THEATRE SURTITLES

The spoken theatre has begun to use surtitles recently, an initiative started by the excellent Stagetext company, set up to provide surtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. Many theatres now surtitle one or more performances in a run of shows.

Another reason for surtitling spoken theatre is because the play is in a language not all of the audience understand. Welsh theatre performances – especially those given outside the Welsh-speaking heartlands, or in England or elsewhere – are sometimes surtitled in English.

I have supplied surtitles in English for several shows, including Richard III in a 30-minute adaptation in Welsh, performed at the Albery Theatre, London, and a Welsh translation of a Scottish play for children, Ma’ Bili’n bwrw’r Bronco (Billy does a bronco – it means swinging the swing right round over the crossbar) which was performed by the Wales Millennium Centre in the summer of 2012 in venues all over Wales.

I am happy to supply – and operate, if necessary – surtitles for spoken theatre, and welcome approaches from theatres and production companies.

Please contact me on simon.rees@dramaturg.co.uk.