Maybe There’s A Way to Celebrate with Us After All…

Nov 13, 2020 | Editorial, Feature, Town Crier

Hi friends,

On Election Night I wrote to tell you how much we missed you, and missed the chance to share the night’s energy and anticipation with you. I mentioned the power we feel when we’re with people who share our curiosities, our passions, and especially our optimism.

“Optimism” is so often called out as essential to America’s national character. I don’t know if that’s true, but knowing the character of Town Hall for 16 years now I can say that optimism—fundamental to our belief that together we can make the world better for each other—burns hot inside most card-carrying Town Hall-ions, too.

With the last states formally called (if not officially certified) today this election is effectively concluded. And no matter your perspective on the outcome I hope at last you’re getting that sense of closure that allows us to face the future with confidence. I’m going to celebrate with my family tonight—and if you’re in the mood to join me…

A look back through our Media Library will recall some of the extraordinary nights we’ve spent together on the way to this moment: Stacey Abrams and the March for Our Lives, with moving stories of community organization; Amber Tamblyn, on finding political power as you come of age; and World Without Hate, where stories coalesce into a vision of the change we want to see. And from the last three weeks alone–Steve Davis and Chelsea Clinton turn outrage to practical activism; and Jane Fonda/Elizabeth Lesser and Robert Putnam/Shaylin Garrett, issue inspiring calls to overcome self interest in favor of a common interest and heal the country.

After you look back, look forward to tomorrow night’s installment of the Bushwick Book Club, which offers original songs inspired by a book: this time, Eric Liu’s Become America, which collects a number of secular “sermons” from his wonderful Civic Saturdays programs. Many of them are hosted at/with Town Hall. Check out last Saturday’s 11/7 here, and make sure you mark your calendar for next time.

OK, maybe this won’t feel like the laughing, crying, hugging, cheering… But I promise you that in these nights (and too many others to list) you’ll feel the optimism that brought us through to this moment, and the hope that will carry us until we can be together again.

With gratitude and affection,

Wier

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dTown Hall Seattle is committed to accessibility for audiences and artists alike. From our ticketing policies to the capacities of our physical space, our goal is for Town Hall to be a place where everyone can take part, be inspired, and use their voice to shape our future.

Our Venue

In 2019, Town Hall Seattle completed a $35 million renovation, providing an even more accessible home for our city’s conversations and creativity. Core accessibility features of the renovation include:

  • At-grade entrances (8th Ave Entrance to The Lobby, and West Entrance facing Downtown Seattle)
  • Restrooms for all genders and bodies. Our building features 17 all-gender restrooms on our lobby level, as well as ADA-accessible restrooms on the lobby and Forum level
  • Church pew/bench seats with wheelchair and companion seating in The Great Hall, and variable/movable seating in The Wyncote NW Forum and The Mehdi Reading Room
  • A modern, spacious elevator serving all three levels of the building and a wheelchair lift for speaker access to the Forum green room
  • Wheelchair ramp leading to the Forum Stage and wheelchair access via the elevator to the Great Hall stage
  • Accessible backstage areas, restrooms, and green rooms serviced by an elevator
  • Speaker and presenter seating for all bodies and abilities
  • A Hearing Loop system in all three performance spaces. Using T-Coil (wireless receiver) technology, the hearing loop system projects voices and sounds directly from the microphone into an individual’s hearing aid.
  • Braille on permanent room signage throughout the building

A Note on Transportation and Parking

Town Hall Seattle does not have a designated parking lot. Our venue is served by frequent bus routes, is near access to light rail stations, and close to a number of parking options nearby – including discounted, ADA parking at LAZ Parking (6th Ave Coast Seattle Downtown Hotel Garage). Learn more about parking options and discounted parking nearby here.

Program Accessibility & Livestreaming

Town Hall strives to ensure that all audience members can participate fully in our programs. We make every effort to provide real-time captioning (CART), ASL interpretation, translation and transcription services, and seating accommodations upon request.

Town Hall currently provides livestreaming for select events. An event may be livestreamed under any of the following circumstances:

  • In-person tickets to the event are sold out or anticipated to sell out
  • Livestreaming is requested by a speaker or co-presenting partner
  • Livestreaming is requested by a ticket buyer
  • The event topic is relevant to disability or disability justice

Audio and/or video recordings of most Town Hall-produced programs are available to the public approximately 2 weeks after the initial event date. You can find Town Hall’s digital content by visiting the Audio & Video Archives, and by subscribing to our podcasts and YouTube channel.

We do our best to honor livestream requests, pending staffing and permission from speakers and publishers. Contact access@townhallseattle.org to request accessibility services, ask questions, or to let us know what other accommodation you need to participate fully. Please provide at least 2 weeks’ advance notice when requesting CART and Livestreaming, and at least 4 weeks’ notice when requesting ASL.

For more information about our entrances, accessibility requests, and more, check out our Plan Your Visit pages.

Economic Accessibility

Town Hall strives to ensure that the cost of admission is never a barrier to participation. Almost all Town Hall-produced events are available on a sliding scale starting at $10, and many events are free. To break down further barriers to access, our 22 & Under initiative launched in 2019 with support from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, making most Town Hall-produced programs free for everyone aged 22 & Under.

If the ticket price to a Town Hall-produced program poses a barrier for you, please contact patronservices@townhallseattle.org for economic accommodations.

Economic Access for Rental Partners: We operate our stages with the same deep commitment to economic accessibility; our performance spaces are the most affordable in the region among similarly sized venues. We underwrite rental rates and related services for other small and midsized nonprofits and mission-aligned producers to help level the cultural playing field and ensure that everyone can afford to take the stage.

Note: Town Hall does not set the ticket prices for Rental Partner events. Our sliding scale ticketing model and 22 & Under tickets do not extend to programs produced by Rental Partners. To identify rental events, look for the gray “Rental Partner” label on our website and printed calendar.

Town Hall values active collaboration with our community, and our commitment to accessibility is no different. We invite you to contact us with feedback and ideas.