Stagetext

🌟 We are hiring! 🌟 We're looking for a part-time Outreach Co-ordinator on a freelance basis for a 1-year project to raising awareness of text-based deaf access to arts and theatre in South East England. You'll work with our awesome team of ambassadors to spread the word about captioned theatre and live subtitled arts and culture events to deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people across the South East region. The role is: 💼 Part-time ✅ Flexible 🚘 Some travel involved You’ll coordinate talks by Stagetext Volunteer Ambassadors at deaf and older people’s groups, support volunteers, arranging access and collecting data for evaluation. The ideal candidate will have: 🦻 Lived experience of being deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing 🧑🤝🧑 Experience working with volunteers and managing projects 🎭 A love of arts and culture The deadline to apply is 28th August 2024. Apply via our website: https://lnkd.in/e99eGrAN #artsjobs #charityjobs #stagetext #deafaccess

It's another busy few weeks for us here Stagetext! We have a jam-packed schedule of captioned theatre and live subtitled events across the UK in August.   Don’t miss out if you’re in Edinburgh this month - we and other providers have lots of live subtitles for in person and online talks at the Edinburgh International Book Festival including Margaret Atwood: Practical Utopias – An Exploration of the Possible, Adania Shibli, Against Forgetting and The Front List: Salman Rushdie in conversation with Mishal Husain. Upcoming captioned theatre shows across the country are the hotly anticipated 'Stranger Things' at the Phoenix Theatre, the classic 'The Sound of Music' at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham, the creatively captioned performances of Anthony and Cleopatra at Shakespeare's Globe, and 'Barnum' at the The Watermill Theatre in Newbury. For children there is ‘The Lion Inside’ at the Curve Theatre in Leicester. Or perhaps you'd rather see the debut play 'Peanut Butter and Blueberries' which is premiering at the Kiln Theatre, or follow the yellow brick road again with 'Dorothy, Back in Oz' at Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds. Why not experience 'Fawlty Towers – The Play' at the Apollo Shaftesbury Avenue or see the moving Come From Away at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal. We're here to bring text-based deaf access to arts and culture - why not join us? https://lnkd.in/ezJ83E_p #captions #livesubtitles #artsandculture #deafaccess

We’re thrilled that Stagetext’s CEO, Melanie Sharpe, has been named as a Cultural Ambassador for Essex alongside a host of other notable figures from the region including Dame Helen Mirren, Russell Kane, Busayo Ige, and Anthony Stuart Hicks. The launch of the Cultural Ambassadors campaign by Culture Essex and Essex County Council celebrates the county’s creative industries and aims to inspire future creatives from all backgrounds to pursue their dream careers. Melanie Sharpe said: “I’m delighted to be named as one of Essex’s cultural ambassadors. As a working class girl who chose to work in the arts – a first in my family, the ethos of the campaign that culture and creativity belongs to everyone is very close to my heart.”   “At Stagetext we help support the local creative arts and culture economy by opening up arts and culture to deaf audiences who would otherwise be excluded. By fostering an inclusive and creative approach to arts and culture we will hopefully inspire future generations,” she added. With over 40 ambassadors from across the county, the aim is to encourage people in Essex to interact with arts and culture and inspire the next generation of artists, creatives, performers, and entrepreneurs. The appointment reflects Stagetext’s growing profile as an influential and engaged deaf access charity advocating for quality access to arts and culture and building a more inclusive cultural space in Essex and across the UK.  #essexculturalambassadors #artsandculture

Be part of the Stagetext team! We're looking for an Outreach Co-ordinator on a freelance basis for a 1-year project “Raising awareness of deaf access to arts and theatre in South East England’’. The deadline to apply is 28th August 2024. https://lnkd.in/e99eGrAN #theatre #job #stagetext #Outreach #arts #captions

Our Head of Advocacy and Engagement Rachel Jele was on BBC Radio Essex yesterday and spoke to Akylah Rodriguez about deaf access to arts and culture and how Stagetext's funding from the The National Lottery Community Fund will help spread the word about accessible theatre and culture in the South East. Rachel spoke about what accessibility means to her as a deaf person, what good access looks like, and how the funding will support our ambassadors to build relationships with communities across Essex and the South East to spread the word about accessible events. Full transcript of the interview can be found here: https://lnkd.in/e5pVCfgg Listen here at from 1.08: https://lnkd.in/eKTbcNAP Thanks to Akylah and her team for inviting us on the show. #deafaccess #accessibility #inclusion #artsandculture

Join the Stagetext team! We're looking for an Outreach Co-ordinator on a freelance basis for a 1-year project “Raising awareness of deaf access to arts and theatre in South East England’’. The deadline to apply is 28th August 2024. https://lnkd.in/e99eGrAN #theatre #job #stagetext #Outreach #arts #captions

What a fantastic opportunity to work with Nathan Homan and Amanda Bavin at Channel 4’s Paralympics Games 2024 press launch event, hosted by Adam Hills. You can watch the launch here https://lnkd.in/eRZNHJqb This was Channel 4’s most accessible and inclusive event to date, with all presentation content featuring live BSL (from a deaf BSL interpreter), live subtitles/captions provided by Stagetext, and live audio description. It was amazing to see how it all came togehter.   This technically complex job for Stagetext, involved using green screen live captions alongside pre-prepared subtitled videos and simultaneously providing live text to a BSL interpreter on a separate feed, all while being streamed live. It was a massive success and a big thanks to the tech team who worked incredibly hard with us to make it all happen.     We’re also excited by the news that Rose Ayling Ellis will be the first deaf sports presenter for Channel 4, alongside a host of other stars for the Paralympic Games in Paris. This is yet another opportunity to smash some stereotypes for those that are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing.    A shout out of thanks to Chloe O'Toole one of Stagetext's volunteer ambassadors and Co-Chair of Channel 4’s 4Purple, who helped include us in the event.  #c4paralympics #channel4 #Paris2024

This is great example of how making performances more accessible truly benefits everyone. Experiences like Clive highlight the importance of continued efforts to improve accessibility across all areas.

Stagetext is excited to announce that it has recruited three new Trustees to join the Board: Sophie Ede, CEO of Hearing Help Essex, Marie-Clare F., Head of Talent and ED&I Advocate at Oliver Blue Associates and Kasia Senyszyn, Accessible Information Manager, University of Kent. The Stagetext Board of Trustees plays an integral role in our charitable aims, bringing invaluable expertise and influence to support our work in providing and advocating for deaf access to arts and culture across the UK. Melanie Sharpe, CEO of Stagetext said: “I’m delighted to welcome three incredibly talented new Trustees, two of whom are deaf. Stagetext is undertaking a new phase of being based in the South East after leaving London as part of the Arts Council England transfer programme and the new trustees will ensure we have the skills necessary to thrive in our new home. They join a highly committed and effective Board and I look forward to working closely with them over the next few years.” You can read more here:https://lnkd.in/ecZKgiNP

The recent news that 6 million more people than previously thought, are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing in the UK, taking the total figure to 18 million people, simply highlights to us the need for accessibility. Although the higher number may be surprising, six million people didn’t go deaf overnight and the RNID explains how the figures have increased (it's to do with changes in how the overall total of people who are deaf, deafened or hard or hearing is calculated). As a charity focused on deaf access, this news matters to Stagetext because more people could be benefiting from accessible events. Everyone should be able to access, enjoy and take part in arts and culture, as friends, family or in social groups. Stagetext is acutely aware that deafness and lack of access can have a negative impact on people’s social and mental health – they may feel isolated, depressed or lonely. Our work in supporting cultural venues and organisations to provide deaf access in the form of theatre captions, or live or digital subtitles can have a transformative effect on both the individual and their social circle.  But what impact could the news that there are 6 million more people who have been identified as deaf, deafened or hard of hearing, make on a venue’s audience development plan, engagement strategy and strategic investment? Ultimately it means additional potential revenue. By including a previously excluded group of people, more customers and visitors can become part of a cultural community. A sense of place, ownership and inclusion is vital for the arts to thrive in economically tough times.     It has always been imperative to ensure that access is embedded from the start, not as an afterthought – and this takes a bit of strategic planning and the long view. Our own research has revealed that 77% of the UK population is in favour of venues offering more captioned performances to deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audiences and that if more captioning was offered by live venues, a third (31%) of the general public would be more likely to increase their attendance at live shows.  This research is also supported by Indigo Ltd and Spektrix’s Tomorrow’s Audience report that revealed that more than a third of under 35 new-to-arts audiences would welcome additions to performances to improve inclusivity, especially captions. So what investment is required (if any) to provide a good level of deaf access? If most people using subtitles are aged 25 and under, the investment is about futureproofing arts and cultural venues for tomorrow’s audiences. As captions and subtitles become the norm for TV, film, games and social media, it will be more and more imperative for arts and culture venues and organisations to show their long-term commitment to access as audiences expectations change.  #access #deaf #artsandculture