WATERMILL THEATRE EXPANDS ACCESS PROVISION WITH NEW OPEN CAPTIONING EQUIPMENT
New equipment will make more performances accessible to audiences who benefit from reading dialogue, music and sound effects alongside the action on stage
Full press release and images can be downloaded here
The team at Newbury’s Watermill Theatre are delighted to announce the installation of new open caption equipment, marking an important step forward in the theatre’s ongoing commitment to improving access for audiences.
The new equipment will be used for the upcoming production of Murder Before Evensong, as part of the Watermill’s extensive programme of access performances. Looking ahead to 2027, the theatre will offer a mixture of open and closed-captioned performances across its programme, giving audiences greater choice in how they experience live theatre.
For some audience members, reading along with a performance makes a show easier to follow and enjoy. During a captioned performance, dialogue, music and sound effects are displayed as text on a screen on stage, enabling audiences to follow the spoken and non-spoken elements of the performance alongside the action.
The new open caption equipment has been supplied by Digital 4 | Theatre Captioning and Opera Surtitling Systems and the work has been funded through Arts Council England’s Capital Investment Programme. It forms part of a wider project at the Watermill to strengthen and improve the theatre’s access provision.
Joint Chief Executives, Claire Murray and Paul Hart commented, “1 in 3 adults are deaf or living with hearing loss. For these people, a trip to the theatre can be challenging - or even impossible - to enjoy. The addition of this open captioning equipment to our other access services will enable us to meet the needs of more of our audiences.
We’re grateful to Arts Council England for its funding through the Capital Investment Programme to purchase this equipment and for Greenham Trust’s continued support to deliver our access services.
We look forward to welcoming audiences to our first open captioned performances using this equipment and continuing to build on our commitment to making The Watermill welcoming and accessible to everyone.”
The new equipment will make open captioning a more integrated part of the Watermill’s access offer, alongside audio description, touch tours, BSL integration and interpretation, closed captioning, dementia friendly and relaxed performances.
Upcoming access performances:
Murder Before Evensong
Open Captioned and Audio Described with Touch Tour:
Tue 3 Nov 7.30pm (Touch Tour 5.30pm)
Wed 11 Nov 2.30pm (Touch Tour 12.30pm)
BSL Interpreted: Saturday 7 November, 2.30pm
Pinocchio
Audio Described and Closed Captioned: Saturday 5 December, 2.30pm
Relaxed Performance: Saturday 12 December, 2.30pm
BSL Integrated and Closed Captioned: Sunday 13 December, 3pm
The Watermill is committed to ensuring that as many people as possible can experience the theatre’s productions, and the introduction of the new equipment represents the latest development in its work to make its programme more accessible and inclusive.
For further information or to book any performance at the Watermill Theatre, visit www.watermill.org.uk or call the Box Office on 01635 46044.
