Afraid I am not getting very far in the housework department today. Dishes in. Laundry in. I took Windex and a paper towel to all of the glass in the house. I deserve a break; right?… So glad you see it my way!?
I am supposed to go to Manhattan next Saturday. Uptown. The person taking me wants to see the Cloisters and the New York Botanical Gardens. Fair enough. I will take it.
It got me to thinking, though. What if I decide to do my idea of the Big Apple? Port Authority, lunch in Little Italy or Chinatown and then a Broadway play.
Just for giggles I did a little digging about audio description and live performances. I am pleased to say, if you live long enough to actually snag a ticket to Hamilton, you can get it with audio description! Also, Aladdin, Wicked and the Lion King! Not to slight the Book of Mormon because they offer it too.
Since audio description is the new kid on the block when it comes to accessibility, it appears that is the list for Broadway right now. If it is a big selling point for them, others will offer it. The law is the accommodation has to be ‘readily achievable’. That means a big budget and available describers.
If you are not planning a trip to ‘The City’, the Audio Description Project provides lists of performing arts presentations with audio description by state. For our friends in Massachusetts there are four, different venues offering audio description for live theater. These are all in the Boston area. Minnesota lists a crazy number of potential offering and Nevada lists…one. Hmmmm.
If you are in London you can experience the rock opera Tommy with audio description. They also have Wicked and the Lion King and a score of others including Jesus Christ Superstar. Most of them are described by a service called VocalEyes although many others offer the services with in-house staff.
VocalEyes? From the little bit I gleaned it appears they are a not for profit operating pretty much all over Britain. They seem to describe everything from Sesame Street to Shakespeare.
So the good news is there is a limited number of venues in many cities that offer the service for live performances. You can continue to go to the theater occasionally. You appear to have a much broader selection in London than any city here stateside. (Fine by me. I’ll go. I like London.)
US or UK though, you still have to ask for the service. For Broadway, Arts Access has a page describing the request process. Once again you have to jump through some hoops and be flexible, including allowing two weeks lead time. Not sure how it is done in London but the Access London Theater site should be able to help.
Hope you enjoy the show!