‘Touch’ tour brought theatre trip to life

I JOINED a group of visually impaired theatregoers for a “touch” tour organised by Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre ahead of an audio-described performance of their excellent pantomime, Aladdin.

We were warmly greeted by SallyAnn, who ably gathered us together on the stage at 11.30am to meet the cast and stage crew, feel the props and ask questions.

The actors and stage staff were keen to help everyone get the most from their visit and they patiently allowed us to touch items, including the sparkly costumes, the magic carpet, Aladdin’s lamp, the mad washing machine and the princess’s carriage.

At 2pm, we were seated near the stage and lent earphones to hear the excellent audio-description, which brought to life the scenery and antics on the stage (but did not stop us hearing the actors’ dialogue).

All in the visually impaired group sent their thanks to the Everyman because they’d had a much more fulfilling outing due to this initiative and the staff and actors being so generous with their time before the performance. Sally-Ann told us that touch tours are run for one performance of most productions and are available free of charge when you book your ticket directly with her (01242 695574).

I hope that visually impaired people will find the forthcoming touch tours for The Girl On The

Train and The Verdict as helpful, interesting and useful as ours was.

Ann Welsh Editor of Gloucester Talking

Newspaper for the Blind