Introduction
In a surprising turn of events, I was invited at short notice to attend a school trip to the theatre! Wonder Boy is currently touring at the Bristol Old Vic, and it is a delightful yet heart-breaking experience on the whole.
However, I am not writing with the intent to review, I have a much more specific task at hand!
I have recently begun my journey on the path to making music (and the theatre industry in general) more accessible to those who love it the most! As such, I was very lucky that my teacher involved was able to obtain a spare audio description headset, commonly used for the blind. In this report, I will detail the features of this particular play's facility, compartmentalising it into several categories:
-Pre-Show
-Content Covered
-Narration Style
-External Feedback
Report
Pre-Show
Although I didn't receive the headset until just before the show, I was still able to catch a small amount of information from the narrator. Specifically, she was describing each member of the cast for those using the software to visualise:
The narrator would give the name of the character and the actor, as well as their main costume (more on this in Content). They would also identify each actor's gender and sexuality (if specified), and whether they embodied a more masculine, feminine or neutral 'energy' (or a combination of these, as I heard!) Finally, they also highlighted each character's common idiosyncrasies and gestures for the audience to visualise!
Additionally, there were also general pleasantries, with the narrator wishing the listener an enjoyable experience, followed by approximate waiting time for the performance to start when it drew near (not to mention any justifications for the slight delay: some of the audience members had not yet taken their seats.)
Content Covered
There were certain aspects of the piece that were described in incredible detail, whilst not being overwhelming (more on this in Narration Style). These aspects were both Character and Technical based:
Character
-Gesture/Movement - specific action, direction/to which character, emotion behind it
-Direction in which they were looking/facing
-Facial expressions
-Subjects/objects being referred to indirectly/non-verbally
-Ensemble movement/actions
-Actor location on stage
-Captain Chatter (non-verbal character)'s dialogue on screen read out loud
Technical
-Props - specific size, colour, material (as well as interactions with them)
-Costume - specific colour, item, style
-All changes of lighting, including colour
-All changes of set (although set was minimalist)
-Colour of each character's subtitles (the first time they appear for each)
-Any significant changes in the style of the on-screen writing (e.g. abnormally large, elongated, central placement etc.)
Narration Style
Our audio descriptor for the evening had a clear, methodical voice, meaning that every word could be clearly be heard. It was a more feminine voice, and they spoke at a steady pace, that allowed for all information to be clearly understood without delay between stage and transcript. If anything, certain features (mostly character gestures/actions) would be described just before they actually happened!
Moreover, the descriptor maintained the impact that silent moments in theatre possess, by ensuring they did not speak during them. This was able to be achieved even with each action being described in perfect time with the performance: a true feat!
Finally, and most notably, while the narration remained the same speed and level of clarity, their tone and dynamics were altered to match the energy and atmosphere of the scene. Whether it was the upbeat opening comic-book style sequence with Captain Chatter, or Sonny's frantic attempts to fight off the fears of his stutter, or the more slowed, desperate conversations between Sonny and Wainwright... every moment was matched. Every moment was just as captivating as it would have been without, it was almost as if the description wasn't there at all, which is the perfect way it could have been laid out!
External Feedback
As it happens, we also had a visually impaired student with us on the trip, who was using the facility! I was lucky enough to catch Evie after the show, and ask her what she thought of the descriptions; ultimately her view on the matter is tenfold more valuable than mine!
She told me that she thought the system was very well presented, and that it was of great help to her! Not only this, I know that the team behind Wonder Boy were able to give her a 'touch tour' before the show, allowing her to feel all of the props and set, experiencing them as if she were an actor herself!
Speaking of the actors - this was not a part of the tour - each of them, understudies included, came out to speak with her personally! They introduced themselves and talked about their characters, even using their character voices as an example to identify them by later!
Plenary
Overall, this is an incredible example of how theatre can easily be adapted to incorporate a much larger audience! I believe that we should all aspire to be more inclusive and loving in an already exploratory industry; as such I am going to continue this on as a new thread on this blog to see what I can do for my school and the wider community in the future!
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