2017 MindsEye Audio Description Training

The performance of theatre is a universal cultural phenomenon that exists in every society around the world. Experiencing theatre helps us understand what it means to be human– but for over 130,000 visually-impaired people in Missouri and over 240,000 in Illinois, these experiences were limited until now. Audio Description (AD) makes visual images accessible for people who are blind or have low vision. MindsEye provides audio description for the Greater Saint Louis Area and has worked with The Repertory Theatre, COCA, Peabody Opera House, and will be taking over audio description for The Muny this summer. Audio description means that every person who attends a theater production, regardless of visual impairment, has the chance to experience a rewarding performance. Join MindsEye in a weekend training session to turn the visual magic of the arts—theatre, movies, museums—into audio for the visually impaired. Who? Anyone ages 16+ What? Audio Description Training with Jennifer Nigro Where? Webster University When? June 17th & 18th How much? Free for individuals. Lunch is included. Day 1: The Fundamentals of Audio Description. This session consists of an overview of audio description concepts, relating to all forms of visual art. Participants will participate in a series of exercises to help cement learning of the fundamentals. Day 2: Practicum. The morning will focus primarily on theater (using movies for practice), focusing on live description. The afternoon will focus on art/museum description and scripting. Jennifer Nigro coordinates audio description for multiple performing arts centers through her work as coordinator of volunteers for the Audio-Reader Network in Lawrence, KS. She started working there in 2004, and became a trained audio describer herself in 2006. In 2015, she took over the training of Audio-Reader’s audio description team. During her time coordinating the audio description program, Jennifer has grown Audio-Reader’s describer team to include more than 20 trained describers who serve five performing arts centers on a regular basis.