Authentic Voices: Immersive and Creative Narration in Theatre and Live Performance
Hosted by Amy Amantea
The question of how best to deliver audio description, especially when the narrator is not the writer, can be answered many ways. Acclaimed UK audio describer Roz Chalmers will share some of her approaches to the question, including experiential knowledge of what she calls “immersive and creative narration”.
Roz Chalmers has dedicated her working life to providing access to the arts (at theatres, museums, heritage sites, circuses and festivals, etc.) as as an audio describer for blind and visually impaired people, and a lip-speaker and captioner for D/deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people. She has spearheaded the delivery of inclusive practices and is recognised as one of the UK’s most dedicated arts access ambassadors, who works unstintingly to further the cause of accessibility and inclusion within the arts. She has enhanced the lives of hundreds of thousands of people through her career.
Roz has been an audio describer and captioner at the National Theatre since 2000 and shortly after began to work for VocalEyes and Stagetext, organisations funded by Arts Council England to increase access and inclusion to UK arts and heritage. Roz also works independently at the Old Vic Theatre and other venues.
At VocalEyes, Roz has additionally worked as lead describer, artistic consultant, editor and voice artist, and has played a significant role in setting up and ensuring best practice in the architecture, museum, galleries and heritage programmes, as we have broadened our practice from our theatre origins.
Roz has trained many new practitioners, audio describers, across the UK and abroad. Roz always questions, and always attends to detail, taking time to make sure the description is just right to capture the ever-changing nature of a live performance. She will continually refine and polish to give the audience the best possible experience.
Roz is always eager to learn from others and solicits help and advice from colleagues as well as being the first to offer help to others – by way of sensitive and constructive feedback, hints and tips. Roz is also passionate about ensuring her work meets the needs and standards worthy of the blind and visually impaired, and deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people who use the services. In her own words, in relation to audio description: “With the collaboration of visually impaired experts we will find the right language to make a production vivid for the audience.”
Roz is passionate about ensuring that her skills and experience and those of her peers are passed on to a new generation of describers and captioners and is always generous in her time with visiting professionals from across the world, and students showing an interest in audio description and captioning.
Roz was awarded an MBE (member of the Order of the British Empire) in King Charles III’s Birthday Honours list, in recognition for services to the arts and to people with sensory impairments.
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