Enhance - access doesn’t have to be complicated or costly [Updated]

Enhance – access doesn’t have to be complicated or costly

Improving visually impaired people’s access to theatre doesn’t have to be complicated or costly, it just takes a bit of thought and planning.

Many big budget shows offer full audio description, but there’s a pre-existing visually impaired audience for fringe and off-West End theatre. With Arts Council England encouraging small touring theatre companies and presenting venues to make their work accessible, there has never been a better time to connect with that audience.

A young woman performing in-the-round. Her arms are raised and she carries a megaphone.

Actor Sarah Emmott in Art with Heart’s Declaration. Photo: Sam Ryley.

To support those who cannot offer full audio-description, Extant has launched Enhance, a programme of support through which our company will share its expertise with yours. We will introduce you to a smorgasbord of options which will help you serve the needs of visually impaired audiences, including touch tours, live programme notes, accessible marketing materials and opportunity to promote your show to visually impaired theatregoers through our website and mailing list.

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.

Following the pilot Enhance programme in 2017 when we worked with companies as diverse as Art with Heart, Hijinx Theatre, Igor and Moreno, Miracle Theatre and Theatre Témoin.

Elderly masked male/female couple sitting side by side holding plates.

Production shot from Theatre Témoin’s The Mark. Photo: Idil Sukan.

In parallel with our Spring 2019 tour of Flight Paths which will be presented at The Albany London and Arena Wolverhampton among other UK venues, we will be working to support other small-scale companies touring their productions to these venues this Autumn/Winter to deliver further Enhance performances.

A group of 12 people are sat round on chairs in a circle chatting in a darkly lit space. There’s a large square window to the right.

Visual Impairment Awareness Training, Alphabetti Theatre, September 2024

Thanks to funding from Paul Hamlyn Foundation we are now working with venues and theatre companies from across the U.K to deliver Post-Enhance on a range of shows post-production. For Year 1 (April 2024-March 2025) venues are: Camden People’s Theatre, Alphabetti Theatre, Derby Theatre, Courtyard Hereford, The Lowry and Arena Theatre.

Three people are participating in Touch Tour Training. The facilitator, a man, stands in the middle between two women, looking at an Ipad. They are engaging in conversation.

Touch Tour Training, Extant & Notnowcollective, April 2024

We are currently looking for Year 2 (April 2025-March 2026) and Year 3 (April – October 2026) venues to sign up to this brilliant Paul Hamlyn-funded Post-Enhance programme. If you would like to find out more, and for any other information about Enhance, please email: [email protected]

Purple Extant Enhance logo on a white background.