[nabs-l] Descriptive headsets for plays

Wed May 28 03:05:45 UTC 2014

Hi Kaiti and all, this is Helga. Since you are talking about Descriptive 
Headsets for plays, I just wanted to ask you, is the descriptive headsets 
for  every play I want to see, or is just for  an specific play in 
particular? And how long in advance, do I need to let the Theater know in 
order to get the descriptive headsets, and who do I talk to about it? I'm 
just wondering since  I never did that before, and I didn't know they 
existed! Also, the same questions is for movie theaters, is the descriptive 
headset for  every movie I want to see, or is just for  a movie in 
particular? And how long in advance, do I have to let  the movie theater 
know in order to get the  descriptive headsets, and who do I talk to about 
it? I'm just wondring as well! Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks and God 
bless!! :)

-----Original Message----- 
From: Kaiti Shelton via nabs-l
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2014 10:32 PM
To: Mikayla Gephart ; National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Descriptive headsets for plays

Hi Michaela,

I have not been to the New Amsterdam Theatre, but I did see a Broadway
musical at the Wintergarden Theatre, which if I remember correctly is
in the same strip of theatres.  I was able to get audio description
for the musical.  As I remember, it took a bit of digging, but I think
you'll be able to get it if you make sure to get someone who can set
it up for you.  As was already said, be very clear that you need
descriptive services for the blind, not closed captioning or other
accomodations for the deaf.  A manager would probably be the best
person to speak to.  Just go straight to the top and work your way
down from there.  However, I would give the woman you already called a
shot.  See if she gets back to you, and if you don't hear from her in
a reasonable time try calling back.

Also, I'd recommend asking yourself how well you know the play, and
how visual it might be.  I say this because it really does depend.
Using the description for Mama Mia was really useful because I was
only vaguely familiar with the plot, and there actually was a lot of
visual stuff that went on during musical numbers that I would have
never heard about had I not had the descriptive device.  I think that
since it was a commedy, a lot of the funny moments were in the acting.
On the other hand, I saw Wicked a few months ago and didn't need any
assistance.  My boyfriend (who is also blind) and I went together.  In
Wicked the funnier parts are all in the dialog, and the music tells
most of the story.  I knew the plot pretty well, but I didn't really
have to even explain things much to him because all the information
was really spoken or sung.  I think I mentioned little things, like
that Galinda appeared in a bubble and such because they weren't
explained in the words, but a lot of the information was given through
the actors themselves.  We both left the musical with an understanding
of what happened, and I was surprised at how little I needed to lean
over to fill him in.

I hope you're able to get it.  NYC has a pretty cool system from what
I understand.  When I saw Mama Mia, the descriptions were
pre-recorded, and were linked to the light changes in the computer.  I
was still able to hear everything that was said and sung in addition
to the descriptions.  The device itself was a bit odd, and was very
different from the headsets you might get at a movie theatre.  It was
this little transmitter box, which had what looked like old-fashioned
ear buds coming out of it.  The ear buds were kind of bulky and were
really padded with the foamy stuff, but they did the job.  The other
odd thing I remember was that, since I either didn't have a state ID
at the time or was still a minor, one of the chaperones on the trip
needed to come with me to pick up the headset, and leave her ID with
the guy in charge until we brought the headset back.  You may have to
do this with an ID yourself, or may have to ask an adult with you to
do it per their guidelines if it was an issue of minorstatus rather
than identification in general.  It's just a measure to make sure they
get their equipment back before you leave the theatre.

HTH

On 5/27/14, Mikayla Gephart via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I like the headphones because my aide and mom have told me that sometimes,
> it is hard to describe certain plays and movies.
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
>> On May 27, 2014, at 7:48 PM, Vejas <alpineimagination at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hi,
>> Although I have never used descriptive headphones before (because someone
>> has always been there to explain things to me), I do have a suggesttion
>> that you read up on the play ahead of time, on a site such as Wikipedia.
>> Then you will know all about the characters and what is going on.
>> Also, I have heard that the description from the headphones blocks all
>> other sounds, so it would be hard to hear the actual play onstage because
>> you'll be hearing the description from your ears.
>> Vejas
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Mikayla Gephart via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> Date sent: Tue, 27 May 2014 18:51:40 -0400
>> Subject: [nabs-l] Descriptive headsets for plays
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi,
>> I am going to a play at the New AmsterdamTheater in NYC.  Does anyone 
>> know
>> if they have descriptive headsets.  I called and they transferred me to a
>> lady who did not answer her phone or call me back.
>> Mikayla
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
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-- 
Kaiti

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