID: Kristin Johnson presents about Accessible Theater.

04/27/2026

Our Spring 2026 Newsletter is out today! Read about the Elliot Norton Arts Education Award, HONK! highlights, and upcoming events. Sign up to receive our quarterly enewsletter at https://www.opendoortheater.org/

https://share.sender.net/campaigns/fzoh/so-many-reasons-to-honk-for-joy

Celebrating Honk! highlights and the Elliot Norton Arts Education Award

04/16/2026

Open Door Theater is beyond honored to receive the 2026 Elliot Norton Arts Education Award from the Boston Theater Critics Association! Congratulations to all of the nominees and awardees listed here on your incredible work! We will see you at The Huntington on June 1.

https://www.elliotnortonawards.com/_files/ugd/593052_4c03b902ac0e472988b8d806ea849bdc.pdf

03/29/2026

And that's a wrap! Thank you for going on this beautiful journey with us. If you attended a performance of HONK!, we hope that you will complete our Audience Survey at https://forms.gle/rXY88SwAcsMTpFX38. We value your feedback and it helps us improve each year.

Photo caption: The cast and crew of HONK! 2026.

03/29/2026

We hope you will join us for our final performance of HONK! today at 1 pm. Today's show is audio-described, ASL interpreted, and sensory-friendly/relaxed. Online sales close 2 hours before showtime. Limited seats available at the door.

Tickets at www.OpenDoorTheater.org


Photo caption: Ugly (Raye) feels lost and alone while his mother, Ida (Maddie Freeman), unceasingly searches for him.

03/28/2026

We're dancing into the weekend excited for our final 2 performances of HONK! Don't miss your chance to experience this heartwarming celebration of being different. Matinee shows today and tomorrow at 1 pm. Online sales close 2 hours before showtime. Both performances are audio-described, ASL interpreted, and sensory-friendly/relaxed.

Tickets at www.OpenDoorTheater.org
Photo credit: Meghana Arvind .arvind.photo


Photo caption: Farmyard friends dance the opening number "A Poultry Tale" while The Cat hungrily looks on.