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Quebec Theatres Expand Accessibility for Audiences With Visual and Hearing Impairments

Quebec theatres are expanding accessibility for visually and hearing-impaired audiences, enabling patrons like Dominique Boucher, who has lived with a visual impairment for 40 years, to return to productions.
Earlier this year, Montreal circus venue TOHU presented a performance featuring live audio descriptions of stage actions, while Rideau Vert experimented with Michel Tremblay's "À toi pour toujours, ta Marie-Lou" integrating sign language throughout.
Rideau Vert's production required redesigned lighting, costumes, sets, and more than 20 additional hours of rehearsal. Erika Malo, the theatre's artistic development co-ordinator and accessibility lead, noted the performance cost roughly double that of a standard interpreted production.
Larochelle, the theatre's director of philanthropic development, said theatres are frequently asked whether accessibility responds to real demand in grant applications. Boucher emphasized the investment allows audiences to "experience these works differently and truly appreciate them."
Quebec City's Théâtre du Trident has expanded accessibility services over the past three years, yet Benoit Mathieu, TOHU's co-executive director, said the venue requires financial partners to sustain these experiences regularly, as costs reach tens of thousands annually.

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How a Quebec theatre is opening its doors for audiences with visual and hearing impairments

Dominique Boucher, who has lived with a visual impairment for the past 40 years, has stayed away from the theatre. But as more theatres in Quebec experiment with performances that offer audio descriptions, sign-language interpretation and other measures to accommodate more patrons, Boucher is stepping back into the audience — and says he is eager for more.

5 hours ago·Canada

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