Think Outside the Vox June 2025

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THINK OUTSIDE THE VOX

June 2025 Newsletter

A white box with a capital letters in black V, a purple and square shaped O, and an X slightly overlapping

VOX is showing up this summer with more workshops, accessibility trainings, and purple power for productions and events. We facilitated a Focus Group for Urban Media Arts, an accessibility review and training for the Esplanade Association, a successful Homecoming for NAS at Mass MoCA, a workshop at Mass Creative Summit, and completed the 2024-2025 season at The Huntington. There are plenty of in-person purple opportunities coming up – save the dates!

All images have alt text embedded. All images on this newsletter are hyperlinked to their adjacent posts on our socials, which have image descriptions, alt text, captions, descriptive transcripts and/or links to supportive access materials. Prefer a plain text version of this newsletter? Email Olivia@ThinkOutsideTheVox.org.

Group of Voxers and NAS folks sitting at a long dining table with scattered glasses and napkins in a dimly lit restaurant, including Christopher, Maria, and Tanya one of the facilitators.

NAS Homecoming

Vox partnered with National Arts Strategies for its Homecoming June 1-4 to integrate accessibility features (wayfinding, ASL interpreters, Captioning, Audio Description, and modeling best practices for conversations with Deaf and Blind community) and lead discussions about access through a disability lens, with deep dives into live Audio Description and visual description as a connection tool. Full purple power: Sam Gould, Olivia Reinebach, Christopher Robinson, Kristin Johnson as facilitators, Matthew Shifrin and Maria Hendricks on Audio Description, with Communication Access/ASL-English interpreter team Ingrid O’Dell, Rae Heller and Halle Brockett. Everyone was on point for all-around Accessibility communication, coordination and education!



All of these practices, technologies, tools and people in play–particularly wide open channels of communication and continuous exposure and presence of visual description/Audio Description throughout the gathering–ignited attendees to lean in, reflect and receive without barriers.

Voxers on their panel about Accessibility and what the pandemic shutdown taught us about inclusion at the Mass Creative summit in Northampton.

Just two days after NAS Homecoming, Vox ventured to Western Mass again for the MASSCreative Summit in Northampton. Our panel of Voxers Kristin Johnson, karen Krolak and Olivia Reinebach brought Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Disabled experiences and perspective to a group discussion about why Accessibility Matters, what we learned and what continues to persist/assist as a result of the COVID pandemic shutdown.

Voxers Christopher and Aimee with Audio Describer Eddie, Blind/Low Vision audience members Kwaku and Mikey, and resident Baritone and actor William Michals take a selfie.

And that’s a wrap on the 2024-2025 season of accessible performances at The Huntington Theater! We closed out our ASL-interpreted and Audio Described shows with culturally competent teams on June 7th for The Light in the Piazza. Over 30 listening devices were checked out for assistive listening and Audio Description – record-breaking numbers! Thank you to the Deaf and Blind audiences for showing up; your continued presence affirms the ongoing need for high quality accessibility. The photo above shows one of the actors, one of the describers, Eddie Maisonet, Blind and Low Vision patrons, and Voxers who supported the experience.

Voxer Connor filming DeafBlind expert Kerry Thompson who is explaining best practices in ASL and English on stage in front of a curtain. Next to her is interpreter Ingrid O'Dell.

June is DeafBlind Awareness Month

VOX has been filming DeafBlind Training Modules with experts Kerry Thompson, Cai Steele, Carl Richardson and Kaitlyn Mielke. A joint venture with Silent Rhythms and supported by the Sudbury Foundation and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, these modules will be open source and include best practices for engaging with DeafBlind patrons in arts and community spaces.

DeafBlind expert Cai Steele in front of a statue globe filming for the modules with Christopher Robinson standing near him out of the filming frame wearing a purple Vox shirt.

Save the Dates:

Queer [Re]public Festival – June 26-29 at Arrow Street Arts in Cambridge, MA

The Theater Offensive presents a weekend celebrating queer and trans people of color through staged readings, workshops and dance performances. Vox is partnering to coordinate Captioning (CC Theater), ASL Interpretation, and Audio Description.



Ask Me Fair – Saturday, July 19th at Sargent Memorial Library in Boxborough, MA

In partnership with Open Door Theater, VOX is hosting its third annual Ask Me Fair, a living library experience where attendees are invited to ask questions, absorb and connect with presenters of different cultures, identities and experiences. This event is designed for families and everyone ages 7-77 is welcome to engage.



Kufre N’Quay – Audio Described performance on Sunday, July 20th at 2pm

VOX’s culturally competent Audio Description continues with Mfoniso Udofia’s UFOT Family cycle’s fifth play. This story takes place in Harlem in 2019 and explores the navigation between Nigerian and Black American culture. This AD performance is at Boston Arts Academy Main Stage Theater with the AD team: Maria Hendricks, Mikey Rose, and Kwaku Darko. Tickets here.



As You Like It – July 23-August 10
Free Shakespeare on the Boston Common is back with As You Like It. Commonwealth Shakespeare Company has partnered with Vox to provide accessibility. All performances have Open Captions. Select performances will have ASL, Audio Description and Tactile Tours. Visit Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s website. On May 19th, Christopher Robinson represented Vox and CSC on GBH’s The Culture Show – listen and read along to the podcast recording and transcript here.



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