Paper Mill Playhouse
Millburn, NJ

Main Website: http://www.papermill.org

Accessibility Web Page: http://www.papermill.org/visit/accessibility.php

Point of Contact

Michael T. Mooney
Manager of Outreach & Access Programs
Email Address: mmooney@papermill.org
Phone: 973-379-3636 x2666
TTY: 973-376-2181

Overview

Paper Mill Playhouse preserves and nurtures the American musical theatre, and aspires to be a vital artistic and education center recognized throughout the region and the nation for its high-quality, innovative theatre and training programs. The theatre is committed to rediscovering and re-imagining classic musicals and plays, developing new musicals, training young and emerging artists, and ensuring that the theatre is accessible to all.

Founded in 1934, Paper Mill Playhouse raised the curtain on its first performance in 1938. After a fire in 1980, the playhouse reopened in 1982 with an art gallery and a 1,200 seat theatre. Its annual budget is approximately $17 million, and yearly attendance is approximately 425,000.

As the first theatre in the country to schedule open-captioned performances, Paper Mill is a leader in access and inclusion. Paper Mill's leadership has been recognized by the New Jersey Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the National Organization on Disability and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Their access program received the 2003 VSA arts/MetLife Award of Excellence in Arts Access, and Michael Mooney, the program's manager, received the 2003 Ann Klein Advocate Award for Service to Senior and Disability Communities.

Strategic Planning

Paper Mill believes accessibility has to be part of your mission, outlook and purpose. Paper Mill explicitly states its commitment to access in its mission statement. In addition, the home page of its Web site includes the following sentence: "Paper Mill is one of the few theaters in the country that is fully accessible to individuals with disabilities."

Professional Development

Paper Mill presents an annual sensitivity training program for all employees and board members to ensure that everyone who works at Paper Mill understands and commits to providing an environment that is accessible to all. Box office staff, for example, learn that they need to exit the box office to interact with someone with a disability because of the height of the box office windows.

Community Engagement

In order to develop new programs and ensure the quality of existing ones, the manager of outreach and access programs consults with two advisory boards: one is focused on services for people with hearing impairments and one is focused on people with visual impairments. There are members on both boards with and without disabilities. The boards do not have regular meetings; they are available as needed and serve more as "sounding boards" for the playhouse, providing advice on such topics as new technology.

Also important to the program is direct feedback by members of the disability community. The manager attends productions during American Sign Language (ASL)-interpreted and audio-described performances and talks to audience members directly, using their suggestions to augment the program whenever possible. In addition, his involvement on other non-profit boards and attendance at conferences allows him to share information and ensures that Paper Mill is incorporating best practices in the field.

Paper Mill also hosts regional accessibility trainings in partnership with the New Jersey Cultural Access Network.

Programs and Services

Paper Mill Playhouse is committed to remaining accessible to people with disabilities by offering the following services:

• Open captioning and ASL interpretation performed together
• Courtesy wheelchairs to be used while in the building
• Sensory seminars, offered 90-minutes prior to each audio-described performance which allow audience members who are visually impaired to feel props, set pieces and costumes
• Discounted tickets for audience members who use an access service
• Recorded program information
• Open captioning, ASL interpretation or audio description for children's theatre performances and other events at the theatre
• Advertises access services in mainstream advertisements, on its Web site and to targeted groups
• Works with advocacy groups and school districts to inform the public and student groups
• Promotes programs at disability-focused conferences, and organizations and schools that serve people with disabilities
• Produces Theatre for Everyone, a brochure with up-to-date information about access services

Evaluation

Paper Mill assesses the impact of its access services primarily through its advisory boards. The manager of outreach and access programs also solicits informal feedback from audience members who take advantage of the playhouse's access services and from the artists who provide these services. Periodically, phone surveys are conducted with audience members on specific topics such as the timing of the sensory seminars.

Tips for Success

• Take advantage of resources in the community.
• Consider sharing an access committee or access advisory board with other organizations in the community.
• Assess the environment to determine who wants to attend your productions, and then determine what services you need to offer to make this happen.
• Don't commit to providing services or programs unless you know they are going to be successful.
• Don't expect overnight success.
• Advocates for access and inclusion must be always vigilant.