Show blind people can now see plays through medium of phonographic discs ITT W f t t broadway star recording play for the blind mady christians with joseph and associate players acting hedda gabler before the microphone at the sound studios of the american foundation for the blind new york N Y for the talking book production of the ibsen play NEW YORK it is not often that blind people have the advantage over the seeing usually it is the other way round the blind who live far away from broadway however have a distinct edge on their seeing neighbors As they cannot go to the theater the theater now comes to them complete with full sound effects and incidental music and acted by players from the broadway stage the idea of giving to the many thousands of sightless citizens across the country the thel chance to hear the best that the contemporary theater has to offer originated with the american foundation for the blind new york city which decided to utilize the talking book for this purpose the book designed to bring the best in ink print books within reach of blind people consists of long playing phonographic discs on which trained readers record the works of the chosen authors the discs are played on an electric reading machine resembling a portable phonograph for several years the library of congress has been operating cooperating co with the foundation and by using congressional appropriations has met most of the cost of the majority of these recorded works and places them in 27 regional public libraries across the country which operate departments for the blind theater operative cooperative co in launching its new venture of bringing acted plays to the blind the broadway theater was found eager to operate cooperate co A group of young players from contemporary successes formed the nucleus of a repertory company to which guest stars from time to time come to contribute their services among those whose work reaches the blind people of the country on the discs of the talking book are dame sybil Thorn thorndike otis skinner eva legallienne mady christians hilda bert lytell whitford kane selena royle wesley addy brenda forbes edith Taha taliaferro feiro joseph holland and house jameson to date no less than 44 plays have been acted onto the discs solely for the use of the blind an impressive list of classic and contemporary drama which includes such plays as elizabeth the queen ah wilderness hedda gabler king richard II 11 our town when ladies meet the silver box the rivals and the bat the playing time of all these productions corresponds with the time the blind listener would spend in an actual theater the average modern play runs to four or five double sided discs or from two to two hours and a half of playing time the older plays which are given without cutting run to almost double that number Shake anthony and cleo patro takes up seven double sided discs or three hours and a half of playing time thanks to all that has been accomplished complis hed to date the theater now comes in this way to the blind it comes to them moreover free of all charge the blind bad individual who wishes to enjoy what broadway has to offer without leaving his armchair has only to send a list of the plays he wishes to hear to the public library nearest him and one by one these plays reach him each with its individual enchantment these plays even travel between library and reader postage free |