Theatre subtitling declines post-lockdown

Access charity Stagetext has reported a marked drop in demand for the digital subtitling of theatre productions following the return of in-person performances.

It has received 39% fewer requests for digital subtitles during 2021/2022 compared with 2020-2021.

At the same time, the number of captioned live theatre performances has not returned to pre-Covid levels. The deaf-led charity said captioned performances have dropped by 7.5% in 2021/2022 compared with 2019/20, representing 24 fewer captioned shows. 

A recent survey of museum and heritage websites paints a similarly bleak picture for those who would benefit from subtitled video content. The Heritage Access 2022 survey – launched by charity VocalEyes in partnership with Stagetext, Autism In Museums, and the Centre for Accessible Environments – found 53% of videos across more than 3,000 websites were not subtitled.

Stagetext Chief Executive Melanie Sharpe said: “Deaf people in the UK want to visit a museum and be able to watch video exhibits; they want to see the trailer for a theatre production, with subtitles, and then be able to book a captioned performance for the same show.

“There are millions of people who would pay to visit an exhibition, see a performance, or share a venue’s content, if the venue just made these things available to deaf people.”

Stagetext's report comes ahead of its annual Captioning Awareness Week 2022, which will run from 14 to 20 November.