The mission: to make performances at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater accessible to as many patrons as possible by creating a "theater that transcends the senses."
The tools: a variety of access services including audio and written script synopsis, large print programs, audio description, an infrared listening system, sign language interpreted performances and the most recent addition to the list, captioned theater.
{INSERT_RELATED}The Rep has been offering several of the services for years but now is focusing more on promoting them as well as expanding them along with new technological developments, said Annie Jurczyk, Public Relations Manager for the Rep. Jurcyzk, who is in her second season with the Rep, largely was responsible for implementing the captioned theater service.
She was spurred on by a statistic that one out of every four Baby Boomers will experience hearing loss as they get older. Rep administrators knew some theaters on Broadway in New York City provided caption services, but the technology often involved a screen at the bottom of the stage which would show one line at a time as the actor stated it. That can make it difficult for patrons to keep up with the dialogue and watch the action at the same time, Jurczyk said.
So Rep officials worked with TSS The Speech Source to develop a caption service in which three lines of dialogue are displayed at once on a screen on the house left wall of the theater. Showing three lines of dialogue helps patrons watch the show and keep up with the words. The theater received a $20,000 grant from the Walter Schroeder Foundation to fund the service.
While many theaters throughout the country offer caption services, the Rep is the only one to offer its type, Jurczyk said. TSS The Speech Source currently is trying to get a patent on the technology. And at this year's Access Conference, an event in which theater managers from across the country meet to discuss ways to make theaters more accessible to all patrons, Jurcyzk will give a presentation on the Rep's captioning technology.
Captioned theater is offered the fifth Sunday matinee for each production in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater.
The captioned theater technology joins the infrared technology used in the theater for another service, an infrared listening system. Through this technology, patrons wear a headset which cuts out background noise. Induction neckloops for patrons who use hearing aids with a "T" switch are available.
The infrared listening system, written and audio script synopsis, and large print programs are available at every performance in the Quadracci Powerhouse and Stiemke theaters. Sign language interpreted performances are offered the final Thursday performance for each production in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater and the fourth Sunday matinee for each production in the Stiemke Theater.
Audio description, in which up to 10 patrons watch the show while listening to a live, real-time description of the action on stage, is offered the Thursday preview and fifth Tuesday performances of productions in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater.
"We want to make sure every word is heard in whatever way it needs to be transmitted," Jurczyk said.
Getting the word out about these services often means saving patrons who had all but written off live theater due to hearing or vision impairment, said John Miller, house manager.
"We've had patrons who have been with us for years say they just can't do it anymore because they're getting older and are having trouble hearing," Miller said. "But once they try these programs, they're sold."
Patrons do not have to make arrangements in advance for the access services, Miller said. The services always will be offered for the performances listed.
"We want to treat everyone the same, and part of that means you can buy a ticket at the last minute like everyone else," Jurczyk said.
For more information, call the Rep at (414) 224-5366.
