Temasek Foundation partnered with the Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) on a shared vision to enable the arts to be more accessible for People with Disabilities (PWD).

Known as the Access Development Programme, SRT made theatre accessible for everyone by providing additional support for patrons who might otherwise feel excluded from enjoying live performances. This included offering training opportunities for the industry on disability awareness and Audio Description, among others. SRT offered these series of training opportunities through a newly formed Access Arts Hub – a collective bringing the industry together to make more arts venues accessible and disability friendly.

With support from Temasek Foundation, the KC Arts Centre (Home of SRT) also has the most updated Audio Description technology installed in their theatre to cater to patrons with vision-impairment. These patrons could easily access the Audio Description service by downloading an app onto their mobile phone prior to the performance. Trainers from Australia were also invited to run a course for arts practitioners across the industry to learn how to audio describe and guide patrons with vision-impairment.

Apart from audio-described performances, SRT has been making its performances accessible to those with disabilities. This includes sign language interpretation and creative captioning, which are available for selected performances, as well as sensory-friendly “relaxed performances”, where loud sounds and strobe lights are removed to cater to patrons with special needs e.g. autism spectrum disorder.