NonProfit Theatres and the Hearing Impaired Audience: An Emerging Relationship

The aim of this essay is to explore the growing relationship between regional theater companies in the United States and the hard of hearing and deaf community – a relationship that has only recently emerged and solidified as a result of recent access and outreach initiatives undertaken by theaters with hearing impaired audiences specifically in mind. The essay begins with an analysis of the chief reasons behind these initiatives, followed by an explanation of the technological, human and financial resources involved with the operation of access programs for the hearing impaired theater audience and, finally, a description of four theater companies making particularly notable efforts in this area.