From Ear to Eye Helps the Blind Watch Plays at the Theater: When the Light is No More, Sound Leads the Way

Mr. Vinh, who fell and lost his sight at the age of 19 months, went to the theater for the first time thanks to the support of Sunbox. He hugged Meritorious Artist Thanh Loc tightly during the closing ceremony of the play Teacher Duyen at Thien Dang stage on April 10 - Photo: Taken Anywhere

The idea of ​​From Ear to Eye started in 2022, when Luong Linh, co-founder of Sunbox, was studying for a master's degree in the UK.

To serve the research topic of creating an art exhibition for the blind, Mr. Linh learned about and experienced support services for the blind in the UK, including services that help the blind watch plays on stage. Then he thought of bringing this model to Vietnam.

Watch the play with your ears

Mr. Vinh is one of the first four blind audiences to go see a play live on stage through the support of the project "From Ears to Eyes" and is also the main character appearing in the photo series "Journey to see a play with a blind friend" on the fanpage "Take pictures everywhere" , touching many people.

Van Nguyen, admin of Wherever You Take Pictures , said: "They were even more excited than I was. They could feel every detail of the characters, from the words to the physical comedy, they laughed heartily, and commented a lot. The play lasted until almost midnight before ending, they sat and listened attentively, enjoying it until the end."

Anh Linh, co-founder of Sunbox, introduces and helps visually impaired audiences touch the 3D model simulating the stage design of the play Teacher Duyen - Photo: Taken Anywhere

The way Mr. Vinh enjoys the play at Thien Dang stage is called by Sunbox as "watching the play with your ears" in 4 steps.

First, blind audiences will listen to an audio file about the program, stage rules, setting and characters of the play. An hour before the show, they continue to explore to better visualize the space, stage layout and important elements by listening to an introduction and touching a 3D model simulating the stage design.

Next, the audience gets acquainted with the headphones. The narrator gets acquainted with the blind audience, checking the connections of each device. Finally, the blind audience listens to the actors' live dialogue on stage, while also listening to the narration through the headphones.

Mr. Vinh began to feel and remember the stage setting and then wore a supporting headset - Photo: Take pictures everywhere

This description adds information such as changes in stage layout, actors' physical movements, or the appearance of characters who do not make sounds...

There will be two male and female volunteers to assist the blind audience in the theater. Currently, "From Ear to Eye" organizes two shows a week, with each show having a maximum of five blind audience members.

Blind audiences are helped to their seats by volunteers - Photo: Taken Everywhere

Art for all

Ms. Quynh Ngan, co-founder of Sunbox, said that the project "From Ear to Eye" started planning to be implemented in Vietnam in mid-2024. When the Goethe Institute Ho Chi Minh City called for proposals for ideas on Inclusive Art projects, the project was selected.

Talking about the reason for doing the project with the Goethe Institute at that time, Mr. Linh started with a question: "We often say "art is for everyone", but does "everyone" here include people with disabilities?".

"So we hope to create a service to help the visually impaired integrate into the theatrical life in Ho Chi Minh City, where the vitality of this art form is extremely strong," Ms. Ngan confided to Tuoi Tre .

Mr. Linh stood at the end of the stage, describing everything about the play to Mr. Vinh's support equipment - Photo: Taken Anywhere

The current permanent staff of "From Ear to Eye" is four people. According to Ms. Ngan, the biggest difficulty is the reading of the description. Because when performing on stage, in addition to the main storyline, the actors will improvise "comedic pieces", so reading this description does not have a script but requires quick reflexes according to the situation of the play.

"The person reading the description will have to go see the play twice. The first time is to memorize all the details and set up the stage, the second time is to test reading the description for a blind person. Only when it is feasible will the play be introduced into the project," said Ms. Ngan.

Co-developing and providing financial support for the project in 2025, Mr. Doan Thanh Toan, cultural program coordinator at the Goethe Institute (HCMC) commented that "From Ear to Eye" is not only a new experiment with the "audio drama" model but also opens up the prospect that visually impaired people can "watch" plays in many theaters and stages across the country.

"We appreciate the potential of the project and consider maintaining and expanding this model a reasonable direction. From Ear to Eye builds a positive cooperative relationship with Thien Dang stage and the blind audience community, and has successfully tested assistive technology solutions," Toan shared with Tuoi Tre.

From left to right: Ms. Anh, a permanent staff of From Ear to Eye, Ms. Yen, Meritorious Artist Thanh Loc, Mr. Vinh. In which: Mr. Vinh and Ms. Yen are visually impaired audiences who went to watch the play live at Thien Dang with the support of Sunbox - Photo: NVCC

Ms. Quynh Ngan, co-founder of Sunbox and Ms. Nhung, a volunteer connecting with blind audiences and also a blind person - Photo: NVCC

After 25 - 30 shows accompanied by Goethe Institute Ho Chi Minh City, the team of "From Ear to Eye" will streamline and perfect the program to become a regular service every weekend.

If they receive positive feedback, they will expand to children's plays because the production team hopes that young blind audiences will grow up with a childhood of going to the theater and that watching theater for children should be a normal part of life.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tu-tai-den-mat-giup-nguoi-khiem-thi-xem-kich-tai-rap-khi-anh-sang-khong-con-am-thanh-se-dan-loi-20250422092643241.htm