Making theatre arts accessible for students with hearing loss can be a challenge, one which we recently accepted and we’ve been learning and exploring. In this post we’re going to talk about some of the challenges and successes that we’ve had. To set the scene our theatre is a 400+ seat two storey space, with a full height fly system for set pieces.
The challenges that exist in the theatre for those who have hearing loss might appear obvious, but there are many hidden challenges which only become clear once you address another. Some of the challenges that we have faced are:
- Hearing the voices from the stage from around the theatre
- Hearing others during blackouts between scences
- Hearing cues through the intercom system that we use
- Accessing sound effects played through the speakers
- Being in a large space where communication often takes place through shouting
“Accessible and inclusive theatre is not new. Nevertheless, more often than not, theatre companies today that are striving to include the disability community do so by welcoming disabled actors to their stages and disabled audiences to their performances. Yet there are dozens of jobs, on stage and off, beyond performers and patrons. In this series, a variety of disabled theatre artists: managers, designers, producers, and dramaturgs, will share how they do their work, as well as their vision for an accessible future in professional theatre. “
Howlround Theatre Commons
Hearing voices on the stage
We overcame the issues of hearing on the stage through using an Assistive Listening system and series of Shure Cardioid microphones positioned above the stage. These are then fed back to our mixer which has the ability to create ‘Mix Busses’; these are custom mixes of sounds which can be sent to different locations. In our case, we are then feeding these into a WiFi based system, as well as our students’ Roger by Phonak Wireless Microphone technology that use on a daily basis with their Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants.
Hearing others during blackouts
This is a lot harder, and this came down to the stage manager clearly calling cues. With the stage manager calling the cues for the show, the workload is reduced, and the students can focus on the task in hand of operating different aspects of the show. It also means that during blackouts someone else is listening, and calling the cues through the intercom system. This leads us on to the next challenge.
Hearing Cues Through the Intercom System
We use a party line communication system during productions for our crew members. This allows them to communicate with each other, to trigger cues, and highlight issues. It requires wearing a headset, and listening over the acting happening on stage. While those of us who have no issues hearing might not find this a challenge, for the deaf and hard of hearing, this can not only be difficult, but very tiring. In addition, the added lack of visual cues (the inability to lip read) mean that auditory training is a must. We purchased an interface unit which connects to our partyline system and causes a bright light to flash, and also allows the audio to be sent to the mixer, soloed and then listened back through the assistive listening device.
We can put all of these things in place, however, at the end of the day technology only goes so far, and we have to focus on auditory training.
More about auditory training coming soon in another blog post.
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