Open Captioning
The final Sunday matinee performance of each Mainstage production is presented with Open Captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing.
At performances presented with Open Captioning, the dialogue spoken or sung by the actors on stage is also displayed in text on an electronic screen visible to one section of the seating area.
Much like Closed Captioning for television programs, Open Captioning presents the spoken or sung portions, as well as sound effects, of the performance in a format accessible to deaf audience members or to patrons who may have difficulty hearing clearly.
This service may be useful for or of interest to
- People who are hard of hearing or deaf and use hearing aids, cochlear implants and assistive listening devices but do not rely on/understand sign language as a means of communication
- Sign language users who may prefer a literal translation of the text
- Persons who have developed gradual hearing loss with age
- Hearing audience members who might not catch rapid song lyrics, heavily accented dialogue, technical words or foreign phrases in a performance
- Children learning to read
- Individuals studying English as a second language.
In 2002, The Rep became the first and only live performance venue in the St. Louis region to offer Open Captioning.
Special seating featuring optimal views of the stage and captions is reserved. Call the Box Office at (314) 968-4925. Deaf or speech-disabled patrons may use the Relay Missouri service by calling (800) 735-2966 (TTY) or (800) 735-2466 (voice).
Other services for deaf and hard of hearing patrons include
- Assistive Listening System in the Browning Mainstage theatre and at the Grandel Theatre
