This is an ADLAB PRO video.
ADLAB PRO is a project funded by the European Union.
This video is made available to you on a Creative Commons licence.
Hello. I’m Louise Fryer, from Utopian Voices.
This ADLAB PRO video is about touch tours that take place
before the description of many live events.
This is Unit 5 in Module 3.
A live event is a multisensory experience.
The movement of performers might send air
over the skin of the audience who may also feel the heat of the lights
or work out from the direction of the dialogue
or the rustle of costumes where the performer is on stage.
AD of live events can appeal to the tactile and haptic senses
of people with sight loss, even more
through what’s known as the Touch tour.
These are visits to the stage and backstage
in which people with sight loss can touch items of the set,
stage design models, costumes and props,
to gain information about visual elements of the production
prior to the performance.
Typically, a Touch Tour takes place an hour before the show.
The describer agrees beforehand with the Stage Manager or SM
which props are available and the configuration of the set.
You’ll give the SM a “wish list” of items
from which she or he tells what can be provided.
The venue will provide trained ushers
to meet and greet people with sight loss,
see them to the stage and ensure their safety throughout.
The describer is the host and will describe what’s on stage,
and invite members of the cast and crew to introduce themselves.
After this, people with sight loss and any sighted companions
are invited to explore the stage independently.
The describer should draw attention to any props or areas
that might have been missed. They should ensure
that sighted companions do not “hog” the actors’ attention
nor prevent a person with sight loss from getting close
to objects or areas of interest.
A Touch Tour usually last between 30 minutes and an hour
or as long as the SM allows.
If the stage is not available or cannot be visited safely,
a smaller tour can be arranged in a different part of the theatre.
What to choose depends on the show.
In general choose things that are unusual and feature in the action.
Some things aren’t interesting to touch
but people with residual vision might be able to see them close up.
For example the play “The Pitmen Painters” had canvasses
and images of paintings projected on a screen at the back of the set.
By showing these at the Touch Tour some people were able to see them,
which they could not have done from their seats in the stalls
under stage lighting conditions.
The venue should provide extra ushers to help.
You might need to brief them beforehand.
They’ll certainly need training so they understand basic principles
of guiding and interacting with people with sight loss.
It is sometimes necessary to limit the number of people on stage.
Perhaps allow half to feel costumes and meet the cast in the stalls
while the other half explores the set and then swap over.
A Touch Tour works together with the AI and the AD
to help bring the performance to life.
Use the same terminology throughout.
The Touch Tour is an opportunity to explain aspects of the AD.
Not everyone will attend the Touch Tour.
Don’t make your AD dependent on knowledge acquired during it.
Don’t give away all the surprises.
You’ll need to collaborate with cast and crew to avoid this.
Research shows that of all the elements provision for an opera,
people with sight loss enjoyed the Touch Tour the most.
That was Unit 5 “Touch Tours” in Module 3 “describing live events”
with me Louise Fryer, I hope you enjoyed it.
The preparation of this presentation
was supported by ADLAB PRO. Audio Description:
A Laboratory for the Development of a New Professional Profile
financed by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme,
Key Action 2, Strategic Partnerships.
Project number:
2016-1-IT02-KA203-024311.
The information and views set out in this presentation
are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect
the official opinion of the European Union.
Neither the European Union institutions and bodies
nor any person acting on their behalf
may be held responsible for the use
which may be made of the information contained therein.
This was an ADLAB PRO video.
ADLAB PRO partners are: University of Trieste,
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona,
University of Antwerp, Adam Mickiewicz University,
RTV Slovenia, Utopian Voices,
Soundfocus and Royal National Institute of Blind People.
ADLAB PRO was funded by the European Union.
This video was made available to you on a Creative Commons licence.