Theatre Development Fund makes eight open captioned performances possible

PROVIDENCE, RI: Trinity Repertory Company is pleased to announce that it will once again partner with the Theatre Development Fund to offer eight open captioned performances during the upcoming 2010-2011 season. The partnership to provide this state-of-the-art technology began last year, allowing Trinity Rep to continue in its mission of providing theater access to a wider community by making performances accessible to patrons with hearing loss. Open captioning is provided by c2 captioning service, and will be available for one performance of every show in the 2010-2011 Season. Open captioning seats are available for $21, and a season open captioning subscription is also available for $147. To purchase tickets, call (401) 351-4242 (TTY RI Relay 1-800-745-5555) or visit the Trinity Rep box office at 201 Washington St. in Providence.

“We couldn’t be happier that Open Captioning has been made possible by the Theater Development Fund for another season,” states Trinity Rep’s Artistic Director Curt Columbus.  “Open Captioning – and all of our accessibility measures – help to ensure that we make live theater an experience that is vital, exciting, and available to all audiences.”

The schedule for open captioned performances in the 2010-2011 season is as follows:
Camelot, Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 2:00PM, Chace Theater; Absurd Person Singular, Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 2:00PM, Dowling Theater; A Christmas Carol, Sunday, November 28, 2010 at 12:00PM, Chace Theater; It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 2:00PM, Dowling Theater; The Crucible, Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 2:00PM; Yellowman, Sunday, March 27, 2011 at 2:00PM, Dowling Theater; Steel Magnolias, Sunday, May 1, 2011 at 2:00PM, Chace Theater; and The Completely Fictional – Utterly True – Final Strange Tale of Edgar Allan Poe, Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 2:00PM, Dowling Theater.

"We are delighted to sponsor a second season of open captioned performances for Trinity Repertory Company," says Lisa Carling, Director of TDF Accessibility Programs for Theatre Development Fund, the New York based not-for-profit organization that is sponsoring open captioned performances during Trinity Repertory Company’s 2010-2011 season. "Helping to make theatre more accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing is part of our organization's mission to reach a broader audience and it's so rewarding to know that live theater captioning in Providence at Trinity Rep is having such a positive impact.”
 
Open Captioning is a general term used to describe text displayed simultaneous to live speech, dialogue or performance.  As opposed to closed captioning, open captions do not require the user to have any special equipment for viewing the text and are always "open" to anyone.

c2 is the pioneer of Live Performance Captioning for hard of hearing and deaf patrons at live theatrical and cultural events, and is internationally recognized as the leading authority in the field. Their mission is to expand services throughout the United States.  c2 boasts an impressive roster of prestigious venues now offering this vital access program, and is proud to be the open captioning provider at Trinity Rep since 2008.

Trinity Rep is fully handicapped accessible, with elevator service to the Chace Theater. Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) are available for all performances in the Chace and Dowling theaters. Upgraded, state-of-the-art infra-red ALDs are available for performances in the Chace Theater. Additional support for Trinity Rep's accessibility programs comes from the Ida Ballou Littlefield Memorial Trust, the Vigneron Memorial Fund, and Ocean State Charities Trust.