I love the theater! Whether it’s a large production on Broadway, an outdoor festival, or a small local theater with very few seats, I am excited to partake. But sometimes, the theaters are not as welcoming as I would hope. Perhaps they don’t provide hearing access, or if they do, the system is antiquated or not properly maintained.
This can be frustrating, but I try to see it as an opportunity to educate and improve. It’s not always easy.
A Disappointing Example
My recent accessibility outreach to a small theater is a case study in ignorance. But in the end, there was a glimmer of hope.
My initial outreach
I saw an advertisement in the local paper for a new production at a small theater I had always wanted to visit. The website didn’t have any hearing access listed, so I reached out via email for more information.
“I’m interested in attending a show at your theater, but I have hearing loss and am wondering if I will be able to enjoy the production. What hearing access do you provide? Most theaters have some sort of assistive listening devices available. Thank you!”
A terrible first response
The response from the house manager was disappointing, demonstrating an almost complete lack of awareness about hearing loss and what it might mean for a patron’s enjoyment of the space. Her email was short and to the point.
“We are a very intimate theatre with excellent acoustics. When necessary, actors can be mic’d, but our sound system is state of the art for music events and films.”
As anyone with hearing loss knows, excellent acoustics are not enough. Additional equipment is almost always necessary—especially when listening from a distance, like at a stage performance. Without a remote microphone or other listening tool, hearing aid microphones only work at a distance of 6-7 feet.
Frustration and an angry reply
It’s a small theater, so I understand there might not be a huge budget for hearing devices, but I had expected that they would try to accommodate me in some way. For example, they could have suggested that I reserve a seat in the front row or that they could have shared the script with me ahead of time.
But they offered nothing besides a dismissive email to let me know that I was the problem. Not them.
It made me angry.
“Wow! That is a terrible answer! People with hearing loss need more than great acoustics. If you would like to learn more, I would be happy to make some suggestions, but the status quo won’t work for me.”
A glimmer of hope
I thought that might be the end of it, but a few days later, another email arrived. This time from the artistic director.
“I am told you asked about hearing access at our theater. I’m sorry we are not yet set up with hearing devices, but we understand the need. This is an important addition to our presentations and something we will address as we move forward.”
Next Steps
While the artistic director’s reply did not offer any new solutions, her attitude was less dismissive. Perhaps it was just damage control, but maybe it was an opening for further dialogue. I had my foot in the door—a necessary first step before kicking it wide open.
I am excited to see what happens next.
Shari Eberts is a passionate hearing health advocate and internationally recognized author and speaker on hearing loss issues. She is the founder of Living with Hearing Loss, a popular blog and online community for people with hearing loss, and an executive producer of We Hear You, an award-winning documentary about the hearing loss experience. Her book, Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss, (co-authored with Gael Hannan) is the ultimate survival guide to living well with hearing loss. Shari has an adult-onset genetic hearing loss and hopes that by sharing her story, she will help others to live more peacefully with their own hearing issues. Connect with Shari: Blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter.
