PHILADELPHIA, PA — Arden Theatre Company will offer approximately 2,000 discounted $5 tickets and expand accessibility services during its 2026-27 season through a $25,000 PNC Arts Alive grant, reducing financial and physical barriers for theatergoers with disabilities and limited incomes.
The Philadelphia-based theater announced the funding as part of its season-long initiative, The Arden is for EVERYONE, which provides accommodations for patrons with disabilities and other accessibility needs.
The grant will support two public Accessibility Open Houses, scheduled for November 6 and December 5 at 5:30 p.m., alongside discounted admission for eligible patrons throughout the season.
The $5 ACCESS tickets will be available to qualifying individuals with disabilities and people with limited incomes, extending the theater’s efforts to make live performances more affordable.
Arden Managing Director Amy Murphy said the initiative is intended to help audiences understand and use accessibility resources available across the region’s cultural institutions.
“From our Open Houses to $5 ACCESS tickets, we want every person who walks through our doors, or any cultural organization in the region, to know the arts are genuinely for everyone,” Murphy said.
The November 6 open house will coincide with Old City District’s First Fridays programming and a performance of Topdog/Underdog. The December 5 event will take place during the holiday run of Arden Children’s Theatre’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Both events will include demonstrations of accessibility services, opportunities to meet representatives from regional arts and disability-serving organizations, and sensory tours of the theater.
The tours will allow visitors to explore seating areas, ask questions and experience selected production elements before attending a performance.
The Arden already provides wheelchair-accessible public spaces and seating, assistive listening devices, open-captioned performances and caption glasses that display dialogue and sound effects in real time.
Selected performances also feature American Sign Language shadow interpreting, while additional accommodations are available for patrons with sensory processing needs.
The theater is among nearly 40 arts organizations in the Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey region selected to receive PNC Arts Alive funding this year.
The program, administered through the PNC Foundation, supports initiatives intended to increase participation in visual and performing arts.
The Arden’s 2026-27 season includes five mainstage productions and two children’s theater productions.
Following Girl from the North Country, which concluded October 25, the mainstage schedule includes Topdog/Underdog from October 29 through December 13, Native Gardens from January 21 through March 7, and the Philadelphia premiere of John Proctor is the Villain from February 25 through March 28.
The season concludes with the musical Kimberly Akimbo, running May 13 through June 13.
Children’s programming includes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, running November 25 through January 17, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, scheduled for April 14 through June 6.
Founded in 1988, Arden Theatre Company operates in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood and has produced 46 world premieres.
Information about performances, accessibility services and tickets is available at https://ardentheatre.org/.
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