WASHINGTON, April 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Ford's Theatre patrons attending Deaf
West's production of Big River, which features both deaf and hearing actors,
can follow the onstage dialogue and lyrics with I-Caption(R), the latest
innovation in assistive technology. http://www.soundassociates.com
"We developed the I-Caption system so deaf and hard of hearing theater
goers would not be limited to attending special signed shows," said T. Richard
Fitzgerald, theatrical sound designer and CEO of Sound Associates, Inc. "There
is so much happening onstage in this unique, dynamic production that a deaf
patron not fluent in American Sign Language could miss a lot."
I-Caption features a handheld wireless unit that displays dialogue and
lyrics in text, in real time from any seat in the house. The system made its
debut in Deaf West's production of Big River on Broadway and has been
available for all performances of the national touring companies ever since.
I-Caption is also available for Broadway's Wicked and will soon be available
for Mamma Mia!
The I-Caption system features a proprietary handheld unit that displays
the text of the entire show verbatim, including lyrics and dialogue. The text
is automated and synchronized with sound and lighting cues to accommodate
pacing variations from performance to performance. A polarized screen keeps
nearby patrons from being distracted by light or moving text.
"Our goal is to adapt the very latest technology to accommodate special
needs audiences so every performance is available to all theater lovers," said
Fitzgerald, the designer of the I-Caption system who received a Tony Award in
1980 for introducing the Infrared Listening System to Broadway theatres.
In addition to I-Caption, Sound Associates' has developed D-Scriptive(TM),
an audio description service for the blind soon available at Wicked and Mamma
Mia!, and ShowTrans(TM) the automated multilingual commentary service for
non-English speaking audiences.
For over fifty years, Sound Associates has been supplying sound equipment
to the performance industry, offering the best in assistive listening for
professional or personal use and is synonymous with infrared listening.
The I-Caption unit can be obtained at the Infrared Listening System
distribution center in the theatre lobby. There is no charge to use I-Caption.
Big River is currently playing at Ford's Theater, 511 10th St. NW,
Washington DC. For ticket information visit http://www.fordstheatre.org. For
upcoming tour dates including Hershey PA, St. Louis, Denver, Portland, Seattle
and information about the National Touring company of Big River visit
http://www.deafwest.org.
Wicked is currently playing at the Gershwin Theater
http://www.wickedthemusical.com
Mamma Mia! is currently playing at the Winter Garden Theater
http://www.wintergarden-theater.com
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