Employability Pathways at Theatre Royal Norwich

Ten students, enrolled in the module Technological Tools for Media Accessibility, attended an event at Norwich Theatre Royal on Saturday 23rd November with Module Leader, Dr Carlos de Pablos-Ortega. The visit, aided by the HUM Employability Seed Fund, gave students the opportunity to experience a ‘touch tour’, a talk by, Lorna Heap, the Access Officer and witness an audiodescribed performance of a musical. The event was a great success and students left with a greater understanding of audiodescription elements undertaken in their seminars, exposing them to the professional aspects of accessibility in the arts and culture. 

Here are some comments from the students who attended the event:

“It was fascinating to be able to ask questions to the Access Officer and the Audiodescriber before the performance, so we could understand how much work we still weren’t seeing and potentially guiding career options for us beyond graduation.”

“The opportunity of talking to someone who works as an Audiodescriber and hear about the path she took to get there is unique. On these occasions you can picture yourself in the role and resolve all your doubts about the job.”

“It was very useful to see the audiodescribed performance and to discover what is included in an audio-description, which then helps us with the practical tasks in our classes on the subject.”

“I think this was a great idea which would be worth repeating with others, including the SAAM volunteers.”

“A great and incredible experience. The touch tour was very interesting and I really enjoyed it. The talk by Lorna Heap, the Access Officer at Theatre Royal, was really useful as I am interested in audiodescription. In Spain, I participated in an audio-description workshop of Picasso’s Guernica for El Museo del Prado and it opened my mind to a new world. The audiodescribed performance was also extremely well done and detailed. At some point, I would close my eyes to verify if I could follow the performance, and indeed I could. The experience was very enriching and I really hope other students can benefit from it too, because audiodescribing can be a new world to discover.”