Audio Description & ASL for Future Forward

We delve into the past to explore our future. Two world premieres and two audience favorites, including Michael Smuin’s beloved “Hearts Suite,” set to the music of Edith Piaf.

 

Audio Description for Future Forward – Saturday, April 18, at 2:00 pm

There will be Audio Description, as well as a pre-show Haptic Access Tour, at the performance on Saturday, April 18, at 2:00 pm.

 

ASL for Future Forward – Friday, April 24, at 7:30 pm

There will be ASL interpretation at the performance on Friday, April 24, at 7:30 pm.

 

Purchase Tickets

To purchase tickets, reserve a headset for Audio Description, and/or reserve a place on the Haptic Access Tour, please call the Smuin Box Office at 415-912-1899 or send an email to boxoffice@smuinballet.org

 

Short Show Description

Haptic Access Tour

Arrive by 12:30 pm on Saturday, April 18, for a 15-minute live pre-show tour that allows patrons to experience—through touch and their own movement— the space, performers, costumes, and objects in addition to key movement elements in the performance. Patrons should gather in the lobby of the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason at 12:30 pm. The haptic access tour will begin at 12:45 pm.

About the Program

Future Forward includes two world premieres, one by Andrea Schermoly and one by Artistic Director Amy Seiwert. This will be Seiwert’s 15th ballet for Smuin. Also on the program is Katarzyna Skarpetowska’s Sextette and Michael Smuin’s beloved Hearts Suite, set to the music of Edith Piaf.

For more information, to book a spot in a Haptic Access Tour, or to reserve a headset please call:  415-912-1899

Note to group organizers: We currently have a total of 20 headsets available. We recommend that you ask people to reserve them. To date we have not had more AD users than we could accommodate. If you believe that you will have more AD users than this (i.e. you are working with a school group or organization) please let us know ASAP. We can purchase more receivers and headsets, but it takes up to a week for us to receive shipment.

 

Date and Time

For Audio Description:  4/18/2026 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

For ASL:  4/24/2026 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM

Show Length

The show is 2 hours long and 3 and a half hours long if you join for the Haptic Access Tour on Saturday, April 18.

Location of event

Cowell Theater at Fort Mason

2 Marina Blvd Suite 260, San Francisco, CA 94123

Contact

For more information, please contact the Smuin Box Office at 415-912-1899.

Gravity Access Service

The audio described performance is possible through a partnership with Gravity Access Services.

Your Gravity Audio Describer is

Ian Buchanan

About Audio Described Performances

For audience members who are blind or visually impaired, Smuin Contemporary Ballet partners with Gravity Access Services to offer live audio description and haptic access tours for selected performances. Audio description is a live audio track spoken by a professional audio describer to audience members with visual impairments through a wireless headset system. It provides clear and engaging descriptions of the meaningful visual details of a performance. Haptic access tours (20-30 minutes) are a live pre-show tour that allows patrons to experience—through touch and their own movement— the space, performers, costumes and objects in addition to key movement elements in the performance.

Your ASL Interpreters is

To be announced