Cultural and Arts Organizations

New York State Resources

Young Audiences, Inc. - www.youngaudiences.org
Young Audiences, Inc. (YAI) is the nation’s leading source of arts-in-education services. YAI’s mission and goal is to help make the arts an essential part of young people’s education.  Young Audiences advances the artistic and educational development of public school students, including students with various disabilities by bringing young people together with professional artists of all disciplines to learn, create and participate in the arts.

New York offices
Young Audiences New York
One East 53rd Street
New York, NY  10022
212-319-9269

Young Audiences of Rochester
Harrow East
400 Andrews Street, Suite 500
Rochester, NY  14604
585-530-2060

Young Audiences of Western New York
16 Linwood Avenue
Buffalo, NY  14209
716-881-0917

 

Regional Resources

New York State Arts Councils
Arts Councils are arts service organizations offering a wide variety of support services and individual arts programs to arts organizations, individual artists, and residents of the arts councils’ regions.  To find the arts council in your area, visit www.nysaae.org/artscouncils.htm.

 

Capital Region

The Albany Symphony Orchestra - www.albanysymphony.com
The Albany Symphony Orchestra is committed to the live presentation and recording of top quality musical programming, with an emphasis on the creation and promotion of contemporary or overlooked American works and its dissemination to a broad-based regional audience from all cultural and economic backgrounds. Through its many creative and innovative education, outreach and repertoire building programs, the ASO will lead the way nationally in inventing a viable, vibrant and flexible prototype for the “American Orchestra of the Future”.

 

Living Resources: The Carriage House

Their mission is to promote and provide life enhancing services to individuals with disabilities in a safe and secure environment.

A dream to provide quality art instruction to artists with disabilities came into reality when the arts center opened its doors in the beginning of 1997. Located at 6A Cuyler Avenue in historic Albany, New York, the 1925 carriage house provides a stimulating and imaginative setting.

 

Capital Repertory Theatre - http://www.capitalrep.org
Capital Repertory Theatre is dedicated to the formation of a meaningful theatre; that is, a theatre with an authentic connection to the inclusive community it serves.  The plays they choose, their educational programs, intensive apprentice training for young professionals, discussion groups, and special events are each part of a comprehensive whole dedicated to enriching the lives of Capital Region residents.

Capital Repertory Theatre
111 North Pearl St. Albany, NY 12207
Box Office: 518-445-SHOW (7469)
Business Office Phone: 518-462-4531 Fax: 518-465-0213

 

Hamilton Hill Arts Center - www.hamiltonhillartscenter.org
The Hamilton Hill Arts Center is a rich artistic outlet for African and African-American cultural arts in the Schenectady community; it is the only arts center of its kind between New York City and Syracuse. The center draws upon the cultural, visual, technological and performing arts to provide residents throughout the Capital Region with a variety of inclusive programs and services.  All are welcome to their services, activities and resources.  Their programs include Project Artreach after school program, Umoja Dancing & Drumming, and Arts in Education Programs. Visit the Kuumba Krafts gift boutique, take music lessons, and more!

409 Schenectady Street
Schenectady, NY  12307
(518) 346-1262
artsathhac@aol.com

 

Park Playhouse, Inc. - www.parkplayhouse.com
Park Playhouse, Inc. celebrates its 19th season in 2007 and will continue to enhance the cultural environment of the Capital Region, fostering community appreciation for the performing arts, and foremost, providing FREE live first rate theater for the entire Capital Region every summer. In addition, Park Playhouse will continue to venture into a year round presence in the Capital Region. Our growth has been in front of the eyes of our audiences! Interpreter services are available to hearing impaired audience members. The accessible outdoor theater is located in Washington Park in Albany New York, Madison Avenue.

Theater Office:
1 Steuben Place, 5th Floor
Steuben Executive Suites
Albany, New York 12207

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 525
Albany, New York 12201    
Telephone: (518) 434-2035; Fax: (518) 434-1048
E-mail: parkplay@aol.com

 

Proctor's Theatre - www.proctors.org
Proctors offers theatre, dance, music and film to the community.  Proctors recently added two new theatres to its accessible facility and offers interpreters services for the hearing impaired, the capacity to show 3-D widescreen (Extreme Screen) films, a vibrant Arcade with multiple eating and shopping opportunities and, most importantly, a program of arts, entertainment and education.

Proctors Theatre
432 State Street
Schenectady, NY 12305
Proctor's Information Line - (518) 382-1083

 

The New York State Theatre Institute - www.nysti.org
The Institute's four-fold mission is: 1) to produce professional theatre of the highest artistic standards for family and school audiences; 2) to use those productions to provide provocative and innovative arts in education programs; 3) to exchange theatre, culture, and humanity with the people and artists of other nations; and 4) to develop new plays and musicals for family audiences that speak clearly to a changing world.  

 

The Tang
The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College is sited dramatically on Skidmore’s scenic campus. The Tang’s designation as a “teaching museum” signals Skidmore’s intent to make Tang exhibitions, collection, and programs a significant aspect of the Skidmore education. Tang Museum exhibitions feature contemporary art, but regularly address other disciplines, including the natural and social sciences, performing arts and humanities. Tang public events and education programs serve both the college and audiences of all ages from the Capital District and beyond. Visit their website at http://tang.skidmore.edu.

 

Central NY

Khoros Performing Arts Company for Kids, Inc., also known as The KHOROS KIDS, was established as a community based non-profit cultural organization in 2002. The population of KHOROS is from ages six through young adult inclusive of hearing and deaf youth. Older participants are trained to become mentors to the younger participant in all aspects of the performing arts and sign language.

Orpheus Theatre - http://www.orpheustheatre.org
Orpheus Theatre offers three main stage musicals September through May as well as other periodically scheduled special theatrical events in their accessible theater.   They also offer Musical Theatre workshops throughout the year for children and adults and have an Arts In Education program that brings literally thousands of students to live theatrical productions.

P.O. Box 1014
31 Maple St.
Oneonta, NY 13820
Phone: (607) 432-1800
email@orpheus@stny.rr.com

 

Springbrook - http://www.springbrookny.org
At Springbrook is commitmed to serving people with special needs.  Springbrook has a heritage based on providing care and treatment to those individuals that are under-served.  They have grown to a multi-service organization that provides residential supports, educational and clinic services for people with developmental disabilities, including art and music therapy.

2705 State Highway 28
Oneonta, NY 13820
607.286.7171 Phone
607.286.7166 Fax

 

The Stanley Theatre - http://www.stanleytheatre.net
There are four major local presenters that use the Stanley: the Broadway Theatre League which brings in touring Broadway shows; the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute Great Artists Series which features the best in opera, recital artists, and dance companies; the Utica Symphony Orchestra; and the Mohawk Valley Ballet.  Several presenters offer special performances for school times throughout the season.  The theater also has specific seat accommodations for those with visual and hearing disabilities, and other specified disabilities.

259 Genesee Street
Utica, NY 13501
(P) 315 / 724 - 4000
(F) 315 / 724 - 3854
jfaust@cnyarts.com

 

Hudson Valley

CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck - www.CenterForPerformingArts.org
The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck (known familiarly as The CENTER, and legally as Rhinebeck Performing Arts, Inc. or RPA) is a non-profit arts organization which offers performances and inclusive classes throughout the year.  Performing and teaching artists are of local, national and international talent which also include performing artist with disabilities.

661 Route 308
Rhinebeck, NY 12572-0148
Phone: (845) 876-3088 ext. 11  
Fax: (845) 876-1163
rhinebecktech@hotmail.com

 

New York City

Annabella Gonzalez Dance Theater, Inc. - http://www.agdt.org/
This non-profit New York City-based modern dance company is led by Mexican-born Annabella Gonzalez.  It has a Latin touch and has received excellent reviews noting its energy, great dancing, and originality.  They are invited to perform over 40 shows per year in completely accessible theaters. In addition to working with artists with disabilities, the performers are sensitive to the needs of persons with disabilities in the audience during performances.

Annabella Gonzalez Dance Theater, Inc.
4 East 89th Street, #P-C
New York, NY 10128-0645
Tel.: 1.212.722.4128
Fax: 1.718.701.1777

Coalition for Disabled Musicians, Inc.

Established in 1986, the Coalition for Disabled Musicians, Inc. (CDM) is a voluntary, non-profit organization dedicated to enabling physically disabled musicians to pursue their musical dreams. CDM receives a few small grants and maintains its services through private and performance donations, but is always seeking additional financial assistance to improve and repair equipment, and is always recruiting volunteers to help move and operate the equipment, teach an instrument, or help out in the office.

Coalition for Disabled Musicians, Inc.
P.O. Box 1002M
Bay Shore, New York 11706
631 586 0366



Museum Access Consortium (MAC)
MAC consists of representatives from various museum departments throughout the New York City Metropolitan area and members and representatives of the disability community. Members of MAC exchange information, ideas and resources and provide a network of mutual support.

Nicu's Spoon
Nicu's' Spoon is a theater production company, founded in 2001, which does creative and fearless theater. This award winning company celebrates true diversity of performers and our audiences; young, old, female, male, gay, straight, black, white, brown, physically challenged, refugee and US born. They seek to involve both performers and audience in inspiring, creative and fearless exploration of new works and re-imagined classics, produce three major shows per year as well as up to five original scripts in a reading series. Nicu’s Spoon invests in the disabled artists in the city and work with them as performers, designers, directors, etc. They are the only company providing regularly interpreted work for the deaf community in NYC.

Nicu’s Spoon, Inc.
P.O. Box 2058
Grand Central Station
New York, NY 10163-2058
(646) 299-5345
scripts@spoontheater.org

 

The Patchogue Theatre - http://patchoguetheatre.com
The Patchogue Theatre showcases a broad spectrum of performing arts for the benefit of a wide-ranging audience at affordable prices.  The Patchogue Theatre is a full-time mixed-use venue, offering a variety of events including live performances, films, educational presentations, commercial productions, community forums, and other events.  The theatre is fully wheelchair accessible and offers assistance for the hearing and visually impaired.

71 East Main St.
Patchogue Village
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 2400, Patchogue, NY 11772
Box Office Phone:
631-207-1313
Main Office Phone:
631-207-1300

 

Theater By The Blind - http://www.tbtb.org
Theater By The Blind is a critically acclaimed company made up of both visually impaired and sighted theatre professionals.  Founded in 1979, the company’s mission is to change the image of the blind from one of dependence to independence, to fight the stereotypes and misperceptions associated with blindness, and to show how vibrant, fluid and exuberant the visually impaired can be.  

Theater By The Blind
306 West 18th Street, #3A
New York, NY 10011
(212) 243-4337
gar@nyc.rr.com

 

Ticket Central - www.ticketcentral.com
Ticket Central's provides a low-cost, customer friendly ticketing alternative for some of the most exciting Theater, Dance, Opera and Performance Arts groups in New York City.  They also provide reservations of the necessary seating and accommodations for persons with disabilities.  Ticket Central sells tickets online, over the phone and at our box office, located at 416 West 42nd Street.

416 West 42nd Street
(between 9th & 10th Avenues)
New York, NY 10036
212.279.4237
info@ticketcentral.com

 

North Country

The Lake Placid Center for the Arts - http://www.lakeplacidarts.org
The Lake Placid Center for the Arts is a performing arts venue that features music, theater, dance, and fine arts.  The venue also offers education programs and performances built for students K-12 in addition to offering listening devices for the hearing impaired in their accessible venue.

Lake Placid Center for the Arts
17 Algonquin Drive
Lake Placid, NY 12946
info@lakeplacidarts.org
(518) 523-2512

 

Pendragon Theatre
Pendragon Theatre is an ensemble of artists, based in the Adirondacks, dedicated to preserving the vitality and enhancing the quality of professional theatre through year round performance and education programs.  In addition, they offer listening devices for the hearing impaired in their accessible venue.

Pendragon Theatre
15 Brandy Brook Avenue
Saranac Lake, NY 12983
phone: (518) 891-1854
fax: (518) 891-7012
pdragon@northnet.org

 

Western NY

The Geva Theatre - www.gevatheatre.org
The Geva Theatre offers a wide variety of shows, from musicals to reinvigorated American and world classics, as well as fresh contemporary theatre and Geva Comedy Improv in their fully accessible theater.  For young people, Geva produces its Big Theatre for Little People series, with exciting, original theatre for audiences in grades K-8.  All of Geva's productions are rehearsed in Rochester.  The theatre draws upon the talent of the actors, directors, designers and writers from around the country, who are shaping the American theatre scene.  Geva Theatre Center also offers a wide variety of educational, outreach and literary programs designed to: enrich and deepen the theatre-going experience for our current audience; provide access and affordable theatre to the Rochester community including thousands of area students; develop new plays and playwrights; nurture the audiences and artists of the next generation. The theater also accommodates those with hearing and visual impairments and wheelchairs. 

Geva Theatre Center
75 Woodbury Boulevard
Rochester, NY 14607
Administrative Office Phone: (585) 232-1366
Fax: (585) 232-4031
Box Office Phone: (585) 232-Geva (4382)
TTY: (585) 325-1411 (for the deaf)
E-mail: gevatalk@gevatheatre.org

 

Irish Classical Theatre Company - http://www.irishclassicaltheatre.com
The Irish Classical Theatre Company has undertaken a number of collaborations with other cultural organizations in the region, representing a wide spectrum of ethnic, cultural and demographic backgrounds.  ICTC is always working to make great theatre accessible not only to our traditional audiences, but to underserved segments of the community including, but not limited to, the economically disadvantaged and persons with disabilities through various outreach programs (inclusive programs as well).  The theater also accommodates those with hearing and visual impairments and wheelchairs.

625 Main Street Buffalo, NY 14203
Box Office - (716) 853-ICTC
Administration - (716) 853-1380

 

Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester - http://mag.rochester.edu
The Memorial Art Gallery offers many programs, events and a permanent collection described as the best-balanced collection in the state outside of metropolitan New York City.  Learn about current and upcoming lectures, events and temporary exhibitions, and experience their award-winning educational site, Odyssey Online.  The Memorial Art Gallery takes pride in its outreach to, and involvement with, the greater Rochester community, from Family Days to pioneering educational programs with the Rochester City School District.  The venue offers opportunities and services specifically for those with disabilities relating to sight, hearing, and mobility. 

Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester
500 University Ave.
Rochester, NY 14607
585.276.8900
585.473.6266 fax     

 

Theatre of Youth - www.theatreofyouth.org
For 36 seasons, Theatre of Youth has set the standard in excellence as Western New York’s only professional theatre dedicated to presenting internationally and nationally known works of theatre for children and families. Award-winning original set and costume designs grace the stage of the fully accessible historic Allendale theatre, originally constructed in 1913, which once boasted performances of WC Fields and Isadora Duncan in Buffalo’s Allentown neighborhood. The venue offers opportunities and services specifically for those with disabilities relating to sight, hearing, and mobility. 

Theatre of Youth
Allendale Theatre
203 Allen St.
Buffalo, New York 14201    
Telephone: ( 716 ) 884-4400
Fax: ( 716 ) 819-9653
rbrunschmid@theatreofyouth.org

 

National Resources

VSA
VSA is an international nonprofit organization founded more than 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts.

818 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Suite 600
Washington, D.C.20006
(P) 202- 628-2800, 800-933-8721
(F) 202-429-0868
(TDD) 202-737-0645

 

Young Audiences, Inc. - www.youngaudiences.org
Young Audiences, Inc. (YAI) is the nation’s leading source of arts-in-education services. YAI’s mission and goal is to help make the arts an essential part of young people’s education.  Young Audiences advances the artistic and educational development of public school students, including students with various disabilities by bringing young people together with professional artists of all disciplines to learn, create and participate in the arts.

National Young Audiences Offices can be found Young Audiences, Inc.