May 17, 2024 By Brad Hundt 2 min read

Not all that long ago, people with visual impairments were pretty much locked out of enjoying live theater.

Now, many theater companies and cultural organizations offer audio description services for patrons who might not be able to see as well as the rest of the audience. And this Sunday, Little Lake Theatre in North Strabane will be joining their ranks by offering a 2 p.m. matinee performance of the crime classic “Wait Until Dark” with an audio description for audience members who are blind or partially blind.

This is the first time in Little Lake Theatre’s decades-long history that it has offered audio description for a performance, and it is the first community theater company in Washington or Greene counties to do so, according to Patti Knapp, Little Lake’s managing director.

Little Lake is collaborating with Vision Services of Washington-Greene, and the audio description will be provided by Nathan Ruggles, who has handled audio description for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the Pittsburgh CLO, Prime Stage Theatre and other groups.

“It’s important for us to include our entire community at large,” according to Patrick Cannon, Little Lake’s artistic director. “We want people to feel safe and welcome.”

“Wait Until Dark” is about a woman who is blind as a result of a car accident and is terrorized by three men who believe a doll stuffed with diamonds is in her apartment. About one-third of the audience at the Sunday afternoon performance will be clients of Vision Services of Washington-Greene, Cannon said. When rehearsals for “Wait Until Dark” began, Vision Services provided assistance to actor Kerry McGrath on how to portray a blind person.

Thanks to the audio description, clients of Vision Services “will still get the full effect of the show,” said Donna Shanaberger, who directs training and support services for the organization. “They’ll still get the gist of what is going on.”

This is the second time in recent years that Little Lake has staged a performance for an audience that otherwise might not be able to enjoy live theater – in 2022, Little Lake presented the musical “Captain Louie Jr.” with students from the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. It was presented in both spoken English and American Sign Language.

For additional information on “Wait Until Dark,” Little Lake Theatre and its 2024 season, go online to www.littlelake.org.