Mobile captioning app rolls out in West End theatres while charity warns against ‘one size fits all’ (BSL)

Mobile captioning technology has now been made available for all performances of the West End shows Back to the Future and Frozen, but a leading arts charity has warned against a “one size fits all” approach to access.

GalaPro, which is currently in use in 90% of Broadway venues, allows theatregoers to access captions and audio description for any performance from their smartphone via a free mobile app.

The application runs using Airplane Mode and displays a “red or grey font on a black background” to minimise brightness. It was previously given a trial run in 2019 with performances of The School of Rock, and is now in use at London’s Adelphi Theatre and Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

LW Theatres also confirmed the technology “accompanies” open captioned performances, and is not a replacement for them.

However, GalaPro’s arrival in the UK has been met with concern by some, who raised the case of Deafblind actor Samantha Coleman being accused by a performer on stage of recording a Broadway show, when she was actually accessing captions on her smartphone.

Meanwhile, the arts captioning charity has warned that “one size does not fit all” when it comes to captioning shows for deaf audiences.

Melanie Sharpe, chief executive of the arts charity Stagetext, said: “We’re encouraged by the developments in technology that are seeking to provide access at every performance.

“New solutions can give audience members the opportunity to find the access method that works for them. Stagetext have learnt from twenty plus years of user feedback that one size does not fit all, and we encourage theatres to offer a variety of reliable and high-quality captions, whether open or closed.

“Many users like open theatre captions because the captions are visible within the eyeline of the stage, which offers a more immersive experience. Open captions offer frictionless access to anyone in the audience, without them having to set anything up.

“We advocate for venues to consider this and offer a quality experience for deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audiences.”

While GalaPro is currently available in only two LW Theatres venues, other theatres run by the company are soon set to use the app on resident productions as well.

Other venues include the Cambridge Theatre (home to Matilda The Musical) and Her Majesty’s Theatre (where The Phantom of the Opera is now playing).

As well as the mobile app, GalaPro have also worked on a smart glasses solution in the US – which the National Theatre currently has its own version of, available at its Southbank base.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.