At Theater Breaking Through Barriers' productions, one of the things that audiences like to do is to try and figure out which of the actors are blind or have low vision and which have normal vision. Believe it or not, it can be extremely difficult to tell--in fact, most of our patrons tend to guess incorrectly!

Since people frequently marvel at the way that we integrate low vision and sighted performers so seamlessly, we thought we'd let you in on a few of the "secret" behind-the-scenes techniques that we use.

On the first day of rehearsals of any TBTB production, each actor in the cast is given a version of the script specifically created for them based on their degree of vision. Several of our company members obviously can't see printed type at all, so they use braille scripts and/or tape recorders to learn their lines. Others with partial sight require scripts printed in very large type.

Our rehearsal periods are a bit longer than many sighted theater companies. This allows all of our low vision performers extra time to familiarize themselves with both the script and the stage set. By the time the production opens, many of our actors may know the stage's layout better than their own apartment!

Our team of designers assists in the process by creating stage environments that are helpful to our most visually impaired actors. Often, these are subtle things that you wouldn't notice unless you knew they were there. For instance, in our 2002 production of "Ten Little Indians," our scenic designer built a tiny, almost invisible rim at the front edge of the stage. When the actors felt the rim, they knew that was where the playing space ended. Color plays an important role in this as well; high contrast color schemes are easier for a partially sighted actor to make out.

"Dial "M" for Murder" comes to us from Theatre By The Blind, which means that there's yet another twist to the proceedings. For this company, which is dedicated to changing the popular image of the blind from one of dependence to independence, includes a number of sight-impaired or blind actors among its ranks (including George Ashiotis, who plays Tony). As in all of their productions, we quickly forget to keep track of which actors are sighted and which are not as we get caught up in the events unfolding on stage. (But when we stop to think about the remarkable concentration required by an actor such as Ashiotis to behave as if he can see the telephone that he's dialing or the glass of port that he's pouring, we necessarily must be impressed.)

Theatre By The Blind has enhanced this production so that it can be enjoyed by blind audience members. This is accomplish through the use of a narrator, who provides occasional, always unobtrusive descriptions of important action ("He picks up the scarf and starts to strangle her"—that sort of thing.) It's a great concept, expanding the play's audience without in any way impinging on the experience of those who don't require the narration. In some places, the simultaneous depiction and description of the same action even seemed to enhance the excitement."
- Martin Denton, nytheatre.com