Winnipeg theatre company offers audio description for live performances

Imagine an actor's pants ripping on stage, everyone in the crowd laughing — and you're not in on the joke. 

Physical comedy can leave audiences in stitches, but sometimes it leaves blind or low-vision patrons, who cannot always catch the intricacies of unspoken jokes, feeling left out.

But a Winnipeg theatre company is trying to change that. 

Sick and Twisted Theatre is now providing live audio description through a group called Vocal Image Ensemble Winnipeg — or VIEW. Audio descriptions will be provided by trained describers like Elena Anciro.

"I think it's important because everyone deserves to be able to have the full experience," she told CBC Manitoba's Weekend Morning Show guest host Stephanie Cram.

At Sick and Twisted shows, patrons seeking the audio aid will be provided with a small receiver and earpiece before they enter the theatre.  

The describer will be seated discreetly somewhere else in the venue. They'll have a transmitter and microphone fitted with a rubber mask to muffle their voice.

During the show, they'll provide the play-by-play and highlight visual elements essential to understanding the plot and a full grasp of the theatre-going experience.

The presenter will also describe the set, the characters and the theatre itself before the lights go dimmed.

In a scripted performance, the audio description is rehearsed in advance, the theatre company said. 

Anciro isn't aware of another organization in Winnipeg providing the same service, though theatre companies have developed this service in other cities.

"I think just to be able to experience performance in this way and to have those gaps filled in, to have a fulsome experience, I think that's exciting for sure," she said.

The company is also offering its trained describers for any events they're wanted at, ranging from weddings to fundraisers, Anciro said.

She said the service makes sense for Sick and Twisted, which calls itself Winnipeg's only disability theatre company. They put on shows that centre the experiences of people with disabilities, said artistic director Debbie Patterson.

"Most representations of disability in our culture are created by people without disabilities for people without disabilities, and very little actually speaks from this lived experience," said Patterson, who uses a wheelchair.

"And it means that as a culture, we have a lack of understanding of the value of a life with a disability and the possibilities, the opportunities that open up when you become disabled."

Patterson said because live theatre hasn't been fully accessible to people with vision loss, many don't think of it as something for them.

It's something Sick and Twisted is hoping to change with the new service, which now has nine people trained to offer audio description.