Rainbow on Mars by Devon Healey
An Outside the March Experience in co-production with The National Ballet of Canada and Peripheral Theatre.
1. Creative Accessibility
Rainbow on Mars features Immersive Descriptive Audio (IDA) at every performance. Created by Healey, this new accessible stagecraft practice is designed for both Blind and sighted audience members alike, embedding a deepened audio description experience and sound design within the narrative itself. There is no in-ear audio description. Every performance is accessible for Blind and sighted audiences.
This play discusses expressions of Blindness. The creatives involved with the play express Blindness in various ways and identify themselves and their Blindness in many different ways/words/terms such as Blind, visually impaired, partially sighted etc. Outside the March and the Rainbow on Mars team honour all the ways in which members of the Blind community choose to identify.
2. Venue Information
Rainbow on Mars is at Ada Slaight Hall in the Daniels Spectrum Building at 585 Dundas Street East in Toronto, Ontario. Wayfinding signage is provided in Braille throughout the facility. The Daniels Spectrum Building is on the South West corner of Dundas Street East and Regent Park Boulevard. This intersection has traffic lights, and tactile paving and Accessible Pedestrian Signals at all four corners.
There are two entrances to the Daniels Spectrum Building. One entrance is facing Dundas Street East, close to the East corner of the building. There are no steps to this entrance. One entrance is facing Regent Park Boulevard and is approximately 27 meters south of Dundas Street East. This entrance has 3 steps up to a landing to reach the door. Or it can be accessed from a ramp that starts on Dundas Street and runs along the side of the building to the door approximately 27 meters south of Dundas Street East. There is more detail in a later section “5. Entering and Navigating Inside the Venue” about these entrances, and navigating inside the Daniels Spectrum Building.
Here is a Google Maps Street View screenshot of the Daniels Spectrum Building:
You can also visit Google StreetView on Google Maps
3. Arriving at the Venue by TTC
Access Ada Slaight Hall in the Daniels Spectrum Building by taking the 505 Dundas Streetcar and get off the streetcar at stop number 15872: Dundas St East at Regent Park Blvd.
Coming from West of the Venue, the streetcar stop is on the South side of the street, directly in front of the Daniels Spectrum Building. You will get off the streetcar in the middle lane of the road, and have to cross a bike lane, before getting onto the sidewalk which is the South West corner of Dundas Street East and Regent Park Boulevard.
Coming from East of the Venue, the streetcar stop is on the North side of the street, diagonally across from the Daniels Spectrum Building. You will get off the streetcar in the middle lane of the road, and have to cross a bike lane, before getting onto the sidewalk which is the North East corner of Dundas Street East and Regent Park Boulevard. Once you are on the sidewalk, cross the intersection twice according to the traffic lights using the Accessible Pedestrian Signals until you are on the South West corner of the intersection, in front of the Daniels Spectrum Building. Note that the North side of the intersection is a sidewalk alongside a park. Regent Park Boulevard does not continue North of Dundas Street East.
Here is a Google Maps screenshot of the intersection showcasing the TTC stops:
4. Arriving by Wheel-Trans, RideShare or Taxi
When taking a RideShare or Taxi, provide the address of 70 Regent Park Boulevard for the most direct drop off location. You can also provide the name of Daniels Spectrum Building, and ask that they turn down Regent Park Boulevard for a direct drop off. The car should drop you off on the West side of the street. If you need a ramp, ask the car to drop you off on Regent Park Boulevard as close to Dundas Street East as possible. If you use stairs, ask the car to drop you off approximately 27 metres South of Dundas Street, close to the entrance doors facing Regent Park Boulevard.
Below is a Google Maps screenshot of the entrance facing Regent Park Boulevard where cars can drop off passengers:
5. Entering and Navigating Inside the Venue
There are two entrances to the Daniels Spectrum Building.
The North Entrance
One entrance is facing Dundas Street East, close to the East corner of the building. This is labelled as the North Entrance. There are no steps to this entrance. This entrance has a glass double door facing the wide sidewalk on the South side of Dundas Street East, with an automatic open button on an approximately 3-foot-tall metal pole on the far left of the double door. The doors open out onto Dundas Street East. Once you pass through the first glass double door, there is a vestibule with a piano, followed by a second set of glass double doors. When you pass through the second glass double door, you will be in a lobby with couches on tables to the left, and a cafe stand on the right. Walk straight from the door to the Ada Slaight Hall lobby, approximately 25 meters or approximately 30 – 35 steps. Outside the March will have a box office set up in the Ada Slaight Lobby. More information about the Box Office will come in early August.
The East Entrance
One entrance is facing Regent Park Boulevard and is approximately 27 meters south of Dundas Street East. This is labelled as the East Entrance. This entrance has 3 steps up to a landing to reach the glass double door East Entrance. The East Entrance can also be accessed from a ramp that starts on Dundas Street and runs along the side of the building to the door approximately 27 meters south to the East Entrance. The ramp is wide and includes a patio that sometimes has picnic tables and benches on it, while leaving a path for transportation close to the building.
The East Entrance has glass double doors with an automatic open button approximately 3 feet high, attached to the building, on the far right side of the glass double doors. The doors open out onto the sidewalk. Once you pass through the first glass double door, there is a small vestibule, followed by a second set of glass double doors. When you pass through the second glass double door, you will be in the Ada Slaight lobby and the theatre is on the right side. Outside the March will have a box office set up in the Ada Slaight Lobby. More information about the Box Office will come in early August.
6. Bathrooms and Drinking Water
The Daniels Spectrum Building has gendered bathrooms with multiple stalls including an accessible stall. The Daniels Spectrum Building has a water fountain with a water bottle refill spout. Outside the March will sell bottled water at the Box Office.
7. Street to Seat Support Option
“Street to Seat” is an audience initiative that supports people getting from where they arrive on the bus, rideshare, or WheelTrans, all the way to their seat in the theatre. Upon request, an Outside the March team member will be waiting for you outside the venue upon arrival. They will accompany you into the building, through the lobby to the theatre, and either guide you to your seat or connect you with an usher who will guide you to your seat. Please indicate when you buy your ticket if you would like Street to Seat support, and a member of our box office team will get in touch to arrange.
8. Ticket Information
Purchase tickets via email, phone (289-324-0448), or online.
Ticket pricing has 3 options:
1. Patron for $85.00 plus taxes and a booking fee
2. Regular for $50.00 plus taxes and a booking fee
3. Artsworker/Underwaged/Student for $25.00 plus taxes and a booking fee
Support worker or companion tickets for Blind and disabled patrons are free.
Outside the March has limited free tickets available for audience members in financial need through our Pay-It-Forward program. Email boxoffice@outsidethemarch.ca to request a single ticket, no questions asked.
9. Seating Details
Rainbow on Mars uses an in-the-round style of seating, where the audience is in a circle around the stage. There are 3 rings of seating, each with a unique style of chair that you can select during ticket booking.
The first ring closest to the stage has a “gamer-style chair” which is cushioned and low to the ground. They have a high back and can rock, swivel and recline. These chairs do not have legs or arms and some people may have to bend at the hips and knees more than 90 degrees in order to sit in this chair. It looks like this:
The second/middle ring has a standard chair with a 90 degrees bend in the dips and knees and the feet sit on the floor. The chair has a back. It looks like this:
The third ring has a high chair that is “bar-stool” height where your knees are bent less than 90 degrees and your feet rest above the ground on a footbar. The seat has a back. It looks like this:
Patrons using mobility devices as their seats can select specifically-designated tickets by selecting the seats with the mobility device icon at booking, or by calling the box office at 289-324-0448.
10. Marketing and Communications
Our website has a Userway accessibility widget. Just click on the blue button on any page of our website to turn it on.
Most of Outside the March’s marketing and communications for this production have been optimized for screen readers. We’ve also created tailor-made audio versions of our communications, and many of our social media posts.
11. Other Accessibility Notes
Unfortunately we’re unable to provide ASL-interpreted performances.
A digital copy of the script is available upon request for patrons who may wish to review prior to the performance. Email boxoffice@outsidethemarch.ca to request.
12. Further Contact Information
Email boxoffice@outsidethemarch.ca for any questions.