Three off-Broadway theater companies — including the home of the Tribeca Film Festival — will turn up the volume for their hard-of-hearing patrons under deals with state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
The Manhattan Theatre Club, the Atlantic Theater Company and the School of Visual Arts Theatre all agreed to provide wireless headsets and install “hearing loops” that transmit audio signals to certain hearing aids, Schneiderman’s office plans to announce Monday.
The Manhattan Theatre Club and SVA Theatre, which hosts the annual Tribeca Film Festival, also pledged 24 free seats each over the next year to charities that serve the disabled.
The AG’s Office investigated the theaters last year after getting complaints that they weren’t accommodating patrons who had difficulty hearing the action on stage, in violation of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
Under 2010 guidelines, theaters that use amplified sound must also provide an “assistive listening system” for patrons who suffer from hearing loss.
“New Yorkers, and tourists from across the country, come to New York City to enjoy unparalleled theater performances. They deserve equal treatment and equal access, as the law requires,” Schneiderman said.
Ellen Semel of the Hearing Loss Association of America called the agreements “an important part of reconnecting theaters to this significant part of their audience.”
Reps for the theaters didn’t return requests for comment.