Information for Theatres

We launched theatre captioning at the Canberra Theatre Centre in 2005 and, in doing so, CTC and The Captioning Studio have started an Australia-wide trend.

We are passionate about providing a fantastic service to deaf and hearing impaired patrons but we also take great care in the production and delivery of our captions to ensure that everyone can enjoy the show - both the hearing and hearing impaired members of the audience. 

Possibly the best news is that we can deliver our service to theatres all over Australia!

If you are thinking of providing captioning at your theatre, please do get in contact with us.  Not only would be delighted to tell you about what we do, we can also put you in contact with theatre staff and our caption users, who can give you their own views of our service.

Please Register Here to receive a free Information Pack for Theatres.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is theatre captioning?

Theatre captioning is an accurate textual display of a theatre performance in its entirety, including actors' dialogue, ad libs, asides, song lyrics, musical descriptions and all other sound effects.

While carefully produced captions can enhance the theatre experience for all audiences, they are particularly of assistance to patrons who are deaf or hearing impaired, as well as people for whom English is a second language. Additionally, theatre captions can be of great benefit to students who are perhaps studying a play.

"We already have a hearing loop fitted. Why do we need captioning as well?"

Some hearing impaired people do not use the hearing loop as they may not have a compatible hearing aid, and for those who do, the loop still may not provide them with access to every single word.  

"We have Auslan interpreted performances.  Why do we need captioning?"

There are around 15,000 deaf people in Australia who use Auslan sign language to communicate, so Auslan performances are a fantastic service for theatres to offer. There are also another 3 million deaf and hearing impaired people in Australia who do not know Auslan, and it is those people who benefit from captioning. 

Some of these people use both the captions and a hearing loop or FM system to help them follow the performance.

"How will the theatre benefit?"

Not only is captioning a fantastic service to offer, if it is marketed effectively it could also bring patrons back to the theatre.  We would be pleased to put you in touch with local deaf and hearing impaired support groups who will give your theatre captioning their support and be delighted to assist with your marketing.