Upcoming Audio Description Events
The Audio-Reader Network provides trained Audio Describers for live events in Kansas City, Lawrence, and Topeka. The service is utilized primarily by people with vision loss; however, it can also be helpful for people with cognitive or learning disabilities, English language-learners, and people on the autism spectrum. Audio Description has also been shown to help with language development and active listening skills in children.
Pirates! A Penzance Musical
Friday, September 18 | 7:30 PM performance
In this vibrant new adaptation, The Pirates of Penzance heads to New Orleans for a fresh take on the beloved classic. When love and duty send a young pirate into hilariously complicated waters, the result is musical comedy gold. Playful, tuneful, and full of charm, this voyage delights from start to finish. With its witty wordplay, memorable music, and a lively new setting, this reimagining brings fresh energy to one of musical theatre’s most enduring comedies.
Theatre Lawrence
4660 Bauer Farms Drive, Lawrence, Kansas
Tickets: https://www.theatrelawrence.com/pirates
Box Office: (785) 843-7469
Electric Poe
Thursday, September 24 | 9:45 AM performance
Just in time for Halloween, Electric Poe returns to thrill audiences inside and out! The Masque of the Red Death will captivate audiences when one actor and one musician bring the master of the macabre to life with superb acting accompanied by live atmospheric underscoring. Electric Poe first performs on stage at The Coterie for students and educators, SEP 14 – OCT 2. Then, for the spooky season, it moves outside to Union Cemetery, OCT 14 – NOV 1, to perform at sunset for families in front of the Holding Vault, built in 1857 in Kansas City’s oldest public cemetery.
The Coterie Theatre at Crown Center
2450 Grand Blvd., Crown Center Suite 144, KCMO
Tickets: https://thecoterie.org/2026-2027-season/electric-poe/
Box Office: (816) 474-6552
Lied Center of Kansas Accessibility Open House
Thursday, October 1 | 4:00 - 6:00 PM
About the event: Learn about the accessibility offerings available at The Lied Center of Kansas. Experience an audio description demonstration, test out the hearing loop, explore theatre seating, and visit with local vendors.
Lied Center of Kansas
1600 Stewart Dr., Lawrence, KS 66045
Starlight Summer Broadway
Beetlejuice
Saturday, October 3 | 7:45 PM performance
The ghost with the most is coming to Starlight! Based on the Tim Burton film comes BEETLEJUICE, a musical comedy about making the most of every Day-O. Entertainment Weekly calls it “A FEAST FOR THE EYES AND THE SOUL!”
https://tickets.kcstarlight.com/beetlejuice
Starlight Theater
4600 Starlight Rd, Kansas City, MO
Tickets: www.kcstarlight.com
Box Office: 816-363-7827
Step 1: Download the ListenWIFI App through your phones App Store or Google Play Store (free to download)
Step 2: Go to your phone's WIFI options and select Starlight's "Listen Anywhere Wifi"
Step 3: Open the ListenWIFI App and select "Scan Venue"
Step 4: Two options should appear: select the second option Audio Description
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors!
AD Performance: Saturday, October 17 | 7:30 PM performance
Plot summary: Sink your teeth into a frightfully funny farce where gothic horror meets high-speed hilarity. Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors takes Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale, flips it upside down, adds a few wigs, a lot of accents, and about a gallon of fake blood, then dashes it all with a generous splash of Monty Python energy.
Count Dracula is back, baby. He’s mysterious, immortal, charming, and very, very Eastern European. He’s also trying to sell his castle and relocate to England, which seems like a great idea until he meets a group of Victorians with more issues than a haunted library. Once in London, Dracula sets his sights on the innocent Mina, and let’s just say she has no idea that her new suitor sleeps in a box and has no reflection. Romance is complicated.
It will be a night of theatrical bloodshed, bonkers comedy, and ridiculous plot twists that somehow all come together. Whether you love vampires, hate vampires, or just enjoy watching actors run in circles while trying not to trip over a cape, this show is to die for.
Bring garlic. Leave logic. Prepare for terror. And laughter. Lots and lots of laughter.
Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center
8788 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, Kansas 66212
Tickets: https://www.jcprd.com/2413/DRACULA-A-Comedy-of-Terrors
Box Office: (913) 826-2787
- Information about attending a show: https://www.jcprd.com/2422/Seeing-a-show-INDOOR
Outlander in Concert
Friday, October 23 | 7:30 PM performance
For longtime “Outlander” fans, these words feel like home. As the global phenomenon reaches its conclusion in 2026, its heart continues to beat on stage with “Outlander in Concert.” The officially licensed live concert experience was created in collaboration with its showrunner, Matthew B. Roberts, and original Emmy Award-winning composer Bear McCreary.
Like the stones of Craigh na Dun that carried Claire through time to Jamie, this symphonic experience guides audiences through love and loss, past and future, Scotland and beyond. The iconic score by Bear McCreary takes center stage, performed live by an orchestra, while the series’ most stirring moments unfold on a cinema‑sized screen.
“Outlander in Concert” celebrates the show’s rich heritage, its timeless characters, and the sweeping landscapes that made us fall in love. Premiering in Scotland, the heart and home of “Outlander,” Echoes Through The Highlands will fill the air, reminding us that this is not the end… but just the beginning.
Officially licensed by Sony Pictures Television and in collaboration with official broadcaster Starz, this concert is a love letter to the story that captured millions of hearts across the world.
Through time. Through love. Through music.
Yardley Hall at the Midwest Trust Center
12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, Kansas
Tickets: https://www.jccc.edu/midwest-trust-center/events/2026-2027/outlander-in-concert.html
Box Office: (913) 469-8500
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Theaters with no current performances scheduled but AD is available by request
Audio Description is available upon request. Request description when purchasing your tickets.
Location information
Spencer Theatre (UMKC Campus): 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, MO 64110
Copaken Stage (Streetcar Power & Light/13th St. stop): 1 H&R Block Way, Kansas City, MO 64105
Tickets: +18162352700 or https://kcrep.org/.
Blue Springs City Theatre/The Penguin Project
Audio Description is available upon request. Request description when purchasing your tickets.
Tickets and information: https://bluespringscitytheatre.org/penguin-project-with-bsct/
Performance location: Blue Springs South High School, 2000 NW Ashton Dr, Blue Springs, MO 64015
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Audio Description is available upon request. Request description when purchasing your tickets.
Kauffman location: 1601 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108
Box Office: (816) 994-7222
Website: www.kauffmancenter.org
Flint Hills Shakespeare Festival
The Flint Hills Shakespeare Festival is a community based initiative focused on providing patrons with classical outdoor theater under the stars of Northeast Kansas.
Audio Description is available upon request. Request description when purchasing your tickets.
Tickets online at flinthillsshakespearefestival.com
Audio Description is available upon request. Request description when purchasing your tickets.
Location information: 940 New Hampshire St, Lawrence, KS
Tickets: 785-843-2787 or visit their website.
Audio Description is available upon request. Request description when purchasing your tickets.
Location information: 1600 Stewart Dr., Lawrence, KS 66045
Tickets: 785-864-2787 or visit their website.
A video about accessibility, parking, and Guest Services at KC Starlight Theater
Additional description opportunities
Art Description
The Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission’s Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition has a proud tradition. The exhibition was founded by Jim Patti in 1987 and is sponsored by the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission, which receives financial and staff support from the City of Lawrence. Artworks are displayed in downtown Lawrence, along Massachusetts Street, at Theatre Lawrence and in other areas.
Listen to the tour on the Audio-Reader Soundcloud Page
Museum Description
Watkins Community History Museum
1047 Massachusetts St, Lawrence, KS 66044
Housed in a beautiful, historic building on the corner of 11th and Massachusetts Streets, the Watkins showcases unique and fascinating stories from Douglas County’s past. Admission is free to the public, and donations are appreciated. Visit their website to learn more and plan your visit at https://www.watkinsmuseum.org/visit/.
Dole Institute of Politics
2350 Petefish Drive, Lawrence, KS 66045
Select exhibits at the Dole Institute of Politics have audio description available. Patrons can access description by using a QR code reader downloaded to their smart phone. Visit their events page at https://doleinstitute.org/museum/tours-activities/ to schedule a tour. Virtual tours may also be available.
What is Audio Description?
From American Council of the Blind:
Audio Description aims to bring more meaning and enjoyment to entertainment, cultural, and educational experiences for blind and visually impaired people. The key is making visual imagery accessible. It’s used to enhance movies, television, media, theater and other live performances/events, museums, national parks, meetings, and educational programming. These visual elements can include action, costumes, settings, facial gestures ,facial expressions and other visually important images.
Learn more on our Audio Description About Page.