National Theatre

Mark Ludmon tries out the new smart caption glasses launched by the National Theatre for people with hearing loss. The National Theatre has opened up access for people who are deaf or hearing impaired with the launch of high-tech “smart” glasses that allow wearers to see captions for any performance. After four years of research, development and testing, the revolutionary technology allows people to see a transcript of dialogue and sound transmitted via Wi-Fi directly onto the lenses of the glasses. The captions respond to the actors’ speech, lighting, sounds, video and other cues to provide a synchronised service without people needing to look at a caption screen above or next to the stage. They can be booked out for free from this week, initially providing captions for Exit the King and Hadestown in the Olivier but, by the end of this month, for all shows across the venue’s three theatre … Read more