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Wharton Center for Performing Arts at Michigan State University

Michigan's Premiere Performing Arts Center

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Accessibility Information

Wharton Center offers many patron services including Audio Description, Sign Language Interpretation, Assisted Listening Devices, Barrier-Free Parking and Wheel Chair Pick-up.

Audio Description Icon    Sign Language Interpretation Icon    Barrier-Free Icon    Assisted Listening Device Icon    Information Icon    Information Icon

Accessibility Services for Patrons


Audio Description: This service allows blind and visually impaired patrons to hear the program notes, followed by a description of the visual elements taking place on stage through a FM receiver. Listeners will hear a description of actions, body language, lights, costumes, scenery and other aspects of the production not conveyed by voices and sounds from the stage. This service is available for Sunday matinee performances of Broadway shows when requested a minimum of four weeks in advance.

The following performances will feature audio description for the 2011-2012 Season:

Date Event
Sun Oct 2, 2011, 1:00pm Jersey Boys
Wed Oct 12, 2011, 7:30pm Jersey Boys
Sun Nov 13, 2011, 1:00pm West Side Story
Sun Dec 18, 2011, 1:00pm Rock of Ages
Sun Jan 15, 2012, 1:00pm Million Dollar Quartet
Sun Feb 05, 2012, 1:00pm The Addams Family
Sun Apr 1, 2012, 1:00pm Memphis
Sun Apr 8, 2012, 1:00pm Les Miserables
Sun Jul 1, 2012, 1:00pm WICKED

Sign Language Interpretation: This service is available for Sunday matinee performances of Broadway shows when requested a minimum of four weeks in advance.

The following performances will feature sign language interpretation for the 2010-2011 Season:

Date Event
Sun Oct 2, 2011, 1:00pm Jersey Boys
Wed Oct 12, 2011, 7:30pm Jersey Boys
Sun Nov 13, 2011, 1:00pm West Side Story
Sun Dec 18, 2011, 1:00pm Rock of Ages
Sun Jan 15, 2012, 1:00pm Million Dollar Quartet
Sun Feb 05, 2012, 1:00pm The Addams Family
Sun Apr 1, 2012, 1:00pm Memphis
Sun Apr 8, 2012, 1:00pm Les Miserables
Sun Jul 1, 2012, 1:00pm WICKED

Assisted Listening Devices: Assisted listening devices are available from House Management free of charge. Patrons wearing hearing aids should remember that volume turned too high may cause high-pitched feedback which can be heard by others throughout the hall.

Open Captioning: Wharton Center offers open captioning select Thursday evening Broadway performances. On open captioned performances an electronic text display to the side of the stage shows what the actors are saying or singing and describes sound effects on stage.

The following performances will feature open captioning for the 2011-2012 Season:

Date Event
Thu Sep 29, 2011, 7:30pm Jersey Boys
Thu Nov 10, 2011, 7:30pm West Side Story
Thu Apr 5, 2012, 7:30pm Les Miserables
Thu Jun 28, 2012, 7:30pm WICKED

c2 inc. Caption Coalition    

Barrier-Free Parking: Available for patrons with disabilities on all levels of the Wharton Center ramp. Access to level 2 (Wharton entrance) is available by elevators from all levels.

Wheelchair pick-up Available for most performances but must be requested in advance. Wheelchair pick-up at Wharton Center is available on level 2, Shaw Rd. entrance ONLY.

Please notify the box office at the time of your ticket purchase if you require special seating: platform seats, companion seats, or seats with few or no steps.

Website Accessibility

Wharton Center is dedicated to supporting all patrons and has made every effort to make whartoncenter.com accessible to all our visitors. In the event you do experience difficulty trying to access whartoncenter.com with assistive devices, or because a feature we have developed or included in our site keeps you from accessing any content, contact Wharton Center directly and we will make every effort to help you obtain the information you need. Continue to check this page for the latest information on how to best access our website.

In addition to HTML, whartoncenter.com features content in Quicktime, SWF and PDF formats. The use of these three formats requires a plugin. If you are having difficulty accessing this content we suggest you download a copy of the plugins neccessary, or upgrade your current plugins to the latest version of the Apple® Quicktime® for movie content, Adobe® Flash® Player runtime for SWF content and Adobe® Acrobat Reader® software for PDF files.

Download links:

Call us for more information about our accessibility services or to inquire about additional patron services at Wharton Center.

Nina Silbergleit

Director of Patron Services
nina@whartoncenter.com
(517) 884-3119

Matt Kribs

Associate House Manager
matt.kribs@whartoncenter.com
(517) 884-3199


All performances, dates, times and prices are subject to change.