Our Beginning
Our teams founding members met in 2018 at Leeds Playhouse, whilst working on ‘Road’ by Jim Cartwright, directed by Amy Leach the Deputy Artistic Director
In Amy’s production, a BT phone box stood on the left of the stage, which linked to the audio description headsets. Instead of characters disappearing off backstage they would take turns to enter the phonebox and describe the action in character.
Inspired by the integrated creative access on ‘Road’, Hear the Picture was born.
Together with Ben Wilson and Vicky Ackroyd, the AD team from Road, we reached out to Ramps On The Moon and received funding for four actors to be trained as audio describers, with the hope of developing and exploring a new, innovative style of description. This culminated in a closed AD performance of Sheffield Theatres’ Life Of Pi. Thus, providing the platform to begin our first official project; Guys and Dolls directed by Robert Hastie.
Since then we have been invited to work at Sheffield Theatres many times, as well as collaborating with nationally acclaimed theatres and companies such as Complicité, Leeds Playhouse, Box of Tricks, The Lowry, The Watermill, The National Theatre, Ramps On The Moon and The Gillian Lynn on the West End.
Our Process
Hear The Picture is committed to “access for access.” We feel it is important to have our access present in the rehearsal room from the word ‘go.’
We want our description to be born from the same place as the show that’s being created.
Our practice includes meeting and collaborating with the creative team to understand the collective vision of the production.
This gives us the opportunity to raise awareness of access and audio description, make contact with the designers and hear their inspirations for the costumes and set, meet the director, movement director or choreographer, listen to a read through, and lay the foundations for our audio description characters.
In return, this collaboration gives voice and agency to the creative team through our audio description, further enriching the storytelling.
Our Models
At Hear The Picture we offer different models depending on what works best for the project
Model 1- Live Character Led Audio Description (standard model)
This is our most commonly requested model, and fits smoothly into most productions. Using our “access for access” process, a team of two describers begin work in the rehearsal room early to develop our audio description script, working closely with the creative team for guidance and insight. Scripts are developed further by attending press nights, doing closed rehearsals, and getting feedback from visually impaired (VI) audio description consultants for any final script adjustments. As well as providing our character-driven audio description, we will also create engaging audio flyers to market the show to VI audiences.
We also create pre-recorded introductory notes to provide additional context that can be sent out to audience members prior to the performance. With the support of stage management and front of house teams, we provide immersive pre-show touch tours. This model was used for the West End transfer of Standing At The Skys Edge, The Crucible at The Crucible and Gin Craze at the Royal and Derngate.
Model 2- Writing an audio description script for the actors to perform in character.
Model 2 is where Hear The Picture began! Actors, in character, take turns to audio describe what’s happening onstage. The audience hear what the characters think about what’s going on, in language that fits the style of the show.
Starting with Road, this model was repeated at the RSC for their production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where an audio description booth was built at the side of the stage, and the fairies and mechanicals took turns to audio describe, offering some entertaining insights into what they thought about the humans they were observing!
Model 3- Integration and Character Audio Description
This model is where an AD consultant and an audio describer will work with a creative team to add integrated AD where suitable, and where it’s not, fill in with audio description. This model works particularly well with new plays, as our AD consultant can work with the writer to integrate AD into the dialogue, as well as with the sound designer to integrate AD into the sound design. Where it isn’t possible to integrate the AD one or two of our audio describers will write and perform a character AD track. We have worked with this model on Wildfire Road at Sheffield Crucible, Too Much World At Once on tour with Box Of Tricks Theatre Company, and Complicite’s Drive Your Plough Over The Bones Of The Dead.
Model 4- Pre recorded Character Audio Description
With this model we pre record the audio description, and during tech rehearsals we add AD cues to the DSM’s book. With this model every performance will be audio described as the description is built into the technical aspect of the production. Other benefits are that you have more options and scope in who you cast to audio describe, you could use visually impaired performers to voice the AD, putting visually impaired access in the hands of visually impaired artists, and you have more control and direction over the performance and delivery. This format doesn’t add any additional work to the DSM or technical team as they are cueing lights and sound already.
At The Watermill Theatre we used pre-recorded character audio description for their production of Sherlock Holmes And The Poison Wood
Model 5- Full AD Integration
Our final method is integrated audio description. This is the art of making a show that works for all audiences whether they can see or not without the need for an extra layer of headset AD. This can be achieved through slight adjustments to the text, additions to the sound design and by thinking about VI audiences from as early in the process as possible. This method is particularly suited to shows and pieces of theatre that are all about the text and the language. Whether that’s the beautiful language of Shakespeare or small-scale one person storytelling shows, if the joy of watching your show is all about listening to brilliant performers saying beautiful words then visually impaired audiences, with a little bit of help, will love your show. If you’re interested in this method you can collaborate with one of our VI consultants. Who can come into your rehearsals and work with you to ensure your show is as accessible as possible.
This model was used on Macbeth at Leeds Playhouse and Three Billy Goats Gruff at Derby Theatre.
