Enhance

Enhance is a proven two-part access training and consultancy programme created by Extant and led by experienced visually impaired facilitators that considers VI audiences from creation to post-production.

We are one of the Arts Council England recommended support organisations as part of their All In programme who offer access training and consultancy in the field. As a company we’ve been creatively integrating access for VI audiences into our productions (ranging from theatre stages, to outdoor to immersive shows) for over 25 years.

Our consultancy and access training has been used by: Royal Shakespeare Company, Hijinx Theatre, Igor and Moreno, Punchdrunk, Quiplash, She Goat, Miracle Theatre, Art with Heart, Theatr Clywd, The Lowry, Camden People’s Theatre, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Vital Exposure, Young Vic, The Curve, Sadler’s Wells and many more.

Three puppeteers dressed in black hold a neutral human puppet, which looks down to the ground. A small light is projected onto the puppet.

A scene from Hijinx Theatre’s Meet Fred. Photo: Holger Rudolph.

Pre-Enhance: Audio Description Consultancy and Dramaturgy

Pre-Enhance offers artists and theatre companies who are within their bid writing, pre-production and/or rehearsal process up to five days of bespoke consultation, led by a VI facilitator and access worker, on the best ways to integrate audio description in their production.

Post-Enhance: Post Production support

Post-Enhance offers artists and touring companies (who have already created their shows) a chance to deliver an affordable, lo-fi way that is tested and works for VI audiences. Post-Enhance, led by a VI facilitator and access worker, enables companies to produce detailed programme notes for their show, receive training on how to deliver an accessible touch tour and critical knowledge on how to produce accessible marketing materials which we can then promote through our VI specialist networks.

An Enhance performance will not have audio description but will contain programme notes, which will encapsulate the visual aspects of the show and are written with access for visually impaired audiences at the core. As well as a Touch Tour, which will offer an exploration of set, props and costume: offering an immersive space in which to imagine the work before the show begins. This is an ‘enhanced’ way of providing access for VI audience members.

Testimonials and Evidence

“We hadn’t even considered working with blind and visually impaired audiences before but they [Extant] were really pushing the limits and wanted to see where it worked and where it didn’t. It wasn’t like they were delivering a model for us. They were teaching us as a company how to be accessible.”

“Certainly we feel like it’s been a hugely valuable part of our process this year and the connections that we’ve made with audience members have felt incredibly special. It will be something we look at in the future with an actual amount of knowledge which we didn’t have before. It’s been a positive experience that we want to replicate.”

Our 2017 Enhance programme was evaluated by the Audience Agency and you can read a link to the report here.

If you want to book a conversation or purchase some access training, please contact our Enhance Training Manager: [email protected]

Paul Hamlyn Foundation

Thanks to support from Paul Hamlyn Foundation funding, Extant will be working with 18 venues and 54 companies to deliver Post-Enhance training across 2024-26 which also includes each venue receiving our Visual Impairment Awareness Training and being awarded our Enhance mark.

In 24/25 we’re working with The Lowry (Salford), The Courtyard (Hereford), Arena Theatre (Wolverhampton), Camden People’s Theatre (London), Alphabetti Theatre (Newcastle) and Derby Theatre (Derby).