Performing Arts

Listen to what a hearing loop sounds like (less than 1 minute)
Putting a hearing loop on the stage floor gives all performers with hearing loss a direct, clear sound, without any wires or extra equipment. Alito Alessi, Co-Founder DanceAbility International and Karen Daley perform at The Shedd using the hearing loop (10:47).
- Alito on stage hears in through the stage hearing loop and starts dancing. He’s the only one who can hear the music.
- Through the house hearing loop: only people with telecoils can hear it in the house
- Through the PA – Karen, the “disabled” dancer can now hear and starts dancing. The rest of us in the house can also hear it now.

Overview
One of the many benefits of attending performances is the inspiration we get from being exposed to concepts, perspectives and ideas we may not get through any other means. It helps us understand our culture and our lives; it causes reflection and brings immense joy. Being able to understand, to catch the nuances and subtleties in these performances is critical to our reaching the full experience of being transported to a different time and place.
In many settings, hearing aids are insufficient, because turning up their volume magnifies extraneous noise and reverberation as well as the desired “signal.” Many people report no longer attending, because of the challenges of hearing. But when they use an assistive listening system to clarify sound by eliminating the negative effects of distance, noise, and reverberation, they engage and actively attend.

Performance Stages
Musicians need to hear their bandmates. Actors need to hear their cues. Dancers need to hear their music. And speakers need to hear themselves. They use on-stage or in-ear monitors and other amplification systems to do this. But sometimes it’s not enough for performers with hearing loss.
Radio Redux. Members of The Shedd’s Loop Committee began installing a temporary loop on the Hult’s Soreng Theatre stage so that one Radio Redux performer could better hear the cues, other actors, music, and sound effects. Lo and behold, 3 members of the troupe, including leader Fred Crafts, now use the loop in performance!
- The target actor could hear perfectly.
- The artistic director and announcer, who also wears hearing aids, found that it worked great for him too.
- The guitarist, sitting upstage, just “outside” the hearing loop found that he could hear too because of the spill.
- And we told a Shedd patron, who couldn’t hear much when she attended Redux’s shows, to sit up in the front row where there was also enough “spill” for her to use her telecoil!
Possible Assistive Listening System Locations
There are several places, where a patron, performer, or staff member with hearing loss might use an assistive listening system. Below are some general ideas to adapt for your specific situation and need. All require a microphone for input.
- Board rooms
- Guest services desk
- Performance halls
- Performance stages

Templates and Ideas
Templates and Examples
Patron’s handout for Player’s Theater in Florida Try Our New Sound System! Hearing Aid Wearers Will Not Believe Their Ears!
For a theater fundraising campaign, please see the “Funding” webpage, under templates and examples (this website)
Resources
- Paragraph template and checklist. Describe your assistive listening system on your webpage. Promoting Your Assistive Listening System, with Checklist by the Center for Hearing Access (2 pages, pdf)
- Lists
- hearing loops across the United States and Canada.
- U.S. theaters/performing arts centers with hearing loops. Center for Hearing Access (8 pages, pdf)
- Sound mixing. Theater or Concert Hall Sound Mixing for People with Hearing Loss. HLAA, Reprinted with permission Richard Einhorn (2 pages, pdf)
- Library. Zotero online library of 140+ articles, websites, and examples. (webpage)