Stage is set for an even better night out at the theatre
(Work is) crucial to ensure the theatre can remain a primary venue in the city
Council report
PLANS to boost wi-fi at Sunderland’s Empire Theatre have been given the goahead by city council chiefs.
Sunderland City Council’s planning department has approved an application for the installation of new wireless data infrastructure at the Grade II-listed arts venue.
The plans from Ambassador Theatre Group Limited, submitted earlier this year, include new and replacement wireless access points throughout the theatre.
Documents submitted to the council say the work would improve access to wireless data for staff and visitors and “improve the functionality of the venue”.
A design, access and heritage statement notes that current wi-fi coverage within the building “can be sporadic” and would be “unable to handle the future demands of wireless data” at the theatre.
The report states that planned upgrades aim to “facilitate better experiences for audience members and ensure that the Empire remains an important and successful performance venue”.
This includes “facilitating the rollout of a reliable and standardized hearing assistance technology that will improve accessibility and inclusivity for all patrons”.
Those behind the scheme state it would “ensure that all patrons including those with hearing and vision impairments can enjoy the performances with amplified sound and audio description from anywhere within the auditorium”.
Sunderland Empire bosses are set to transform the theatre experience for people with hearing or sight loss as well as those for whom English is not their first language.
The theatre will be the first in the UK to install a cutting-edge ondemand captioning service, allowing people to follow every word of a performance on a smart device.
Theatre bosses say the Gala Pro app will be a game-changer, meaning people can now attend any performance rather than only being able to attend the specific audio described/captioned performance.
Theatre bosses say the new service will also benefit those speaking English as a second language, allowing audiences to follow the dialogue for further understanding.
The theatre will also provide better and more reliable wireless data to access theatre services, including for tickets and ordering food and drinks.
The theatre will also be able to allow for audience participation in certain performances.
The plans have been approved by Sunderland City Council following a consultation that saw no objections registered.
The Theatres Trust confirmed it was supportive of the plans and that the limited harm arising from the additional installations could be mitigated by the public benefits of audience experience and the general operations improvements.
The council’s senior conservation officer said the planned improvements would also deliver a clear public benefit but requested minor amendments to mitigate heritage impact, which were later agreed.
The council report stated that the proposed works are “crucial to ensure the theatre can remain a primary venue in the city and help broaden the demographic of patrons including those who were deterred from visiting in the past due to hearing impairments”.
The plan includes installing wireless access points in both ‘back of house areas’ and ‘front of house’ circulation areas, bars and the auditorium.