Audio Description of Live Theater Performances

A free visit to a live theater production wasn’t on my radar, but it happened recently. Not only was it free, but I was driven into the city and home by a friend. I don’t drive at night because of my macular degeneration, so this was an extra bonus.

We had the best seats in the house and she didn’t pay for her ticket either. No, we didn’t sneak in! She was doing volunteer work there and was allowed to bring a friend – me!

Audio descriptions for the visually impaired

She has just finished training in presenting "audio description for live theater performances". I had already tried out this service for the movies and written about it in my article 'Don’t Agonize – Organize: Audio Description at the Movies'.

I had no idea it was available for live theater. For movie shows, the narration is pre-recorded, but that obviously wouldn’t work for the theater. The description needs to be done in real-time.

Writing pre-show notes

On our drive into the city, she explained to me how it worked. Audience members register for the service prior to the performance. They send out notes about the set and staging to “clients” before the show.

The notes describe the set and backdrops for each scene. They don’t describe the costumes of the actors, as this could possibly give away the plot.

For example, in the first scene someone might be dressed like a pauper, and in the last scene dressed like royalty. This knowledge would give away the “rags to riches” plot of the show. These pre-show notes don’t give away anything, just a description of the set.

My friend’s first task is to go to the show once, simply to watch. She gets there early and goes down onto the stage to examine the setting in detail. She might need to describe something on stage a bit more clearly than the notes that had been sent out earlier.

Then, for this performance, she enjoys the performance, just like the other audience members. This is when she took me for company.

Adding post-show notes

A day or so later, she goes to the show again but this time takes detailed notes. She has to determine the things that vision-impaired audience members might not notice.

Character details

This will include the costumes of the actors. It will also include expressions on faces, gestures or movement across the stage. It might include special lighting effects.

There are things she has to be careful about. A character’s gestures or facial expressions will be described, but she won’t interpret them.

She might say someone is hanging their head, but she won’t give her interpretation of that. She won’t say the person is sad or discouraged. It is up to the “clients” to decide what the character would be feeling.

My friend also has to have some words up her sleeve that describe multiple movements succinctly. For example, she won’t say a character is walking back and forwards across the stage; she will say he is “pacing”.

Loud noises

Sometimes there are fireworks or simulated explosions on stage. If this is going to occur, she has to warn her clients, because this can be very frightening if you can’t see what is about to happen.

She will edit her notes down to a manageable size later. She won’t read out these notes at the next performance, they are just for her own guidance.

Audio set-up

When she next goes to the theater, she is ready to perform her job of audio description. She sits in a sound-proof booth with another describer who shares the narration duties with her.

Her clients have previously booked the headphones and small transmission device. They can sit anywhere in the theater, and no-one else can hear what is coming through the headphones.

Putting the visuals into words

Then the hard work begins. My friend describes what is happening on set that her clients may miss. She has to be very careful not to talk over the characters’ dialog. This is where having already seen the production at least twice is invaluable.

She also refers to her notes to remind herself what is happening next and what she has planned to say. She needs to be “on her toes” because no 2 live performances are ever exactly alike.

The show was great fun, but I didn’t get to hear her audio narration that time. I’m hoping for another invitation, and next time I might sign up to be one of her clients!