Rhode Island Theater Balcony Now Accessible For All

The United, a theater in Westerly, Rhode Island, held a “lift-off” ceremony in late December to officially christen its new elevator, which is now handicap accessible, The Westerly Sun reports. The elevator allows the theater to serve differently abled guests by making the building’s balcony accessible for all. In addition, the elevator “enhances our lobby and audience experience,” and, “in the true spirit of the organization” is “beautifully complemented by art,” according to officials. The referenced art is a photo mural papered inside the interior walls of the elevator shaft that was designed by two Westerly High School students who created the mural for their senior projects by using archival photographs of the United — from its early days as a vaudeville venue in 1926 to its years as a movie house to its current-day renaissance. The students arranged the photos as a “journey through time.”