As the Education and Outreach intern, I occasionally drafted communications on behalf of Diane Nutting, the former Director of Education at City Theatre.
This letter was sent to leaders in the Pittsburgh cultural community to alert them of an upcoming forum we were hosting on Audio Description.
Dear Cultural Leaders,
In an effort to make live theatre and other cultural events within our region more accessible for patrons who are blind or have low vision, City Theatre invites you to attend a Visual Access Forum on March 6, 2005. City Theatre has recently implemented several access measures, and is proud to partner with VSA Arts of Pennsylvania in a statewide Visual Access Project. The Visual Access Project is made possible by a generous grant from Verizon and identifies four cultural institutions within the state of Pennsylvania to become regional sites for live Audio Description.
Audio Description allows patrons who are blind or have low-vision to experience cultural events more fully by providing small headsets and a receiver which broadcasts a live narration of sets, costumes, body language, and other unspoken actions throughout the performance. Specially trained describers convey the visual elements of the event clearly and objectively during pauses in the spoken dialogue.
City Theatre is proud to be the first professional theatre in the region to provide live Audio Description. This summer, City Theatre will host a professional training session for Audio Describers-creating a corps of qualified individuals within our region. By implementing this long range plan, City Theatre hopes to work in partnership with local cultural institutions to provide additional opportunities and improved access throughout our region.
The forum On March 6th will begin at 1:00 PM, and will include a pre-show sensory seminar as well as an opportunity to experience live Audio Description of the 2:00 PM performance of Fiction by Steven Dietz. A brief post-show reception will follow. We sincerely hope that you or a representative from your organization will be able to join us for this important Forum. Be among the first to experience live Audio Description in Pittsburgh, and see how you can incorporate this technology into your performances.
Please RSVP to Katie Dahl no later than Monday, February 28th:
kdahl@citytheatrecompany.org or 412.431.4400 x480
Please do not hesitate to call me directly if you have questions or need further information. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday, March 6th.
Warmest Regards,
Diane L. Nutting
Director of Education
Manager of Accessibility
412.431.4400 x274
