Universal design on stage: live audio description for theatrical performances

Abstract

Elsewhere, we have demonstrated how the practices and processes associated with the creation of audio description (AD) for television and film violate many of the central tenets of universal design theory (Udo & Fels, 2010, Journal of Engineering Design, 21(2), 1466–1837). However, the scope of our analysis and subsequent discussion extended only to post-production AD and did not address the creation of AD for live theatre, a medium with its own unique set of conventions. We seek to address this gap in the scholarly flora by examining how current practices and processes for the conventional AD of live theatre productions stray from and adhere to the principles of universal design. To facilitate comparison, our analysis and discussion mirrors that of our previous paper (ibid.). As such, we introduce each of the seven principles of universal design, summarizing our previous findings before offering up an analysis of how live AD fares as an example of a universally designed set of practices and processes. Finally, we argue that in order for live AD to fit the principles more closely, it must be redefined as an additional means through which a director can articulate his or her creative vision.