Summary
The article is about Meryl K. Evans' experience with captioned Broadway shows. Meryl is profoundly deaf. She shares her journey of trying to watch Broadway shows with captions. She initially had a bad experience with the GalaPro app on her iPhone, which failed due to WiFi issues in the theater. Later, she tried using the theater's I-Caption system, which worked better but had some minor issues. She also discusses the challenges of using captioning devices in theaters and movie theaters. Overall, the article highlights the importance of accessibility and the need for better solutions for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to enjoy live performances.
The captions faltered when I went to see MJ: The Musical on my last visit to New York City in January 2023. That’s why instead of being excited about a second chance to see a Broadway show captioned, I approached it with cautious optimism.
The original post about seeing a captioned Broadway show reveals what happened. Here’s the TLDR (too long, didn’t read) version: The captions only worked for a few minutes. After the show, I contacted the folks behind GalaPro to report on my experience. They confirmed that the WiFi in several Broadway theatres was misconfigured, causing the connection with the GalaPro app to fail.
They told me about another option for viewing the captions. Instead of using my own iPhone with the GalaPro app loaded, they advised renting the theatre’s I-Caption system. They told me to go to Sound Associates, Inc.’s website to reserve a device. There, I’d select the show and go from there.
I kept that in my back pocket for the next opportunity to go to NYC. Almost two years later, that opportunity finally came.
Return to Broadway
In a lucky turn of events, two organizations covered my trip to NYC. The trip lasted for nine glorious days, the longest I’ve ever been away from home in years. For the first part of the trip, I stayed in a hotel in Hell’s Kitchen. It was just a few blocks from Times Square! I had a speaking engagement on the first day. After that, I was free until the weekend.
I contacted Thomas Logan, who sat with me during the MJ experience. We got tickets to The Great Gatsby. Then, on a whim, I checked out The Outsiders and lucked out in finding a single seat for half price. Both had captions.
After buying my tickets, I went to Sound Associate’s page for each show. I reserved the captioning device for both shows. Thomas and I arrived early to ensure we had time to find the booth with the captioning device. It was just inside the theatre away from the crowds at the doors. You couldn’t miss it as the station had listening devices and other technology.
I showed my reservation information to the employee who asked to see my ticket. They wanted to know where I was sitting. They handed over the device and we headed to our seats.
Take Two: What Happened with Live Theatre Captions
The lights went off and the music began to play. My stomach tingled in nervousness unsure whether the captions would fly or flail. It started strong as the captions described the music followed by the lyrics as soon as someone started singing.
I didn’t get excited yet. “MJ” also started similarly. After 15 minutes passed, I celebrated and relished the rest of the show. The captions did a good job of keeping up. They did go a little too fast or a little too slow at times. I think they also missed lines here and there. I can’t be sure as I depend on captions.
When I plan to see a musical for the first time, I do my homework. I review the lyrics, listen to the music on repeat, and study the plot complete with spoilers to ensure I can follow along.
Before attending “The Great Gatsby,” I did zero homework. The only thing I had seen was a video of “New Money” thanks to my son who shared it with me. Its catchy music with 1920s dancing and costumes like some of my favorites of “Anything Goes” and “Chicago.”
Clip of Captioned Broadway Show
Thanks to the captions, I followed the show and the songs well. The wonderful thing about not preparing to see the show is that it could surprise me! There was a scene that had me gasping in amazement. I didn’t expect it!
Audio description: “Adjusting the brightness on the I-Caption.” I-Caption device with Great Gatsby logo. Brightness setting appears on the screen. Meryl’s hand presses the buttons to adjust it. “Captions in action …” The I-Caption device shows the the singer’s name, lyrics, and music description. It ends with the cast taking a bow.
A Hiccup During the Captioned Broadway Show
During the first half of the show, Thomas and I got worried. An usher came over to us and said something. I have no idea what he said. I quietly replied I had a caption device and that I couldn’t hear them because I read lips and it was too dark. He left.
During intermission, I located the usher. I explained that I couldn’t hear them. They said there was no problem. Everything was good.
I think what happened was he didn’t realize I was using a captioning device. He might’ve thought I was using my phone to record the show. This was my biggest fear after reading another person’s terrible experience at a Broadway show with a captioning device. The actor called them out in front of everyone during the show!
I didn’t have to worry about actors as we were too far back. But I worried about the ushers and theatergoers. Anyway, remember the staff member asked me where I was sitting. It sounds like that information was not communicated to the usher. This experience prepared me for “The Outsiders,” which I saw the next day.
What Happened During Broadway Show No. 2
I went to see “The Outsiders” alone. This was a little scary because I wouldn’t have the safety zone of friends sitting next to me. Instead, I’d sit next to two strangers on my side.
Before I went to sit down, I found the usher nearest to my seat. I told them I had a captioning device. I quickly explained what happened the day before and wanted to prevent it from happening again.
Once seated, I waited for the seatmates to arrive. As soon as they sat down, I told them about the device. Both were lovely about it. In fact, I had a wonderful conversation with one of them. We watched the show without any unexpected visitors or complaints.
The theatre’s I-Caption device has a few advantages over my iPhone. The GalaPro was lighter. It made it easier to hold the device for the entire show. The captions followed line breaks best practices than the GalaPro app. The GalaPro app captions had long lines. Compare the following images from the Galapro app and I-Caption. I found the I-Caption shorter lines easier to scan.
Screenshot from GalaPro app: (Lively music builds) Ponyboy: ♪ But unlike the movies and the books I like to read, Nothing in this town plays out the same. Caption lines are long.
Screenshot from GalaPro app: (Grinding rev of a car engine) Ponyboy: I knew what that sound meant. I didn’t even have to turn around. Caption lines are long.
Capture of I-Caption screen: Dally: This ain’t my fault, Darrel! I’m not the one who got into it with them Socs! Darrel: Well, maybe it shoulda been you! Caption lines are shorter.
The captions in the I-Caption look bright in the photo, but it was not that bright. It was challenging to take a photo with two devices without bothering anyone.
The I-Caption device has one annoyance. The captions would fade out and fade in at times. The video clip shows an example of this. It caused the captions to be delayed for the next lines. It disrupted the experience.
For a brief moment, I had the captions running on my iPhone with the GalaPro app. This time, it worked well. The two devices were in sync. The iPhone GalaPro app did not have the fade-in and fade-out problem. I’d make two changes for the best experience. Get rid of the fading and provide something to hold the device.
To ensure the light doesn’t distract the people sitting around me, I dimmed the light brightness as much as possible. But not everyone can do that.
An Attendee’s Complaint About Musical Captions
Two years after publishing the original article about this topic, someone left a comment about a bad experience. Here’s what they shared.
“I just came from a Broadway show. We paid $300 for center orchestra seats. The woman next to us was using this very bright captioning on her large phone, holding it up a foot away from her. It completely ruined the show for us and everyone else around her! I would love to get a refund! It totally distracted us all constantly and we could not focus on or enjoy the show at all.
“At intermission, during which this theoretically hearing impaired woman was having a normal conversation with get friend (zero trouble heating her!) I nicely asked the woman if she could please hold her phone just a bit closer to her body so it would be less distracting, but she informed us that it would make it more difficult for HER to see the words. She could not have cared less about ruining the whole night for everyone around her. So you are very wrong — this definitely DOES BOTHER EVERY OTHER AUDIENCE MEMBER NEARBY! Absolutely terrible to ruin the experience for 10 people to accommodate one selfish person! Cell phones are not allowed for anyone else for this very reason! She could have had the decency to at least sit in the back! I was and am FURIOUS!”
Here’s my response.
“I’m really sorry about your experience. Your feelings are valid. I don’t know the woman’s story. I can only share my own. When I went back to NYC in November 2024, I got a captioning device from the theatre. When I sat down, I told my seat neighbors what my device was and kept it as dim as possible just short of straining my eyes. My neighbors were wonderful. Why don’t I sit in the back with my device instead? Because it gets harder to see faces, which I depend on as well. I also got an amazing discounted seat to one show as it was a single seat.
“I appreciate you tried talking to the woman. Just because she could have a conversation with a friend does not mean she can follow the show without captions. It does not mean she doesn’t have a hearing disability or an audio processing condition. I can talk to my friend without much trouble as I read his lips. Maybe she has low vision. I don’t know. I’m so sorry. Perhaps, contact the theatre for a refund?”
I only have the information the person shared. I don’t have the other person’s story. As I always say, there’s no such thing as 100% accessible. What is accessible for one person can be inaccessible for another. In this case, the captions helped the woman, but they created an inaccessible experience for the theatergoer.
How could we do better here? Share your thoughts in the comments. Before you suggest caption glasses, keep reading.
Do Movie Theaters Have a Better Solution?
This is where the movie theater captions have an advantage over the GalaPro setup described in this article. I went to see “Wicked” at Cinemark. It was the first time I had gone to the movie theater in many years due to past bad experiences. Instead of using Dolby Laboratories CaptiView like last time, I received QSC’s CCR-100. They both have one end that goes into the cup holder, an adjustable arm, and a small device with captions.
The difference was QSC’s had a hole to create a cup holder so you could still put a drink in it! CaptiView sacrifices the cupholder.
QSC’s did not have any lines inside the caption viewer.
CaptiView had two lines inside the viewer, which wasn’t as comfortable as the CCR-100 without the lines.
It was tough to adjust the CCR-100 arm to get the viewer at the bottom of the screen to be like TV captions at the bottom. But hey, it was better than a droopy arm like CaptiView sometimes had. Once I got it in place, it was a great experience.
Movies Vs. Broadway Captions
Here are two advantages of this over the GalaPro setup. The captions are inside a window. No one else can see them. That’s because the caption display is in the back of the viewer, which has a shade around it. My kid had to lean far over my side to see inside.
While it wasn’t a perfect experience, it was a much better one. The captions worked about 96% of the time. It’d drop one to three lines of captions here and there. (The transmitter probably flaked out.) It was good enough for me to be willing to come back when “Wicked 2: For Good” comes out.
This would’ve prevented all the problems the theatergoer had with the other person’s captions. However, theatres don’t generally have cupholders like movie theaters do. They’re not going to install cupholders just for the captions.
Some allies think glasses would be a better option. The only person who’d see the captions is the person wearing the glasses. However, I’ve yet to find one positive review from a deaf theatergoer about captioned glasses. They cause headaches and strain people’s eyes. I’ve tested a few captioning glasses. I couldn’t wear them for long because wearing them hurt within a few minutes. How can I wear them for two hours?
Since it’s not realistic for theatres to adopt a cupholder-style captioning device, people need to compromise. Be good theater citizens. I was proactive in talking to the usher and the people around me. I made sure the device settings were reasonable. They didn’t distract anyone, and my eyes were fine.
Types of Musical Captions
Now, the next thing is to check out the captioning at my local theaters to see what solutions they use. I know that Broadway Dallas uses the GalaPro app, which you must download to your phone. They do not use the I-Caption device like the one I borrowed from the theatre. The organization says they haven’t had problems with the WiFi. I haven’t had a chance to test it as the theatre is a trek.
AT&T Performing Arts Center has open captioning. But it must be requested at least two weeks in advance. The location of the captions varies based on the show. How will know where to sit? The location of the captions can affect the experience. Will I be able to see it? Will I have to turn my head a lot between the captions and the stage?
If I ever check it out, I’ll report back!
Continue the Conversation
For occasional updates and new blog post notifications, subscribe to the email newsletter. Would you like Meryl to speak at your event, provide captioning advice and coaching, provide accessibility and disability inclusion feedback, or all of the above? Please drop a line to info@meryl.net or use the contact form.