Young visually impaired audio describer
Eleanor’s trailblazing role as audio describer
12-year-old Eleanor Stollery, pictured here with professional audio describer and mentor Roz Chalmers, has become the first young, visually impaired person to audio describe a performance at a UK theatre.
Blind and visually impaired audience members at the National Theatre benefited from her audio description of a schools’ performance of Roald Dahl’s The Witches.
Milestone performance for the National Theatre
The National Theatre collaborated with Eleanor on the performance of The Witches, a co-production with Roald Dahl Story Company, which was experienced by 850 school children, 76 of whom were visually impaired, from 29 primary and secondary schools.
The performance marked a milestone for the National Theatre’s dedication to providing accessible experiences for all, and was the largest attended audio described performance to date.
Innovative solutions from the theatre sound department
Eleanor delivered audio description during the performance using a braille script and cued by professional audio-describer and mentor Roz Chalmers MBE. The original audio description script was written by Roz and fellow audio describer Andrew Holland.
The National Theatre’s sound department developed an innovative system that enabled Eleanor to operate the Audio Description console and microphone using a foot pedal so she could read her script with both hands.
This collaboration not only showcased Eleanor’s skill and talent but also created a platform for visually impaired children to experience audio description from a young person like themselves.
Tactile tour for visually impaired audience members
Visually impaired children attending the performance also received a tailored touch tour and other additional activities including a pre-show workshop exploring the characters and plot of The Witches, or an additional touch tour of the Linbury Prize Exhibition with a professional stage designer to learn more about theatre design.
Eleanor Stollery said:
“I know how important Audio Description is and I was so glad I could help the visually impaired school children experience and enjoy the show together with their classmates. At first it was challenging finding the best way to adapt everything, but to be able to work with Roz Chalmers and the National Theatre on this project was a dream come true. It was amazing being given the opportunity to do something that has never been done before and that the team felt that they could put their trust in me to deliver. With the right help anything is possible.”
A teacher from Westbrook Primary School, Hounslow who attended the performance said:
“The children have not stopped talking about their experience. It certainly has enriched their lives and given them a love for all things theatrical. Our visually impaired pupils enjoyed the touch tour and benefited greatly from Eleanor’s audio description. They commented that it helped them connect what the actors were saying to what they were doing.”
David Bellwood, Head of Access at the National Theatre:
“We believe the National Theatre is the first in the UK to work with a young visually impaired audio describer, and our collaboration with Eleanor received a positive response from our audience. As a result, our sound team are developing systems and provisions to make the process more accessible to work with visually impaired audio describers in the future, including Eleanor. The National Theatre believes that theatre is for everyone, and we are committed to exploring and developing innovative ways of providing access provisions to expand our audiences.”
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Further reading and resources
You can take a tactile tour of the Houses of Parliament in London
Guide Dogs showcasing visually impaired athletes
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