Access to the Theater

Been doing some research on the options for access to the theater. It depends on the venue and location and how many Deaf/HH people patronize the theater in said area. Some areas like NYC, Chicago, the Twin Cities, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco have an in-house program for access for D/HH patrons. (Those schedules can be found on the right column - speaking of, I added the schedule for the Detroit, MI area after finding it the other night).

Most venues have the customary ALDs (Assistive Listening Devices). Some come equipped with a headphone, others can be used with a Personal Audio Cable coupled to the wearer's own hearing aids or cochlear implant.

Some locations offer sign language interpreters upon request, others have a full season of interpreted shows (or at least they made a committment to offer at least one interpreted performance per run). The number of interpreters used (most use 2, some are daring with one, others have used up to 16 as was done at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, courtesy of HandsOn).

Not only that, the quality also varies (see post regarding the different ways to sign "Defying Gravity"). It can be unpredictable regarding the quality and effectiveness of the interpreters cast for the gig - sometimes they can be spectacular, other times they can kill a show.

Fewer venues offer open-captioning (mainly through c2 in the United States and Stagetext in the United Kingdom). In this configuration, the screen reader is set up on stage while a script is fed through a feeder laptop computer. This option is gaining a wider audience, especially for shows sponsored by TDF (Theater Development Fund) as research shows that a high percentage of patrons with hearing loss DO NOT use the sign language interpreters, so they benefit more from captioning.

Another type of captioning used is the handheld variety. Mainly used at Broadway theaters (the Gershwin, the August Wilson, and the Winter Garden for WICKED, JERSEY BOYS and MAMMA MIA!, respectively) and at the Disney theme parks, this takes captioning to a new level. Resembling a PDA in size and function, the device uses timed PowerPoint slides with the dialogue/lyrics fed synchroniously with the light and sound cues.

The advantage of this system is that the user can sit anywhere in the house, unlike open-captioning and sign language interpreter users who have to sit up front in order to optimize their usability.

When none of those mentioned above are available, there is the tried-and-true fallback - the script. Even though the PLAYBILL makes a statement discouraging the flipping of pages during a show as "noisy distraction", sometimes this option is the only option available at many theaters that can't afford or won't provide the other options above.

Myself? I have tried all those (a majority of them using the script option though interpretation is slowly beating out that option), and they all have their own pros and cons.

My question is, which system have you used in the past? What is the ideal combination, if possible? Thoughts about the various systems?

Calling all Volunteers!

Calling all volunteers - or should it be "waving at all volunteers"? Anyways, the time has come to request individuals who are part of the performing arts scene to volunteer for interviews (e-mailed or through Instant Messaging) for a project I'm working on.

Who am I seeking? If you fit one or any (or all) of the roles below, we want you!

Audience Patron (person who attends theater merely for the enjoyment of seeing live performances unfold in front of their very eyes).

Interpreters (Shakespeare... Musical... Classic... Contemporary... we welcome all!)

Actors/Actresses (See note regarding interpreters). All Deaf, HOH and Hearing actors welcome!

Professionals (Those who work directly with performing arts organizations. Are you an usher? Do you work in the Box Office? Manage a company?)

Creative Team (Do you spearhead your own production as a director? Create the set? Sew up like mad on costumes? Write up the plays (and musicals) that we put on for the audiences?)

Educators (Do you teach Drama? Dance? Both? Or do you implement performing arts into your curriculum?)

Parents (Especially those with Deaf/HOH children/ teenagers/ college students).

Advocate (Don't fit any of those above but still care enough to support those who venture into the field? You're still welcome!)

If interested, please send an e-mail to me at ASLPerformingArts@gmail.com (or leave a note under Comments regarding further information).

Looking forward to having a chitchat with all of you would-be volunteers regarding the magical world of performing arts! (Don't be shy - come on, come out!)

Many thanks!

Quick Update: Upon request, two more links to schedules of interpreted/captioned performances in London and the rest of Great Britain have been added to the list on the right. TheatreSign focuses on the London metro area while SPIT (Signed Performances in Theatre) covers the entire country.

Behind-the-Scenes Video of Disney's MARY POPPINS on Tour! (CC)

After several months of begging and requesting, Disney on Broadway now has the 23-minute feature of behind-the-scenes of MARY POPPINS on Tour now captioned! 190 North takes a look at the show during its stop in Chicago. In the video, some scenes from the musical are portrayed, some interviews with the cast/crew and patrons, etc.

It also showcases the red-carpet premiere- the opening night of the show (Richard and Robert Sherman; notably known as the original composer-lyricsts of the 1964 film make an appearance).

It even shows how Mary Poppins herself flies onstage every night!

Link to the Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQxdghQzMQw

"Enjoy Chicago's "190 North" segment on the new touring production of MARY POPPINS, including production footage, a backstage tour, production history, and interviews with the cast, creative team, and audience." - DisneyOnBroadway



DisneyOnBroadway is slowly getting there... Do leave a note to thank them for captioning their Broadway film footage! (For those who have sent notes to request videos to be captioned, THANK YOU!) Got a particular video you'd like captioned? Send them a note!

Enjoy!

Question of the Week

As I was assembling the various chapters that make up my memoirs, I pondered upon my experiences as a theatergoing patron and came up with a question (to kick off the Question of the Week series that will take up the next few blog posts in between announcements of captioned media).

So, here goes: Question of the Week # 1

WHAT WAS YOUR BEST EXPERIENCE AT THE THEATER? WORST? WHY?

For me, let's see...

Best Experience:

RENT the Broadway Tour (see blog posts dated March and April regarding those). We had two of the most crazy-talented interpreters that not only worked with the mechanics of their craft, but the theatrics as well. The tidbit about seeing Anthony, Adam and Gwen reprise their roles from the Broadway production was a VERY nice fringe benefit! "One Song Glory" and "La vie Boheme" were the highlights of the interpreters' handiwork.

Worst Experience:

I've had a few so it's difficult to choose just ONE... but seeing AIDA on tour in Idaho is up on the list. Due to miscommunication between the Box Office staff, the interpreting community and the client (me), it was difficult to secure interpreters for this show as the Box Office denied getting any requests even though I asked for them a month in advance.

A three-day-tussle (and many pilgrimmages to the theater) yielded a copy of the script (borrowed with permission from Disney Theatricals with a $50 deposit in case I didn't return the script) and two second-row orchestra seats. It would have been fine if the ushers didn't pounce on me 10 pages before Intermission, thinking that my penlight was a light emitted from a recording device. (The box office knew I was using a flashlight - would it be too much for them to kindly alert the ushers? Some communication could be benefical here...)

Not only that, but they also turned on the house lights full blast (as I didn't catch their waving hands at the end of the row, as the seats at the theater were arranged in rows with no breaks or aisiles and I was in the middle of one). Really, they could have shined a flashlight into my face and I would have taken the hint - but to distrupt the show with turning the house lights on? It took a while to return the script and get my $50 deposit back...

Clearly, some theaters in Boise need to work on their accessibility issue. (Their excuse? "But we have never had a Deaf person come and ask for them!" Learn from this experience people... I'm here to help you - by educating you how to utilize and provide services for us.)

Now, what were YOUR best/worst theater experiences? Horror interpreters? Pushy ushers? ADA infrigments? Wonderful interpreters? Accomodating cast members? Share them with us! Let's see if we can get 10 to post under 'Comments'!