Vocal Image Ensemble Winnipeg (VIEW)
Vocal Image Ensemble Winnipeg (VIEW) is a team of professionals providing audio description for blind/low vision audiences in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We specialize in live theatre, dance, and performance, as well as digital content and live events. We have worked with a multitude of theatres and companies in Winnipeg, including: Sick + Twisted Theatre, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Rainbow Stage, Theatre Projects Manitoba, Shakespeare in the Ruins, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Winnipeg Fringe Festival, and Pride Winnipeg.
What Is Live Audio Description?
Live Audio Description (aka: Audio Description) refers to verbal descriptions of the visual elements of a performance or event that are spoken live and in real-time to listeners with vision loss through a dedicated earpiece.
VIEW’s described performances begin ten minutes before the show with a brief introduction to the characters, costumes and locations. Once the show begins, important visual details and physical actions are described between the lines of dialogue. All descriptions are voiced live and in real-time by a trained Audio Describer.
Only VIEW users can hear the description through a small handheld receiver and single earpiece that can be worn on either ear. Equipment can be picked up from the VIEW table in the lobby up to one hour before the show starts. Users are welcome to bring their own earbuds or portable headphones.