echo

What a beautiful space! The person at the ticket booth, when I gestured to her that I was Deaf, she was friendly and ready to serve me with pen and paper ready. Easy peasy. Knowing this venue has captions at every performance was a huge draw. I didn't have to pick and choose based on a limited chosen schedule. for captioned evenings or ASL performances. I could show up on any day like everyone else. That was SO refreshing to have that freedom and made me feel included! During the welcoming remarks in the theatre, there was no access for me to understand what was being said. Also, if I had wanted to stay after for the discussion, I'm not sure I would abe able to understand anything as it might not be captioned. It would be nice if they had the person giving those opening and closing discussions captioned on the large captioning screen above the stage. As for the performance, I really couldn't enjoy the singing nor the orchestra due to my hearing loss. I think next time I will try a listening device to see if that will help. While I was sitting in a great location and the captions were really nicely centered above the stage, I also really wish it was 20 feet lower from the ceiling. I was having to decide during the entire performance if I would pivot my neck upwards to read the captions or focus on the singer. I couldn't get them both in a good view. When there were two singers, it was hard to know who was singing by following the captions alone. If the captions had been at a lower level, it would be easier to actually see the performer and the captions. That would have made me feel like I could truly grasp the story, the mood and the experience. Also, during intermission (which I learned were very long breaks in Opera compared to theatre), there was no way for me to know that intermission was over. I'm guessing their notification relies on a bell chiming or people hollering. It would be great if the venue could incorporate a visual signal such as the lights dimming or flickering. I would suggest this venue continue to work on their accessibility for Deaf and hard of hearing patrons. At minimum, it would be great if people I ran into would also know how to sign THANK YOU so that I could feel more welcome.