My first time experience of going to a theatre to see a captioned performance was just at the weekend. Saturday to be exact. I went to see Starlight Express, which I have always wanted to see since when it first came out. I went to see Starlight Express at Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, where the performance was in the afternoon. This was a captioned performance, and as well as it being my first time going to a performance where it was captioned, it was also my first time going to Royal Concert Hall.
I sat in Tier one, seat F34. So I was looking directly at the stage. The captions were either side of the stage, letting people know that today's performance would be captioned, making it accessible for deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing people to enjoy.
The captions stayed in time with the whole performance. It took me about 15 to 20 minutes to get used to, to find what way it was best for me to watch the stage, and then take my eye of them to quickly glance at captions.
If it wasn't for the show being captioned, I would have missed alot of the show. I wasn't even aware that someone was speaking at the beginning, till I seen captions moving. This happened also throughout because it was a character called Control speaking. So this was when I realised I was expecting more out of my hearing aids than I realised i could possibly get. And so had a reality check.
After contacting someone at Royal Concert Hall to see who captioned the performance on the day, I was told it was Steve Burrows. If you are reading this, thank you Steve, and thank you STAGETEXT for providing the captions, something that Royal Concert Hall and Theatre Royal always use when providing captioned shows.
I will certainly watch a captioned performance again in the future for anything I want to see.
4 comments:
I've never seen a captioned film in the cinema or a performance on stage. Outside London access is minimal to non-extant. I can watch some of these shows via video or youtube sometimes, I am sure the experience is nothing like the same as being there. I love music and I assume the stage show is pretty much and mostly music, so I've often wondered what value comes from captioning when you cannot hear any of the music. It would be like attending the last night of the Proms and not hearing a note...
For me if I want to watch future captioned performances, I will have to travel to Nottingham for it, as the theatre at Mansfield only does now and again, only does BSL. Which mostly is only near Christmas when offered.
But for music, as for me when I was there at this performance, which yes it was all music, I felt it. Even though I have better hearing aids than before, I still felt the music, like I have done before. Particular where it was beaty. Which music with a beat I love, and this is why I love it, as I know I feel it.
I know this from listening or reading what other deaf people have said, that they hear music from vibrations. Now being a music lover myself, which many know, if I was to loose hearing music altogether, this would be very hard for me. Music helps to keep me calm, happy or express myself. But I know from other people who are Deaf, they say vibration. And I know, although it would be very hard for me to accept, that I would have to learn if that time come.
As for watching my first musical show with captions. I do realise that captions made it so much more enjoyable. Not knowing the words to their songs, meant I did have to look the whole time at the captions, then back at the stage quickly, as I could not tell what they were saying. Even when talking I still had to rely on captions. So I know now that future performances like this one, where I would have just gone on any other day, now I will look for captions. So no going back for me. :)
I know from watching some Starlight Express videos, that what I seen on them, and the experience that day, that the experience up front, was so much better. Better than I expected. :)
I am looking at future captioned performances now, to see what takes my fancy next. :)
Just to clarify: most people with a hearing loss (10m or so) aren't living in silence. There's lots of noise, but just may be v quiet noise & certainly very muddy & unclear.
So musicals are totally possible!
And what's more, most hearing people I take to captioned shows love the captions as they get the complete text, nothing missing or approximated.
Thank you for your comment Richard on this. I am glad to hear someone elses view on this.
I certainly enjoyed captions at Starlight Express, and felt it opened doors for me. Will certainly be going to another captioned performance. I felt I missed nothing either. In fact it made me realised what I would have missed if it had not been for captions.
I would certainly recommend going to one, to those who have not tried it out.
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