|
Contact: John Carney
JMPR Associates
212-477-0472
jmprmedia@aol.com
HANDHELD
INDIVIDUAL CAPTIONING SYSTEM, I-CAPTION
(TM) MAKES ALL PERFORMANCES OF BIG RIVER
AT FORD’S THEATRE ACCESSIBLE TO THE
DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING
Washington, DC, April 4, 2005 --- Ford’s
Theatre patrons attending Deaf West’s
production of Big River, which features
both deaf and hearing actors, can follow
the onstage dialogue and lyrics with TM
the latest innovation in assistive technology.
www.soundassociates.com
“We developed the I-Caption system
so deaf and hard of hearing theater goers
would not be limited to attending special
signed shows,” said T. Richard Fitzgerald,
theatrical sound designer and CEO of Sound
Associates, Inc. “There is so much
happening onstage in this unique, dynamic
production that a deaf patron not fluent
in American Sign Language could miss a lot.”
I-Caption features a handheld wireless unit
that displays dialogue and lyrics in text,
in real time from any seat in the house.
The system made it’s debut in Deaf
West’s production of Big River on
Broadway and has been available for all
performances of the national touring companies
ever since. I-Caption is also available
for Broadway’s Wicked and will soon
be available for Mamma Mia!
The I-Caption system features
a proprietary handheld unit that displays
the text of the entire show verbatim, including
lyrics and dialogue. The text is automated
and synchronized with sound and lighting
cues to accommodate pacing variations from
performance to performance. A polarized
screen keeps nearby patrons from being distracted
by light or moving text.
"Our goal is to adapt
the very latest technology to accommodate
special needs audiences so every performance
is available to all theater lovers,"
said Fitzgerald, the designer of the I-Caption
system who received a Tony Award in 1980
for introducing the Infrared Listening System
to Broadway theatres.
In addition to I-Caption,
Sound Associates' has developed D-Scriptive™,
an audio description service for the blind
soon available at Wicked and Mamma Mia!,
and ShowTrans™ the automated multilingual
commentary service for non-English speaking
audiences.
For over fifty years Sound
Associates has been supplying sound equipment
to the performance industry, offering the
best in assistive listening for professional
or personal use and is synonymous with infrared
listening.
The I-Caption unit can
be obtained at the Infrared Listening System
distribution center in the theatre lobby.
There is no charge to use I-Caption.
Big River is currently
playing at Ford’s Theater, 511 10th
St. NW, Washington DC. For ticket information
visit www.fordstheatre.org For upcoming
tour dates including Hershey PA, St. Louis,
Denver, Portland, Seattle and information
about the National Touring company of Big
River visit www.deafwest.org
|
