The Play

Common Criminal is an original work based on the true and terrifying experience of a blind woman working for the prison system in London England. Told from the cold, calculating and often sociopathic point of view the villain, the audience is able to empathize with and experience what she experiences. An additional narration voices the thoughts of the villain and adds layers of meaning.

 

Through dramatization of this story I hope that a sighted audience can, for a brief time, be transported into the world of Maureen Dale, a blind woman in the unusual position of Senior Secretary to the Senior Probation Officer of Avon Probation Service, a job which places her inadvertently in contact with Gregory MacPherson an ex-con previously convicted of raping and murdering a disabled woman. In our production the actor cast as Maureen Dale is herself blind.

  

As a vision impaired artist and a woman, I want to communicate her reality of blindness so that it becomes vivid, concrete and particular rather then stereotypical or shaped to serve commercial or market representations. In addition to the sinister elements of the plot the audience will experience her everyday thoughts, emotions and dilemmas.

 

The narrative voice-over from her stalker's perspective provides a chilling counterpoint. His perception of his victim adds another layer of suspense and drama. The two versions of one situation gives the audience two very different perspectives.

 

Common Criminal explores what it is like to be a blind person, a woman in particular, in a modern urban setting. The natural dialogue exposes many common misconceptions and myths about blindness and blindness-related issues in a theatrical context.   However this is not a play about blindness per se. Its underlying tension revolves around issues of identity, self esteem, fear and insecurity as it might be experienced by a blind woman who is exploited by an able-bodied male sociopath. 

 

Equally important to me is the opportunity to present fully accessible work with my collaborating partners. We want to develop a standard and a genuinely creative approach to making theatre accessible to all audiences, in particular blind and low-vision viewers.

 

This project will contribute to contemporary performance practice. The play is performed by a diverse and integrated cast that will introduce the talents and abilities of blind performers to a general audience. I am excited about actively helping to dissolve the barriers that exist for blind performers, writers, directors and other theatre practitioners. At the moment very few blind artists are able to develop careers or participate in professional theatre practice. 

 

 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

 

Project History

Originally a short story depicting the true story of a blind woman working for the British Prison system in the UK, Common Criminal has been through several revisions as an audio drama script and eventually a script for stage.  In its current incarnation, Common Criminal has been developed into a one act play with a built-in 'point-of-view' audio description, accomplished through dramatic techniques such as voice-over narrative and musical accompaniment that illuminates and explains the action on stage to a non-seeing audience.  

 

The play was presented once before an invited audience in Toronto on July 16 2007 at the Palmerston Library and then taken to the London (Ontario) Fringe Festival two weeks later.  At that point the production values and script were not fully developed and there was no live audio description.

 

Production, Fall 2008

Common Criminal will be produced by an integrated ensemble of blind, vision impaired and sighted artists in conjunction with a development team from Ryerson University’s Centre for Learning Technologies, to develop a unique production with integrated point of view audio description. The Ryerson Project Team is eager to work with us to develop the live audio description because it will provide an invaluable learning experience for them as well. To date the focus of their exploration has been primarily on film and television-related technologies and tools.

 

Common Criminal will be a fully professional production which provides a hands-on opportunity to engage in this research and exploration. One of Live-Describe's core principles is  a commitment to description that an integral, artistic and expressive feature of the overall production rather than an add-on information and access tool/service.

 

From the Perspective of the Centre for Learning Technologies ( CLT)

By integrating different narrative forms for descriptive purposes we would like to develop live audio description for “Common Criminal” by Wanda C. Fitzgerald. This will involve creation of a secondary live narrative script to provide audio description in an artistic, entertaining and unobtrusive manner for blind and vision impaired audiences.  The content creation team will includes the script writer, director, an editor, librettist, graphic artists/art director, producer, and main character actor of the show. 

 

With this project we wish to work to further develop, improve upon and implement new and innovative artistic techniques begun with November 25, 2006 during the Hart House Production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. (See: support materials)

 

Access to theatre must be more than access to information. It also entails access to theatre’s artistic and entertainment values. In  our research on video description style we found that access to information and access to entertainment are two different strategies that may not overlap, and that when given a choice people who are blind or low vision tend to prefer being stimulated and entertained rather than informed for non-documentary content. Live audiences want not only to witness but also to participate in the theatrical or entertainment experience.

 

In the past there has been little opportunity to address some of these issues with innovative solutions and research. Broadcasters and other content distributors are looking for innovative ways to meet government mandates for accessibility while maintaining creative control and having effective and efficient production and business strategies.

 

Some of our research questions are:

1)      What description techniques are optimal for use by the content creation team? What changes occur in content creation and delivery processes as a result?

2)      How does genre influence the accessibility design?

3)      What tools are necessary to facilitate the inclusion of accessibility features during content creation and not as an add-on?

4)      What changes to standard production methods are required to ensure inclusivity?

 

Production Form

Featuring an integrated cast and crew (sighted, blind and vision impaired), this production promises to be an experience like no other.

 

With this particular method of production - Descriptive Audio- the narrator will play an integral part and will be considered a full cast member. Traditionally a narrator is defined as a person who tells you what is happening or explains something.  While this function will be fulfilled in the traditional sense, the narrator will also be part of the story.  In this case he will be the Voice, or conscience of the onstage villain. The director will select and work with two actors in establishing a consistent character especially in the area of voice.  As the narrator will not be seen, his vocal quality and intonations, and speech patterns must match precisely the actor on stage for believability. 

 

The audience member may decide whether or not they wish to hear the narration.

If they wish to hear it, they will be provided with a headset and transmitter. The

narrator will be situated in a booth off stage. Using a specially developed

software, and following the audio descriptive narrative script developed before

and during the rehearsal process, will broadcast to these headsets and be heard

only by those with headsets. Audience members not wishing to hear the narration

will be unaffected and experience a more traditional performance.  Those using

the audio technology will gain a fuller experience than they would have had were

the intricate visual details left up to their imaginations. i.e. set, costumes, actions,

lighting, entrances/exits etc. 

 

In essence the traditional dramatic technique, a play within a play, is employed

here, as it is intended that the narrative will be entertaining, adding to the dramatic

experience as well as be informative, filling in the visual blanks.  Perhaps so much

so, that fully sighted audience members may choose to experience the same.

 

It is hoped that by employing this process a standard can be determined that can be applied not only to theatre, but all other visual performance media in this country. 

 

Artistic Elements

 

The Play

A cast of six characters ensures a tight and uncomplicated opportunity for character development and attention to content.  The single male character is also the descriptive narrator, who will, describe the action and what is seen onstage, in character.  He will work in tandem with a musician/singer who has developed a musical/vocal narrative to that will be performed when during interpretive dance segments with the lyrics describing the interaction between the dancers. Atmospheric sound and lighting will play a large part in setting the scene, especially sound. One special performance will offer a reading in the dark or with the audience voluntarily blindfolded  to create a unique theatrical experience.  Blindfolds can also be made available for each performance for those who wish to experience the play in this manner at any time.  see script sample for Cast of Characters)

 

Music

An original narrative score has been developed by Sean Peever with descriptive lyrics provided by Wanda Fitzgerald.  The music illustrates in sound what is happening atmospherically and emotionally on stage, while the lyric description illustrates the physical action.

 

Interpretive Dance

Certain segments of the story are told through dance.  These segments convey the back story pertaining to the villain (McPherson) and his victim (The Memory).  During these sequences there is little or no spoken dialogue.  The story is told through narrative music and the character of the memory communicates using American Sign Language (ASL).  These sequences present an excellent opportunity to employ the use of Ryerson’s audio descriptive technology.  The describer will not only verbally depict the aspects of the movement of the dancers, but will also voice the signed dialogue between McPherson and The Memory for anyone in the audience who is not familiar with ASL.

 

Sound Effects

Several characteristic sound effects have been built into the performance to connect the audience to certain characters. For instance, a bicycle bell always accompanies the arrival of  McPherson.  In this way, it is not necessary to actively say "McPherson enters from stage right". The audience will very early on identify the appearance of that character with the sound of the bell, and will be able to hear from where it comes.  This is a simple yet interesting, and unobtrusive approach to providing universal access.  It also contributes to the dramatic effect of the play generally.

 

Lighting

Specially designed lighting schemes also enhance the atmosphere of the play.  The McPherson character is bathed in red for the most part.  When the dancers perform what is essentially his memory of crimes past, they do so on a fixed sheet of mylar that is lit from above so that the reflection illuminates the dancers, giving them and ethereal, or dreamlike quality to separate them from the real world action of the play. 

 

Special  Experimetal Performance of the Production

One of the performances will be offered as a specific experimental way to experience of the play.  It can be achieved in one of two ways;

1. The cast will do a reading of the play in the dark, with sound and music only.

2. The cast will give a regular performance, but sighted members the audience will be blindfolded in order to allow them to fully experience the play as would a blind person, and secondly, to realize first hand the advantage of audio description to those who cannot see the action taking place on stage.

 

Technical Requirements

Technical requirements for this production are limited, yet specialized.

Set: Bare stage using risers and runners to define areas of the stage. Simple set pieces, furniture etc.

 

Lighting: Simple yet effective lighting will be designed to enhance the mood and block elements of the drama.

Sound and Music: See above 

 

Audio Descriptive:  Ryerson will provide the equipment and software they have developed for this purpose.

 

Narrator: The narrator will be situated in a booth, and will use the Descriptive technology to transmit the narration to audience members equipped with the special headsets provided by the project team.

 

Venue

 We are researching wheelchair accessible theatres with roughly 150-200 seats. The theatre must have an accessible back stage for actors as well as accessibility for the audience.  Something that is very rare.