Accessible Stages Collaborative: Expanding Inclusive Theater Across Maine
Photo credit: Aric Walton
Universal design was initially developed in the late 1960s as an architectural method of constructing spaces that could be used not by the few, but by the many. The concept centers on equitable, intuitive use of space that reduces barriers to access for people of different sizes, abilities, ages, and mobilities. It involves everything from creating the infrastructure for easy wheelchair accessibility to designating space free of sensory stimulation.
Over the past few decades, universal design principles have increasingly carried over into creative spaces, with some theaters adapting the way they produce and perform shows to offer their work to more people.
No initiative better exemplifies that approach than the Accessible Stages Collaborative (ASC), a group spearheaded by the Royal River Community Players that’s dedicated to helping theaters across Maine create inclusive productions. Adopting the principle of universal design, the collaborative opens up roles for actors, directors, choreographers, and other theater professionals of all abilities, while teaching others to do the same.
A Closer Look at an Inclusive Concept
Every single person has different needs and works in a different way, so every accessible stage production is different from the next. You go into it with an openness and receptivity to learning from everyone else.”
— David Sheehy, Director of Accessible Stages Collaborative
The Center for Universal Design outlines seven key principles of this concept:
- Equitable use: Ensuring people of all abilities can use a space
- Flexibility in use: Accommodating all preferences
- Simple and intuitive use: Making the spatial design easy to understand
- Perceptible information: Communicating information to users in the ways that resonate best with them
- Tolerance for error: Minimizing hazards and the risk of accidents
- Low physical efforts: Ensuring people can use the space comfortably
- Size and space for approach and use: Ensuring people of all body sizes, postures, or mobility can reach and use things within the space
In theater, these universal design principles go beyond the standards required by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) so that people of varying abilities can not only access but thrive within production spaces as audience members, actors, and live arts professionals.
As David Sheehy, ASC Director, notes, universal design is centered on the idea that what might help a few people could very well help everyone. “If you scroll through Instagram, you’re likely seeing captions on your videos,” says Sheehy. “Well, that was designed to help people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and it’s now helping countless other people, too.”
Universal Design Goes to the Theater
One of the greatest gifts that this community has given me is to ask questions, to have conversations, and not be afraid.”
— David Sheehy, Director of Accessible Stages Collaborative
The ASC came together to create universally designed productions and provide opportunities for people with disabilities to engage in meaningful, creative work. Joining Sheehy to guide the collaborative are two theater-lovers and accessibility leaders: Michaela Knox is the founding artistic director of Spark Inclusive Arts with more than two decades of experience building inclusive, adaptive theater productions. Occupational therapist Jessica Walton serves as an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of New England and provides clinical insight to the ASC’s productions.
Together, these leaders help theaters take on key elements of universal design, including:
- Modifying stage architecture, costuming, and scripts
- Adjusting lighting, sound, and other sensory elements for actors’ comfort
- Creating accessible web design for digital promotion
- Ensuring the theater is set up in ways that facilitate its safe use by people of all mobilities
As Sheehy notes, the process of creating truly inclusive theater experiences is less about checking boxes and more about asking participants what they need to feel comfortable and safe in the space — then adapting accordingly. Each accessible performance looks slightly different because it embraces the unique needs of each participant. Universal design, then, is a flexible model for inquiry, learning, and expanding what’s possible in the theater space.
But there’s one thing the team is particularly keen on helping theaters develop: capacity.
“Theaters are doing a lot of accessibility work already,” says Sheehy. “But they don’t necessarily have hands-on experience working with performers who have a variety of abilities.” To address this gap, the ASC kicked off with two virtual webinars in 2025, with support from the Onion Foundation. The webinars focused on incorporating accessibility into every production and developing shows specifically for professionals with disabilities. The majority of webinar attendees had never worked on an accessible production before, and by the end of the training, they shared a desire for seeing universal design in action.
STAGES: An ASC Snapshot
Stacey Koloski, Managing Director of STAGES Youth Theater, was one of these theater makers who was new to accessible productions. She attended the ASC’s workshops to “gain the knowledge and confidence to approach theater-making differently and to recognize that our usual ways of doing things aren't the only way (and maybe not the best way).”
Like other workshop attendees, Koloski learned practical ways to create unified and accessible productions — but the biggest lesson was more about shifting her mindset. “The greatest takeaway I had from the webinars was creating a more expansive view about what is possible in theater making, including things that many of us previously had assumed were too difficult,” she explains.
That mindset shift inspired Koloski to direct a unified production of her own. In January 2026, she led performers through CATS at the Lyric Music Theater in South Portland, delivered to an enthusiastic audience of community members. As she notes, the ASC webinars helped her rethink creative processes and adapt to the needs of a cast and crew with and without disabilities.
She created a buddy system, for example, to enable more experienced performers to support, perform alongside, and guide newer castmates with disabilities. By the end of the experience, buddies formed deep bonds around their work, which Koloski sees as essential: “We spend so much time thinking about accessibility and accommodations that we risk overlooking the most fundamental thing: people coming together to make theater,” she says. “The relationships, the shared experience, and the sense of belonging aren't unique to unified theater. They’re what theater is all about.”
All Are Welcome at the Maine Cabaret
ASC is uniquely situated to help transform how we make theater in a more accessible way. People will leave the rehearsal room and carry those mindsets and practices into their work at other creative spaces, workplaces, and communities in Maine.” — Stacey Koloski, Managing Director of STAGES Youth Theater
In August 2026, the ASC built on its initial webinars by joining forces with Gorham Arts Alliance to launch a months-long cabaret workshop. Through the experience, around 40 performers with and without disabilities are learning musical numbers and scenes from their favorite productions from program apprentices. In November, the actors will perform a live cabaret to a large audience, showcasing everything they’ve learned.
The cabaret provides two different opportunities:
- Performances that enable people with disabilities to learn core fundamentals, including how to read sheet music and perform on stage
- Apprenticeships that teach young theater makers — many of whom live with disabilities — best practices for accessible programming, including how to direct, choreograph, or produce a show
Led by Sheehy and Knox, apprentices are learning fundamentals of accessible and sensory-friendly theater: how to adjust sound and lighting, create low-noise spaces for audience members who need a break, and ensure font size and type are easily readable. By the end, a new crop of theater makers will have the skills to begin folding accessibility into their own productions.
Performances To Remember
The impact of the ASC on the performers and apprentices is profound. One actor notes, “Being in musical theater productions has made a lasting impact on my life. In my most recent class about auditioning, [Sheehy] taught me some really useful things to think about.”
That actor’s parents see the same benefits from their son’s participation in the program: “[He has experienced] being part of a community, building his confidence, having the opportunity to share his vocal and comedic gifts, learning responsibility for memorizing his lines,” they note. “We have seen parallel growth between [his] performance skills and his willingness to interact socially.”
The experience of building a community on stage increases participation; one returning performer has participated in six accessible stage productions, sharing her favorite parts of accessible productions: “The singing, the nice cast members, and the bowing at the end of the show.”
The performer’s mother shares her enthusiasm: “This is a place where she can surround herself with fellow thespians who love the art and community that come with local theater. It’s also a place where, as a young adult, she can practice independence, self advocacy, and joy in a supportive and kind environment.”
After the Cabaret in November, apprentices and performers will be equipped to carry the practices they learned to other productions: “I hope they have the courage, drive, and excitement to make their personal theater endeavors more accessible,” says Sheehy. “I hope they have a bigger tool belt to do that.”
A Celebration of Diverse Theater
We’re trying to celebrate what each person brings into the theater and incorporate that into our work."
— David Sheehy, Director of Accessible Stages Collaborative
The ASC’s webinars, workshops, and cabaret experience are just the first steps toward inclusive theater throughout the state. Sheehy and his partners are developing a roundtable for theaters to talk about their accessibility challenges and successes. They’re also creating more learning opportunities and pathways to putting new skills into practice. Going forward, the collaborative will continue to advise theaters on accessibility best practices.
Sheehy’s hope for the future of theater in Maine is simple: “I just want more accessible theater productions. The more we can help with that, the more thrilled I’ll be.”