Could you be a Volunteer Captioning Ambassador for STAGETEXT?

Are you a captioning fan who lives in London who would like to help more deaf, deafened and hard of hearing Londoners to experience theatre captioning?

STAGETEXT (a supporter of this site) are aiming to reach more people and we are looking for volunteers to make it happen!

There are over a million deaf deafened and hard of hearing Londoners, and we know there are still thousands of them who could benefit from captioned theatre but don’t yet know about it.

STAGETEXT are looking for Volunteer Captioning Ambassadors to take on these roles:

Captioning Ambassadors – Audiences: Help us reach the 30% of theatre patrons who don’t book for captions but say they do find them helpful, by talking to audience members before and after captioned shows, handing out information, answering questions, and sharing what captioning means to you.

Captioning Ambassadors – Outreach: Help us reach people who don’t currently attend theatre or captioned performances, by finding new places to spread the word about captioning, talking to people about it, and distributing information.

Social Group Co-ordinators: Co-ordinate and support groups of caption-users to attend theatre performances together.

Buddy Ambassadors: Encourage people new to captioned theatre to attend and enjoy captioned shows by giving them one-on-one support before the show, meeting them at the theatre, introducing them to other social group members, encouraging them to enjoy the experience and ensuring they know how to find out what’s on in future, and how to book again.

All of our Ambassadors will have training for their roles, and a Volunteers’ Briefing on STAGETEXT and its work.

Ambassadors will work individually or in small teams, depending on the type of assignment, your own preference, and the availability of fellow Ambassadors.

STAGETEXT is able to cover out of pocket expenses!

If you’d like to know more about the difference captioning makes, here is a STAGETEXT film where deaf people who attend captioned shows talk about their experiences:

If you’re interested in becoming a Volunteer Captioning Ambassador please email Christine Hathway, STAGETEXT Volunteers’ Manager (christine@stagetext.org) and let her know you’d like to find out more.