A trip to the theatre is often a magical experience, but what about people who are blind or visually impaired?
How can they follow a production with dazzling visuals, clever costumes, and carefully considered lighting when all they have to go on is what they can hear?
Fortunately, that has not been the case at Nottingham’s Playhouse Theatre for some time, thanks to a service most people will have never heard of.
For their most recent play, Small Island, the theatre held two touch tours.
The tours, which are now commonplace in the industry, allow blind and visually impaired audience members to feel, experience and learn about the props and set for each play.
The Playhouse has been holding these for 30 years and was one of the first theatres outside of London to offer such a service.
Jane Edwards has been the resident audio describer at the Playhouse for 30 years and leads audience members through the touch tours.
Jane said: “It massively improves the experience of those who come.
“It means it’s easier for people to get an idea of what the layout is on the stage, it means that they are able to follow things a lot more easily that maybe they would not pick up on, because it’s a visual clue, rather than an audio clue.”
Patricia Davenport, company stage manager, is on hand during the touch tours to answer any questions about the rehearsal process, how the props are made or about the play itself.
Patricia, who has previously worked at disabled theatre companies, has been at the Playhouse for three years and helped to set up an access group at the theatre.
Patricia said: “I’m on hand if there’s anything anybody wants to know about the rehearsal process, how the show’s going, if there’s a particular prop or part of the set they want to know about, then I can share.
“It’s not just the telling of the stories, it’s the making sure we look after our audiences and that we encourage people who would not normally come to see the theatre.”
The touch tours begin on stage, where Jane explains to participants the layout of the set, whether there are any inclines, where the exits and entrances are, and where people can feel the set, allowing them to fully understand the context it adds to the production.
Then participants are taken on a backstage tour, where they can feel costumes and props, often including ones specifically chosen by Patricia for their unique nature.
Allowing blind and visually impaired audience members to feel props and costumes can also provide important context about the period the play is set in.
Jane said: “We’ll get people to feel the props, look at the props close up, so they can get a sense of what era things are set in and of the costumes as well.
“Being an audio describer means that I can help people experience theatre and be included in the way that everybody else is included.”
Small Island Credits:
