An Open Letter to Broadway From Marlee Matlin — Page 2

I am totally in favor of supertitles for every show. I hardly think they would be distracting, I'm not sure how well that works for those sitting in orchestra level seating though. I think it would be very difficult for a single interpreter to sign an entire show, or even an act at a time, especially if it is a musical. Too often many things are being said or sung all at once by multiple characters. I think it would be rather difficult to keep up. In any case, I would like to see theatre to become as accessible as possible to as many different people as possible. With so many wonderful advances in technology, I hope to see better results in the future.

I am not in favor of any supertitles above the stage. I think those would be incredibly distracting. Something like what the Met does seems like a good idea, especially if it was something portable that could be added to the back of a seat as needed. I was at a performance of Sylvia where they had this machine to the side of the stage. It was mildly distracting but not too bad. I wonder how I would have felt if I'd been seeing the show for the first time/had it been a better or more engaging show. I feel like it was programmed with the script because it didn't always follow what the actors were saying. An interpreter doesn't seem very feasible/practical.