Access to the Arts
From Broadway to Ballet, IRIS volunteers provide live Audio Description for performances and community events. Patrons hear this “play by play” of the visual elements of a performance on a headset provided by IRIS.
Audio Description is scheduled for the performance dates listed below. It can also be arranged by special request.
Upcoming
Audio Description Performances
Spamalot – Sunday, October 25, 2026 – 1:00PM
Maybe Happy Ending – Sunday, December 6, 2026 – 1:00PM
Waitress – Sunday, December 20, 2026 – 1:00PM
Buena Vista Social Club – Sunday, January 24, 2027 – 1:00PM
Legally Blonde – Sunday, February 14, 2027- 1:00PM
Phantom of the Opera – Sunday, March 7, 2027 – 1:00PM
The Sound of Music – Sunday, April 4, 2027 – 1:00PM
Mamma Mia – Sunday, May 9, 2027 – 1:00PM
Hell’s Kitchen – Sunday, August 1, 2027 – 1:00PM
Just in Time – Sunday, August 29, 2027 – 1:00PM
Annie – Sunday, December 13, 2026 – 1:00PM
Lifespan of a Fact – Sunday, February 21, 2027 – 2:00PM
Les Miserables – Sunday, April 11, 2027 – 2:00PM
Amadeus – Sunday, June 13, 2027 – 2:00PM
Mean Girls – Sunday, July 18, 2027 – 2:00PM
Young Frankenstein – Sunday, October 25, 2026 – 2:00PM
A Charlie Brown Christmas – Saturday, December 19, 2026 – 5:00PM
Clue – Wednesday, January 13, 2027 – 7:00PM
Mystic Pizza – Wednesday, February 3, 2027 – 7:00PM
Shucked – Monday, February 22, 2027 – 7:00PM
Into the Woods – Saturday, April 17, 2027 – 2:00PM
Beautiful Noise – Sunday, January 31, 2027 – 2:00PM
SIX – Saturday, February 20, 2027 – 2:00PM
Shucked – Saturday, March 27, 2027 – 2:00PM
The Wiz – Sunday, May 2, 2027 – 2:00PM
Swan Lake Ballet – Wednesday, October 7, 2026 – 7:00PM
Shucked – Tuesday, February 23, 2027 – 7:30PM
Hadestown – Wednesday, March 24, 2027 – 7:30PM (IF Headsets reserved by March 3)
Menopause the Musical – Friday, April 30, 2027 – 7:00PM (IF Headsets reserved by April 9)
The Addams Family School Edition – Sunday, October 25, 2026 – 1:30PM
A Christmas Carol – Sunday, December 6, 2027 – 2:00PM
Harriett the Spy – Sunday, February 7, 2027 – 1:00PM
Puffs – Sunday, May 2, 2027 – 2:00PM
Hadestown Teen Edition – Sunday, July 25, 2027 – 1:00PM
Ghost Stories – Friday, October 16, 2026 – 7:00PM
The Nutcracker – AD performance to be determined
No Described Shows Scheduled at this time. Watch for updates!
Sweeney Todd – Sunday, January 24, 2027 – 2:00PM
Through my participation here, I have come to realize what a valuable resource IRIS is for the people of Iowa who depend upon it. So, when we learned about this idea, and the need for funding, my husband and I felt this was something which we could help develop.
How better to enrich the lives of those we serve than to bring art, music and theater to them? We recommended to name the team “Sensation,” because it not only implies the sensational nature of the art forms we will be describing, but also ties into the feelings we all experience in our senses and emotions as we listen to and appreciate these performances.
Eileen Bowerman
We are so grateful to receive funding support from the Iowa Economic anbd Development Authority, The Iowa Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. This funding enables IRIS to provide Audio Description for more venues, performances and events across the State!