Lyric Opera 2024-2025 Issue 4 - Figaro

13 | Lyric Opera of Chicago Among the company’s most visible and successful recent accessibility initiatives is the SoundShirt project, an innovative garment which provides physical vibrations of the music onstage and from the pit to users in real time. The lightweight zip-up jackets feed audio signals from the orchestra and singers to haptic actuators — similar to those found in mobile phones — that then translate the sound into tangible vibrations across the user’s torso. Lyric Opera of Chicago is the first opera company in the world to bring a tactile experience to audiences who are deaf or hard of hearing. Created in conjunction with London-based fashion technology firm Cute Circuit, the ongoing program received local and national media attention. In partnership with the City of Chicago’s Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, the groundbreaking program was spearheaded by Brad Dunn, Lyric’s Vice President of Marketing & Communications. “What we’re seeking is an enhancement; we’re not re-creating what it’s like to hear music, because you can’t do that for someone who doesn’t have their hearing,” Dunn explains. “But you can create an experience that is unique, that is a thing in and of itself, that layers on top of the audience’s experience of seeing a show. It adds some richness.” Lyric provides ASL interpreters to select shows sung in English, in addition to audio-described performances for all mainstage productions. FM assistive listening devices also provide amplification of audio, enabling a fuller and more authentic opera experience for hard-of-hearing audience members. In addition, English translations are projected above the stage for all mainstage performances. Audio-described performances are scheduled for each production and include narrations with detailed descriptions of new scenes, settings, costumes, and body language. Audio descriptions are made available to patrons through headphones, and are communicated at appropriate times throughout the performance. Lyric has found ways to engage the other senses of operagoers as well. House program books are available in large-print and Braille; high-powered opera glasses are also available for those who are blind or have low vision. Touch tours are guided tours that give patrons who are blind or have low vision the opportunity to grow accustomed to the theatre space and feel the magic of productions up close. The experience begins with an overview of the production by an expert interpreter, followed by an exploration of the backstage area. Interactions with orchestra members can provide Accessibility is one of the guiding tenets of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s commitment to Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) — and the company strives to define the term broadly. Lyric wants to introduce new audiences to the art form of opera, create work that is recognizable and representative of different communities, and ultimately make it easier for anyone and everyone to enjoy the opera experience. Robert Kusel Touch Tours offer up-close encounters with orchestra players and their instruments.