On October 19, 2025 Latvia will witness an important cultural accessibility milestone in theatre – audio description has been introduced for people with visual impairments, allowing them to fully perceive the visual elements of performances.

The first theatre production adapted for audiences with visual impairments is the Latvian Puppet Theatre’s play “Emil and the Detectives” (based on Erich Kästner’s work). This project was created in close cooperation between the Puppet Theatre (LLT) and the association Socintegra. The premiere, equally accessible for both the general theatre audience and viewers with visual impairments, will take place on October 19.

In September, the new solution was tested by the first members of the target audience, who confirmed that this is a long-awaited development enabling them to enjoy theatre much more fully. Agnese Puisāne shares her experience:
“Previously, I could attend theatre only with an assistant who described the performance in their own words, leaving me without the chance to form my own understanding. Now, listening to the audio comments for ‘Emil and the Detectives’, I can say they are compact, do not overlap with the actors’ speech, and are not overly descriptive. One of my dreams has come true – an accessible performance with adapted audio commentary.”

Marija Kožarina, Chair of Socintegra, explains:
“It is important to us that all groups of society, including people with mild or severe visual impairments, can equally take part in cultural events. Theatre has always been a world of fantasy and emotion, and we are proud that, in close cooperation with the Puppet Theatre, Socintegra has made a production accessible to people with visual impairments.”

Mārtiņš Eihe, Member of the Board of the Puppet Theatre:
“This is an important step for us, requiring new skills and technologies, but it truly opens the theatre’s doors to everyone. We continue to test solutions so that in the future audio descriptions will be available for every new production in the Grand Hall.”

Theatre productions are adapted for people with visual impairments using special audio descriptions – professionally prepared narrations that help them perceive visual information, describing what other viewers see on stage. Through a headphone system, audiences hear both the actors’ voices, music, and stage sounds, along with explanations of actions, puppet or actor movements, visual effects, and scenography. These narrations are carefully placed between dialogues and musical fragments, so they do not interfere with the performance itself. Importantly, the rest of the audience, who do not use the audio system, are not disturbed and remain unaware that some spectators are following the play on multiple levels.

The adaptation was carried out by a large professional team: audio describer Jūlija Rastorgujeva, accessibility expert Vlada Hmieļevska, with significant support from LLT staff. The audio commentary is read by actress Anna Klišāne.

The project “Stage Voice”, ensuring accessibility of the Puppet Theatre’s production “Emil and the Detectives” for people with visual impairments, received co-funding from the State Culture Capital Foundation in 2025.