CAPTIONING ADVOCACY: Playbill from the first Open Captioned Broadway Performance - 1997!

I was sorting through my papers, and came across a stack of old Playbills.  These weren't just any old Playbills - they were all from open captioned Broadway shows.  What is distinctive about these Playbills is that the Theatre Development Fund (TDF), which arranged the open captioning of these shows, always had an insert stapled into the Playbill, just under the large advertising centerfold. 

I kept all the Playbills of the shows I had seen over the years because they represented a triumph - to be able to attend a Broadway show, without missing a word - a mission that I had spearheaded back in the 1990's.  Although I hadn't looked at these Playbills in years - they were stashed away in a box - I knew what was in that stack - the Playbill from the very first Open Captioned Broadway performance - Barrymore, a one-man show starring Christopher Plummer - on Wednesday, September 24, 1997.  And it turned out that I had saved two copies of this Playbill! Here's what it looked like:






Playbill from the very first Open Captioned Broadway performance.

 

 



It turned out that I saved more than just the Playbill - I also saved the ticket stub!  And here is the insert from the Playbill, announcing that this is the very first open captioned Broadway performance.




Special Playbill insert announcing the FIRST Open Captioned Broadway performance and the ticket stub - September 24, 1997. Historic!




And here are the insert pages that explain about open captioning, the captioner, TDF, and the audience that benefits from captioning.

Program Notes about Captioning and the Captioner



Program Notes about TDF and the people who helped make this captioned performance happen. Note my name mentioned, recognizing my "advocacy and perseverence"!

This is such a significant find - as it documents a milestone in captioning advocacy and accommodations for people with hearing loss.  And it also represents a dream of my own - to be able to walk through Times Square late at night, carrying a Playbill - a souvenir of a wonderful theater experience - just like everyone else.

Additional documentation:
The New York Times ran an article about this event, entitled "Device Opens the Theatre to the Deaf" , published on September 16, 1997.

My second book, Listening Closely: A Journey to Bilateral Hearing (Charlesbridge/Imagine 2011), contains a brief history of captioned live theatre advocacy, on pages 24-25. Click here to access the Amazon website for the book, and click on the "Look Inside" feature to find the excerpt.



 

 

Cochlear Implant Miracles: Opera! Bravo! Encore!

I'm no novice with cochlear implants, having gotten my first CI in 1997, and being bilateral since 2008.  I always was able to enjoy music with my CIs - it took a while to adapt back in 1997, with some music genres taking longer than others to sound "normal."  I had never been an opera buff prior to losing my hearing, though, but being deaf and enjoying music has made me want to try it all.  I do listen to classical music, so opera wasn't exactly a huge leap.  I learned about the Metropolitan Opera HD simulcasts a few years ago - these are live performances that are beamed by satellite into local movie theaters. The ticket price is a fraction of a live Met performance, and in some respects, the simulcast experience has additional benefits unavailable in the live theater.  

With that as background, I looked forward to the first opera of the season - Verdi's Otello - which had Renee Fleming in the leading female role - a wonderful opportunity to see the best!  This opera would run 3 1/2 hours with one intermission.  The interesting part about going to the opera is that it is wonderful music practice.  Even though I do well listening to music, it still does get "better" after listening for 3 1/2 hours.  

There were several movie theaters in my area showing this performance - a few of them sold out.  Arriving a bit early  ensures getting the pick of seating location - no extra charge!  And so, waiting for the 1 PM curtain, I always pack a picnic lunch - the theaters don't mind, understanding that popcorn and Verdi aren't really made for each other.   The countdown to the opera begins about 5 minutes before, with this on-screen update: 

Waiting for Otello to begin 

Knowing that this is being broadcast live is exciting. There are rebroadcasts at other times, which I've attended.  But there's something special knowing that a mere 10 or so miles away in NYC, all this is happening "live from New York"!    And then, the focus is on that massive curtain and stage!

Metropolitan Opera awaiting the beginning of Otello

There are several benefits to attending these simulcasts:  

• Subtitles are placed right on the screen, in perfect sync with the lyrics, in easy-to-read font size.
• They always have some famous opera star doing interviews with the performers at the intermission (but not captioned). 
• The cameras zoom in on the performers so you can see them up close - much closer than even front row orchestra seats!
• The camera also zooms into the orchestra pit to highlight the instrumental passages.
• The cameras are behind the curtain during scene changes, showing the incredible infrastructure that allows for these elaborate stage sets. And they interview the production personnel as well.
• And, my absolute favorite part, which begins the excitement, is when the production manager speaks into the intercom, "Maestro to the pit!" - signaling that it is showtime, the production is ready to begin, and the conductor is needed to start the overture!

And now to the music!  This was the first time I was going to be listening with my new software program, ClearVoice, set on my processors.  I've listened to music with it, and actually prefer the sound with ClearVoice on, but this was my first opera, so I was curious about how everything would sound.

And  . . .   I liked it!  ClearVoice seemed to give greater clarity to the instruments and to the voices.  I switched back and forth to my non-CV program, but CV won every time.   The bass voices are the ones I have the most difficulty with, as each ear hears that register slightly differently. But as I expected, I was doing better with this during the last act than in the beginning. The tonality was still good, it was just hearing the baritone as low as it really was. The sopranos were angelic, as usual.

When I first started going to these performances, I thought I'd never be able to sit through hour upon hour of opera.  But the sound, the sets, the costumes, the subtitles, the camerawork, the interviews - all make it a most enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.  And with each opera, I sit there in utter awe, never forgetting that I am a deaf person, enjoying the enchantment of the Metropolitan Opera - and I still can't quite believe it.

Cochlear Implant Adventures Part III: Vintage Cars and Music Machines

My visit to Advanced Bionics was everything I had hoped for - so exciting to actually experience carefully laid plans unfold so beautifully well.  Since I had come such a distance, from Florida to California, I had plans for the rest of the week - to visit friends, take in some of the sights, and best of all - go to the LA Opera to hear Placido Domingo, and also see a taping of the TV show, Jeopardy!  

The next stop was the Nethercutt Collection, just down the road from Advanced Bionics, in Sylmar, California.  I had selected this museum because it is a "diamond" attraction in the AAA book, and those are always worth seeing.  I've always reviewed in my mind what sort of listening challenges any attraction would present.  If there are tour guides, videos - anything that would require hearing - I'd always review how I'm likely to do. This time, with my bilateral cochlear implants, I knew I could pretty much handle anything - maybe not 100%, but I had enough confidence that I wouldn't have to resort to any extraordinary measures.  And I was right - as the accounts of my week's touring will show.

The Nethercutt Collection was actually two museum buildings - the vintage automobiles housed in one building, and additional vintage automobiles and an impressive music-making collection in a second building across the street.  The automobile building had no tour guides - just meandering among row upon row of an impressive collection of dozens and dozens of fantastically restored vintage automobiles.  I can't say that vintage automobiles are my primary interest, but it was definitely a worthwhile experience knowing these machines existed, and were now on display for all to view.   Here are a few of the them:

And they even had a vast collection of hood ornaments, with a rare collection made by Lalique, the French glass maker:

The museum across the street required taking a tour to view, which meant that I would have to listen to a tour guide. I've been doing quite well with tour guides, but the reality was that I would still need to stand near her to understand her - and this time, I just didn't want to do that for the entire time. So I made the decision to just sit out her talk about the cars, and look at my surroundings. This was NOT like years past where I couldn't hear tour guides, or needed FM systems to understand the tour guide.  I opted out of this by choice - I wanted to sit and relax.  You'll understand why I didn't mind doing this when you see what I had to look at!   

This display space was supposed to replicate what a luxury car showroom looked like in the 1920's.  You could see why I would have had to get close to the tour guide to hear her - with the high ceilings and marble floors, the acoustics were very difficult. So I just opted out and sat on a couch, needing the time out anyway!  (I wasn't the only one doing this, so I still felt "normal.")

The rest of the museum was upstairs, and included vintage music makers - music boxes, band organs, calliopes, a player grand piano and a genuine vintage Wurlitzer movie organ.  This picture shows the various types of music makers.  

First they played one of the huge music boxes, which had violins, drums, organ pipes, and was run like a player piano with a paper roll.  These were used to provide music at dance halls in Europe, instead of hiring a band or orchestra.  Here's the inside of one of the larger ones on display - this one was made in Belgium (I was listening to the tour guide now!)  

This music experience was a big challenge for my bilateral cochlear implants - I wasn't sure what I would be hearing or what they would be playing, so it was a wonderful surprise to hear the big sound that these machines created!  

They also demonstrated this concert grand piano, that had a player piano mechanism, and 97 keys - instead of the usual 88.  Here I am listening to the music - and imagining what it would be like to play it. The keys were actually going up and down as I watched and listened!  Note that the last few keys on the left are all black - those are the extra nine keys.

Arlene sitting at the 97-key concert grand player piano

And then for the grand finale, they played the Wurlitzer movie organ, which was an elaborate pipe organ with an enormous array of pipes built into the room - all hooked up electronically.  Again, I had no idea what to expect - I really didn't know what they were going to play or what this should sound like in this room.  My bilateral CIs were again being put to the test, for sure.

And, once again, it was simply an amazing experience - to know that I could appreciate the incredible sounds produced by these machines.  And even more telling about how I've been adapting to my bilateral cochlear implants,  I now had the confidence that I could handle and appreciate what I was going to experience - and that is really the point of what these bilateral CIs are all about.  Being able to do what others are doing, and enjoy it.

Christopher Plummer: Oscar winner and captioned theater pioneer

Like many others around the world, I watched the Academy Awards presentations on Sunday night. I had actually seen many of the movies, thanks to the Rear Window Captioning available at many movie theaters in New Jersey.  I was particularly delighted, though, when Christopher Plummer won his first Oscar ever for best supporting actor.  Evidently, at age 83, he became the oldest actor to win an Oscar.  I realized that I knew something most people probably didn't - that Christopher Plummer was a first in another area of the entertainment industry.  He was the first actor to star in an open captioned live theater production on Broadway.

The year was 1997, and after a triumphant debut of open captioning at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, the year before, we set our sights on Broadway.  Enlisting the aid of Lisa Carling, director of the Theatre Development Fund's (TDF) Theatre Access Program (TAP), we were hoping that Lisa could convince a Broadway producer to take the pioneering step of open captioning the very first Broadway show ever.

It took a lot of banging on doors, but Lisa finally was successful in lining up captioning of the musical "Jekyll and Hyde" - and we all looked forward to that with great anticipation.  But then we got word that Lisa had also gotten the go-ahead from the producer of "Barrymore", a one-man show with Christopher Plummer in the title role.  I don't know how this came about, but a date to offer open captioning for this show was scheduled before the "Jekyll and Hyde" date, giving "Barrymore" the historic distinction of being the very first open captioned live theater production on Broadway.

There's no doubt that Christopher Plummer must have agreed to this - thus elevating him to hero status for being the pioneer to say yes to this endeavor, which would remove the barriers of exclusion to those with hearing loss who needed the text to enjoy a theater performance.

And so the word went out - with the New York Times running the following article in its September 16, 1997 Arts Section, in anticipation of this historic event:
Device Opens Theatre to the Deaf

When I resurrected this archived article, I beamed it to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  I didn't realize that my own name was actually mentioned in the article, down "below the fold" of the ads running in the center of the piece.  But look closely, and you'll see it there, along with Lisa Carling - who convinced a Broadway producer to be a pioneer - and Don DePew, the court reporter who loaded the very first Broadway script into his computer, and scrolled it in synch with Mr. Plummer's rendition of "Barrymore."

We needed to drum up an audience, so collaborated with the Center for Hearing and Communication, then known as the League for the Hard of Hearing.  We had 150 people turn out for that historic performance.  And then, as I describe in my book, Listening Closely, I got my first cochlear implant one month later.

This performance laid the foundation for C2 Caption Coalition - which provides open captioning to theaters across the country - and was the inspiration for Stagetext in the United Kingdom, which was founded in 2001, and provides open captioning of live theater in the UK.  Captioning has also spread to Australia with Captioning Studio providing live theater captioning as well.  And there are other theaters around the country, independently providing this service as well.

But we knew, back in 1997, that to capture the credibility of open captioning of live theater, it had to be done on Broadway - and with that first performance Christopher Plummer made theater history. 

Now go and "share" this with everyone you know!

Captioned Theater - A TRU Story



Bob Ost presenting Humanitarian Award to Arlene



They say that one picture is worth a thousand words. Well, the above picture is of Bob Ost, Executive Director of  Theater Resources Unlimited, a professional organization for theater producers, presenting me with TRU's Humanitarian Award for my captioned live theater advocacy work. One look at TRU's website and you'll know what this organization is about - everything to do with professional theater. That photo was taken in 2008 at their annual "TRU Love" benefit luncheon. As you can see from the photo below, the event was open captioned (see the LED screen to the right of the picture?)  And as Bob pointed out to the audience of mostly theater people, nobody would miss a word of the lyrics with those captions scrolling. (Assistive listening devices - ALDs - were supplied as well.)

Arlene giving acceptance speech while captions scroll on the LED screen

A curious thing happened the next year, 2009, as Bob was preparing for the annual TRU Love benefit once again. He realized that if TRU didn't provide open captioning, then Arlene and other people with hearing loss wouldn't be able to attend! And Bob also realized that people with  hearing loss don't only want to attend events related to hearing loss - they want to attend what everyone else is attending, too.  SOOOOO - the 2009 TRU Love benefit luncheon provided open captioning again, even though nobody with hearing loss was being honored that year.  So I went - along with a bunch of others with and without hearing loss - not only because it was captioned, but because this event is really super!  There's a wonderful cocktail hour, then a gourmet luncheon, and top notch professional entertainment - in addition to the award presentations.  AND - and this is very important - it supported this amazing organization that "got it" about people with hearing loss being able to attend a mainstream event "with dignity" - and the need for captioning in the theater.  

Some of the entertainment at the 2008 TRU Love benefit luncheon

So another curious thing happened in 2010 - again.  TRU made sure to have open captioning for its TRU Love benefit luncheon again, even though no one with hearing loss was being honored.  Bob was committed to making this event accessible to people with hearing loss.  And now, the "regulars" with  hearing loss returned for another delightful afternoon of food, drink and professional entertainment - while hobnobbing with REAL theater people - producers, actors, writers, and I imagine a few angels as well. This event is beyond just being accessible or a captioned theater performance - this is a REAL New York theater experience!

The 2011 TRU Love benefit luncheon planning is now in the works - NOVEMBER 6, 2011 - and once again TRU plans to have open captioning and ALDs.  With the cost of a ticket at about $100 (higher levels of support available), that's a pretty good deal for cocktails, lunch and entertainment - all without missing a word.   And supporting this amazing organization that educates the entire theater community about the benefits of captioning - PRICELESS!

If you'd like to thank Bob for his amazing work, just email him at TRUnltd@aol.com and tell him Arlene sent you.

WICKED captioned at the Kennedy Center

I promised to talk more about the captioned live performance of WICKED at the Kennedy Center - one of the highlights of the HLAA convention held in Crystal City, just outside of Washington DC.  This was also an enormous challenge for the Kennedy Center, as it had to prepare for 600 convention attendees, eager to enjoy the show - with captions!

As I've mentioned, and is noted in my book, "Listening Closely", I've been involved with advocacy for live theater captioning since 1996 (prior to getting my cochlear implants), when we were successful in getting the first open captioned performance at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey.  I've also been attending the LEAD arts access conferences, sponsored by the Kennedy Center. Here's the brochure from the 2010 conference - flip to Page 5 to see me using a neckloop and infrared receiver, while trying out a handheld device for museums -
 http://www.kennedy-center.org/accessibility/education/lead/LEAD-ConferenceBrochure.pdf

The captioned performance was a sight to behold - as the show's stage set and the theater itself are grand and impressive.  There were LED signs on either side of the stage, and 5 more hung from the balcony so that people in the rear orchestra could also read the captioning.  The theater was looped temporarily for this occasion (so people with t-coils on their hearing aids or cochlear implant processors just had to turn them on), in addition to having 600 receivers available for the infrared system.  It was all taken care of so professionally that no one suspected what grandiose preparations had taken place behind the scenes.
According to Betty Siegel, Director of Accessibility at the Kennedy Center, this was like planning for D-Day.  And for David Chu of C2 Caption Coalition, he had the daunting task of coordinating seven LED screens - some with two lines of text and some with three - aside from all the electronics involved.

Betty borrowed LED signs from everyone they knew - George Mason University, Gallaudet University, National Museum of the American Indian, C2, Inc and from as far away as VSA Arizona.  David Chu, C2, Inc. worked his way thru countless technical glitches, and then did an absolutely stellar job with the captioning itself, ensuring that the timing and scrolling was precise on all 7 signs (so good that two hardened stage hands were overheard to say it was "amazing" and the best they'd ever seen). And, of course, there were support staff collecting the signs, coordinating with the production office, dealing with tickets, and so much more.

So when the final curtain fell to a standing ovation, it all looked as though they do this kind of thing all the time.  Well, yes - they do open captioned performances all the time - but to pull this off without a glitch for 600 people - this is one for the Guinness Book of Records!  Memorable and wonderful!

Bravo to all who made this happen - allowing 600 people with hearing loss to attend an incredible show "with dignity."