Children’s Theater of Madison Receives Grant To Support Audio Description Services
The Wispact Foundation Provides CTM A Legacy Grant
MADISON, WI — Friday, January 9 — Children’s Theater of Madison (CTM), one of Wisconsin’s premier nonprofit theaters for young people and families, has been awarded a Legacy Grant of $4,970 by the Wispact Foundation.
Live theater is a multisensory experience, but without audio description, many visually impaired individuals may not have a fully engaging performance. Thanks to the Wispact Foundation Legacy Grant, CTM is currently working on providing audio description services for two performances of our upcoming shows to pilot this program – The Hobbit Saturday, February 14 at 2pm and Disney’s Newsies The Musical on Saturday May 9 at 2pm. CTM hopes to expand the audio description program in the 2027 season.
Direct feedback from patrons and members of the disability community has made it clear that offering a way to experience visual action, costumes, and sets onstage would improve both independence and enjoyment of live theater.
The Wiscpact Foundation grant will help fund CTM’s ability to have dedicated equipment, trained personnel, and established technical systems in place to launch and sustain this mission driven accessibility service for CTM performances at the Madison Youth Arts Center (MYArts).
“By expanding our access program to include audio description, we’re creating more ways for our community members to fully experience CTM productions. This reinforces our commitment to inclusion and ensures that youth, their families, and patrons of all abilities feel welcomed and connected to our shows,” says Amy Montoya, Director of Operations at CTM.
Support from the Wispact Foundation makes it possible to pilot this program and create a plan for a replicable model for a fully-implemented, season-long program in 2027.
“Live theater should be accessible to every person. By offering audio description, we’re opening the door wider so more youth and families can experience the magic of storytelling at CTM,” says Brian Cowing, Artistic Director at CTM.
Published on January 10, 2026
