Shows are getting creative with their captioning and we are seeing more and more shows putting in the effort to make their productions accessible to those who need captioning to better understand the action happening on stage.
Wonder Boy, a show that arrives at MAST on 5 November, is showing us all how integrated captioning can be creative and built into the fabric of a production. Wonder Boy is captioned from beginning to end with over 1.9k captioning cues. Each character’s speech is made unique through the use of colour and different fonts that make it clear who is saying what. Every character’s speech is captioned including those who speak in British Sign Language.
Hear more about how it all works from JJ, Wonder Boy‘s live captions operator, in the video below
Other captioned shows coming to MAST include FORT and Riders to the Sea.
We asked FORT‘s director, Rohan Gotobed, why including integrated captioning was so important when creating the show.
“I love watching and listening to plays when I’m part of an audience. It’s all about connection, so why shouldn’t we want to connect with as many people as possible? According to the RNID, around 12 million people in the UK are deaf or hard of hearing. Maybe this sounds arrogant, but I think ‘Fort’ is more than good enough to entertain those 12 million. We might not be able to fit everyone into MAST Studio 2, but I’d hate for someone who is excited about new coming-of-age stories (featuring ghosts and cows) to feel unwelcome at one of my shows. Indeed, I want you (and I’m talking to everyone here) to feel as welcome around a Dorsetborn production as you do while watching Netflix at home. Theatre is an escape, a haven, a Fort.
It’s very rare for small-scale theatre shows to include captioning, and we’re thankful to Arts Council England for their support. If you’re reading this and are intrigued (or know some of those 12 million people who might like to see a spellbinding original play), then please consider joining us on our Fort. Consider yourself invited.
And very welcome.”
