[nabs-l] Descriptive headsets for plays

Wed May 28 12:57:14 UTC 2014

She is the head of the Box Office.

Sent from my iPad

> On May 27, 2014, at 10:32 PM, Kaiti Shelton <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 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
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nabs-l:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/alpineimagina
>>> tion%40gmail.com
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/crazy4clarinet104%40gmail.com
> 
> 
> -- 
> Kaiti