RNID and GN Hearing Publish Auracast Playbook to Make Theatres More Accessible for Deaf Audiences

The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and hearing-aid manufacturer GN Hearing have published 'Auracast for Theatres', a practical playbook aimed at helping theatres and live-performance venues deliver more accessible listening experiences for audiences who are deaf or have hearing loss. The resource is available now through the RNID website.

RNID, the UK charity supporting the roughly 18 million people in the country who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus, developed the guidance with support from GN Hearing. Auracast lets venues broadcast audio directly to compatible hearing aids, headphones, earbuds and dedicated receivers, so audiences get a clearer signal despite distance from the stage, background noise and reverberation. Unlike standard Bluetooth pairing, a single Auracast stream can serve an unlimited number of listeners.

The playbook covers both the technical and operational sides of a rollout: system selection and installation, involving people with lived experience when testing equipment, training front-of-house teams, providing on-the-day support, and communicating availability clearly before, during and after a visit across booking channels, websites, signage, customer emails and promotional material.

The guidance arrives as Auracast deployments spread across public venues. The Hearing Review reports the technology has seen growing adoption in recent years, including at Vue Cinemas sites across the UK and Ireland and at the Sydney Opera House.

The playbook is published in full at rnid.org.uk/auracast-playbook/.