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If you are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing and you find theatre difficult to follow? If so, captioning could be the answer …
If you are one of the nine million deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people in the UK, a trip to the theatre can be a frustrating experience. Although you may be able to hear the sounds on stage, perhaps you can’t make out all the words; in some cases you may be able to hear very little at all.
But now there is a solution that brings the theatre back to life. It’s called captioning, and whatever your degree of deafness, it could make all the difference between following a play and being baffled.
What is captioning?
Captions are similar to television subtitles and give deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people access to live performance. The actors’ words appear on a display unit (or units) on or near the stage at the same time as they are spoken or sung. Speaker names, sound effects and offstage noises are also shown.
A qualified captioner prepares the script in advance then operates the captions as the action happens on stage so they mirror the rhythm and flow of the dialogue
Who benefits from captioning?
Captioned performances are particularly helpful for
- Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people who want to access plays in English
- People whose hearing is not as sharp as it used to be
- Anyone who has difficulty following strong accents
- Students who are studying the text of a play
- People whose first language is not English
What kind of productions are captioned?
STAGETEXT, which is the leading provider of the service in the UK, captions over 180 shows a year in around 80 venues across the UK including dramas, comedies, musicals and pantomimes. In London, they regularly caption shows at the National Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Almeida, Barbican, Young Vic, Lyric Hammersmith and Hampstead Theatre. They also caption many of the top West End musicals and have some great shows coming up this autumn including Guys and Dolls, Sinatra, The Lion King, Evita, Billy Elliot, Les Misérables and Wicked.
Where do I sit?
When booking seats for a captioned performance, always ask the Box office which seats are most suitable for reading the captions. Usually the captions can be seen by the whole theatre so you can sit with your family and friends.
New project
STAGETEXT is currently working on a joint project with VocalEyes, the charity which provides audio description in the theatre for blind and partially sighted people. The two organisations have received funding from the Treasury’s Invest to Save Round 8 and the Arts Council England Grants for the Arts to develop the See a Voice project. This three-year project aims to increase the provision of captioning and audio description in 15 hubs around the country. In the first year, this will include a number of smaller venues in London. Further information can be found at www.see-a-voice.org
How to find out more
If you would like to receive regular details of captioned performances by email, please contact Stagetext at the address below. We also have a postal mailing list which is sent out every three months. A full list of forthcoming STAGETEXT captioned performances, together with audience feedback, can be found on the Stagetext website.
STAGETEXT, First Floor, 54 Commercial Street, London E1 6LT
Telephone: 020 7377 0540 Textphone: 020 7247 7801 Fax: 020 7247 5622
Email: enquiries@stagetext.org
Website: www.stagetext.org
Here is some audience feedback:
“I saw The Wizard of Oz film when it first came out around 1939, before I became deaf and the songs live on in my head. Seeing it all again on the stage, and with the captions to help, I nearly burst into tears! Captioning is one of the dreams that I dared to dream that really did come true!"
“It was the first time I could follow a musical word for word. Many thanks for opening an entirely new world for us.”
“It was fantastic to be able to follow everything. I didn’t have to ask my companion to explain anything.”
“Captioning is the gateway into a new theatrical experience. It enables anyone with any for of hearing loss to enjoy live theatre at its best.”
“Captioning has enabled me to go to the theatre with my family once more.”
“I thought I was ‘hearing’ the performance.”
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