Spotlight On
October 1, 2007
Organization Name: Theater By The Blind
Year Founded: 1979
Address: 306 West 18th Street, #3A,
New York, NY 10011
Phone: (212) 243-4337
Email: gar@nyc.rr.com
Web site Address: http://www.tbtb.org/
Mission:
The mission of Theater By The Blind 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 is the only theater in the United States doing quality professional work to achieve this goal.
History:
Theater By The Blind was formed in 1979 as a sighted company recording plays for closed circuit broadcast to the blind over the In Touch Networks. This led to an acting class at the Jewish Guild For The Blind and, in 1981, the company’s first integrated production, a revival of Neil Simon’s "Barefoot in the Park" at Lincoln Center and the Donnell Library.
Funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities funded the next three seasons of Theater By The Blind. The company began to grow and expand its mission, recording six plays and an academic course in theater for distribution through the Library of Congress and all the libraries for the blind across the country.
In 1985, the company began staging plays for the general public under the Equity Showcase Code. Last year to celebrate its 25th anniversary, the theater went on Actors' Equity's Letter of Agreement contract making it officially an off-Broadway company. Examples of the theater company's past productions can be found in the archives on its web site.
Current Activities:
The company performs for every kind of audience member, from general New York theater-goers to seniors, students, and other underserved populations. Theater By The Blind is most proud of its visually impaired audience, which make up 10% of the theater's attendees. Since .2% of the country is visually impaired they are proud of this figure but are working to increase it.
Under the leadership of Co-Artistic Directors, Ike Schambelan and George Ashiotis, the company has developed several programs to achieve its mission. Among them are developing visually impaired talent for theater, movies and TV; writing original material revealing the world of the blind; touring to bring this material to as many people as possible; performing traditional material in a style to make it fully accessible to the blind; and developing blind audiences.
In its long history, Theater By The Blind has won several awards, including the California Governors Media Access Award, the Very Special Arts/New York City Mayor’s Award and the American Foundation for the Blind’s Helen Keller Achievement Award in Performing Arts.
Funding Needs:
Less than 30% of the annual income of Theater By The Blind is a result of ticket sales. The remaining amount comes from governmental programs, private foundations and individual donors.
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