Access Guide
Many theatres have special performances for Blind or Deaf people to help make the show come alive for these audiences. These special performance are often referred to as assisted performances. If you want to make use of an assisted performance, it is important to ask the box office about them when you book, to make sure you have all the equipment that you need.
Many theatres offer a touch tour for blind and partially sighted people. This often takes place an hour or two before the show starts. People are able to go onto the stage and look closely at the set and the costumes and props. Some actors appear for the touch tour to help too which always a bonus.
Some theatres also provide audio description for one or two performances. The audience member uses a set of headphones through which the audio describer’s voice is relayed. The audio describer describes what is happening on stage, as well as important facial expressions, body language and visual jokes. This description is carefully fitted in around the actors’ voices.
Most audio described performances start with a detailed description of the scenery, the cast and the costumes, before the curtain goes up. Check the time of the production notes so that you don’t miss anything.
The headsets used for audio description are usually easy to manage and theatre staff will show you how to use them before the show starts. Some theatres ask for a small deposit for the use of the headphones which is returnable.
Many theatres offer three very different types of support for Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audiences.
Interpreted Performances may be offered for those people whose first language is British Sign Language (BSL). The Sign Language Interpreter will stand on the stage in a place where the audience can see both the interpreter and the actors. They will interpret the dialogue and important sounds throughout.
Some theatres provide a captioned show. Captioning is like sub-titles. The character’s name and what they say, sound effects and offstage noises are shown on a large screen, usually placed on the side of the stage. This enables the audience to watch the play and read the dialogue at the same time. This is done live to ensure that the timing is accurate.
Most theatres provide infrared hearing systems. This sends the show sound to you through a personal headset and allows you to adjust the volume. Usually, two types of receiver are available. One type has in-ear headphones which also relay the audio description if you need both services. The other type is a neck loop which transmits to a hearing aid with a T-setting.
Most theatres welcome assistance dogs and will make arrangements for them to be looked after. But you do need to let the box office know if you are bringing one as they may have limited number of spaces for dogs.
We would like you to tell your friends about these special performances. They are becoming a part of the professional theatre all over the country. The people who work as Audio Describers, Captioners and Theatre Interpreters are skilled at their job and many have professional qualifications. It takes a long time to prepare each performance. We have to prepare special scripts and watch the play several times in order to make the show as easy as possible for you to watch.
It would be great to have bigger audiences along to these shows.
