Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Access Virginia, Disability service, Newport News, VA.
Access Virginia was established to provide and promote accessibility at performing arts theaters as well as other venues for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Blind/Visually Impaired Communities, to create tangible positive changes in their lives.
02/26/2026
What a beautiful day celebrating creativity, community, and inclusion! 🎨💛
Our Arts for All event with Living With Disabilities at Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center brought together individuals of all abilities to experience the joy of the arts through hands-on activities and an incredible performance of Purlie.
Thank you to everyone who joined us, supported us, and helped make this day so special. We loved seeing so many smiling faces and can’t wait to do it again! Special thanks to Peninsula Civitan Club and Newport News Arts Commission.
02/26/2026
Angel Street is coming to the Little Theatre of Norfolk on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at 8:00 PM! 🎭
This psychological thriller centers on a woman whose husband manipulates her into questioning her sanity, a gripping tale of deception and control that coined the term "gaslighting.” 🧠
Open caption services will be available. Ask for reserved seating when purchasing your tickets.
Access Virginia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was created to provide open captioning and audio description at live theatrical performances so that Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Blind, Visually Impaired persons can attend performances and experience the wonder of live entertainment at public facilities. Access Virginia will work to expand accommodation services to other public venues.
02/25/2026
Sharing this great event from Virginia Hearing Loss Support Network! 📣
02/23/2026
Malcolm X & Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem is coming to Wells Theatre on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 2:00 PM. 🎭
1943. Two young Harlemites form a friendship over leftover fried chicken and dirty dishwater. But a long, hot summer of heartbreak, betrayal, and racial uprisings moves them closer to the men they will become and farther from each other. This electrifying world premiere blends sharp humor with raw humanity, revealing the laughter, struggle, and brotherhood that shaped two legends. 👨🏾🍳
Open caption and audio description services will be available.
Access Virginia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was created to provide open captioning and audio description at live theatrical performances so that Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Blind, Visually Impaired persons can attend performances and experience the wonder of live entertainment at public facilities. Access Virginia will work to expand accommodation services to other public venues.
02/23/2026
TINA - The Tina Turner Musical is coming to the Ferguson Center for the Arts on Monday, March 9, 2026, at 7 PM! 🎶
An uplifting comeback story like no other, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll. Set to the pulse-pounding soundtrack of her most beloved hits, this electrifying sensation will send you soaring to the rafters. One of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, Tina Turner won 12 Grammy Awards, and her live shows were seen by millions, with more concert tickets sold than any other solo performer in music history. Featuring her much-loved songs, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall. 🎙️
Open caption services will be available. Ask for reserved seating when purchasing your tickets. Tickets can be purchased for the left or right orchestra.
Access Virginia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was created to provide open captioning and audio description at live theatrical performances so that Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Blind, Visually Impaired persons can attend performances and experience the wonder of live entertainment at public facilities. Access Virginia will work to expand accommodation services to other public venues.
02/20/2026
Pump Boys and Dinettes is coming to Swift Creek Mill Theatre on Sunday, April 12, 2026, at 2:30 PM! 🎙️
A country-western style musical in which the waitresses at the Double-Cupp Diner (the Dinettes) make great music with the Pump Boys from the gas station next door. 🎸
Access Virginia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was created to provide open captioning and audio description at live theatrical performances so that Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Blind, Visually Impaired persons can attend performances and experience the wonder of live entertainment at public facilities. Access Virginia will work to expand accommodation services to other public venues.
02/20/2026
Purlie is coming to Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center tomorrow, Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 1:00 PM. 🎭 (This performance is featured as part of the Arts for All event. See the main flyer for full details!)
Purlie (or Purlie Victorious) is a lively, comedic musical/play by Ossie Davis about a charismatic preacher, Purlie Judson, returning to the Jim Crow South to reclaim his church and free oppressed workers from a plantation owner, using humor, schemes, and songs to fight for freedom and prove Black people's rights, offering a joyful yet profound experience of resilience and community that's both entertaining and thought-provoking. 🎶
Open caption and audio description services will be available.
Access Virginia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was created to provide open captioning and audio description at live theatrical performances so that Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Blind, Visually Impaired persons can attend performances and experience the wonder of live entertainment at public facilities. Access Virginia will work to expand accommodation services to other public venues.
02/20/2026
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is coming to Wells Theatre on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 2:00 PM. 🤍
This beloved musical reimagines the Biblical story of Joseph, a magical tale packed with adventures, beguiling characters (like the Elvis-inspired Pharoah), and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s brilliant score, full of catchy songs from country-western (“One More Angel in Heaven”) to Caribbean (“Benjamin Calypso”), along with the unforgettable classics “Any Dream Will Do” and “Close Every Door.” 🎭
Open caption and audio description services will be available.
Access Virginia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was created to provide open captioning and audio description at live theatrical performances so that Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Blind, Visually Impaired persons can attend performances and experience the wonder of live entertainment at public facilities. Access Virginia will work to expand accommodation services to other public venues.
02/19/2026
Chicago The Musical is coming to Chrysler Hall this weekend, Friday, February 20, 2026, at 8:00 PM and Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 2:00 PM! 🌆
CHICAGO is still the one musical with everything that makes Broadway shimmy-shake: a universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz, with one showstopping song after another and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen. In the whirlwind of Chicago’s Jazz Age, two of the Cook County Jail’s most notorious murderesses—vaudeville star Velma Kelly and chorus girl Roxie Hart—become fierce rivals as they compete for headlines amidst a media frenzy. 🎶
Open caption services will be available on Friday and open caption and audio description services will be available on Saturday. Purchase tickets for Left Orchestra Seating.
Access Virginia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was created to provide open captioning and audio description at live theatrical performances so that Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Blind, Visually Impaired persons can attend performances and experience the wonder of live entertainment at public facilities. Access Virginia will work to expand accommodation services to other public venues.
02/17/2026
Sharing this great event from Virginia Hearing Loss Support Network! 👏
02/17/2026
Purlie is coming to Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 1:00 PM. 🎭 (This performance is featured as part of the Arts for All event. See the main flyer for full details!)
Purlie (or Purlie Victorious) is a lively, comedic musical/play by Ossie Davis about a charismatic preacher, Purlie Judson, returning to the Jim Crow South to reclaim his church and free oppressed workers from a plantation owner, using humor, schemes, and songs to fight for freedom and prove Black people's rights, offering a joyful yet profound experience of resilience and community that's both entertaining and thought-provoking. 🎶
Open caption and audio description services will be available.
Access Virginia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was created to provide open captioning and audio description at live theatrical performances so that Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Blind, Visually Impaired persons can attend performances and experience the wonder of live entertainment at public facilities. Access Virginia will work to expand accommodation services to other public venues.
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Access Virginia, giving the gift of sight and sound!
Access Virginia is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was created to provide open captioning and audio description at live theatrical performances so that Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Blind/Visually Impaired persons can attend performances and experience the wonder of live entertainment at public facilities. Access Virginia will work to expand accommodation services to other public venues.
WHY IS PROVIDING ACCOMMODATION SO IMPORTANT?
Under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), both the facility and the presenter/producer have a legal obligation to provide effective communication for someone with a disability that does not fundamentally alter the nature of the product being offered or cause an undue burden to the venue. As cited in the ADA Technical Assistance Manual, open captioning and audio description are examples of auxiliary aids and services that promote effective communication for people who are hard of hearing, Deaf and visually impaired.
Access Virginia Accessibility Programs (AVAP) makes attending live theatre possible for everyone. Special seating is reserved for theatre-goers who are hard of hearing, Deaf and visually impaired.
Open Captioning
Open Captioning is a speech-to-text display to provide a simultaneous transcription of dialogue, lyrics and a description of environmental sounds for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing used at performing arts venues for scripted plays, displayed through an LED Board.
This service can be used by everyone for viewing in a reserved seating area. Open captioning is considered a universal accommodation because it can be used by anyone regardless of hearing impairment, age or ability.
C.A.R.T.
Also known as Communication Access Realtime Translation. CART provides the Deaf or hard-of-hearing individual with a speech-to-text display in realtime. It’s beneficial for people who are Deaf or have a hearing loss and do not communicate utilizing ASL (American Sign Language). CART is also referred to as open captioning or realtime captioning.
Audio Description
Audio Description involves the accessibility of the visual images of theater. Audio describers provide a narration service which guides the listener through the presentation with concise, objective descriptions of scenes, settings, costumes, body language slipped in between the natural pause of dialogue or songs - those images that a person who is blind or visually impaired formerly could only experience through the whispered asides from a sighted companion.
