Audio Describers Bring a Unique Experience to The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Tonight and tomorrow night there will be audio described performances of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. Audio describers, Jan Stankus and Alice Austin, will describe the performance as it takes place. Before the performance audience members will have an unique chance to attend a touch tour of items from the show such as the production set model, a piece of the curtain, part of the set, costume pieces, and more. This will be a one of a kind experience for all audience members, and the first ever audio described performance at the A.R.T.

Tonight may be Jan Stankus and Alice Austin’s first time at the A.R.T., but they have both been visually describing performances and shows for many years.

Audio Describer Biographies:

Alice Austin has been describing visual media for people who are blind and visually impaired for eleven years. Beginning at WGBH’s Descriptive Video Service, she described countless hours of film and television programming, including The Sixth Sense, You’ve Got Mail, Dracula, The Cider House Rules,and PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre, NOVA, and Mystery. Alice also provided live description for PBS’s coverage of the 2000 Presidential Inauguration. As a freelance audio describer, Alice has described museum exhibits, works of art, presentations, and educational videos, and provided live description of the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. Her extensive work describing theatre has been heard at such venues as The Weston Playhouse, The Huntington Theatre Company, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, The Wang Center, The Colonial Theatre, The Opera House, and New Repertory Theatre.

Jan Stankus has provided description for television shows and feature films. Among her many TV and film credits are Frontline, NOVA, PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre, Simply Ming, CSI, Covert Affairs, Mister Rogers Neighborhood, Arthur, Dora the Explorer, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Shrek, and Tarzan. She also provides description for art exhibits, theme parks, national parks, museums, self-guided tours, and more. Her clients include Disney World and Disneyland, Patriot’s Place Museum, Acadia National Park, the Capitol Visitor Center, and Florida’s Peninsula Project sculpture exhibit. In addition, she has presented live description for theatre productions at The Wang Center, Shakespeare on The Common, The Huntington Theatre Company, and on board cruise ships. She is currently employed as a Describer by Descriptive Video Service, Media Access Group, WGBH.