TL;DR
RNID and GN Hearing have released Auracast for Theatres, a practical guide for theaters and live-performance venues. It covers system selection and installation as well as staff training, audience testing and communication with customers before and during visits.
RNID and GN Hearing have released Auracast for Theatres, a practical guide for theaters and live-performance venues seeking to provide assistive listening for audiences who are deaf or have hearing loss. The playbook covers choosing and installing Auracast systems, preparing venue staff and explaining the service to customers across the audience journey.
The guide was developed by RNID, the UK charity supporting people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus, with support from GN Hearing. RNID says about 18 million people in the UK fall into those groups. The resource is available through RNID’s website.
Auracast allows venues to broadcast audio to compatible hearing aids, headphones, earbuds and dedicated receivers. The technology is intended to help listeners hear venue audio more clearly despite challenges such as distance from the source, background noise and reverberation. Access depends on compatible equipment and the way a venue has set up its system.
The playbook addresses more than the technical installation. It recommends involving people with lived experience when testing systems, training front-of-house staff and planning support for the day of a performance. It also advises venues to make availability clear through booking channels, websites, signage, customer emails and promotional material, so visitors can find out about the service before arriving.
Making Assistive Listening Easier to Use
The guide addresses venue operations as well as the technology. Its recommendations cover how customers learn that a system is available, how they connect to it and where they can get assistance. The playbook includes communication and staff preparation among the considerations for providing the service.
The guide advises venues to provide information before booking and explain what equipment customers may need to bring or use. It also recommends planning and testing provision rather than treating installation as the final step. The source material does not report measured outcomes from venues using the recommendations, so their effects on attendance or audience experience are not quantified.
The initiative also describes a potential role for hearing care professionals, who may be able to tell patients where Auracast is available and let them try compatible technology in a clinic. This could give people an opportunity to learn how the system works and give venues a route to hear about local users’ needs.
Auracast Moves Into Public Venues
Auracast is a Bluetooth audio-broadcast capability that can send sound to multiple compatible devices. In a theater setting, it can serve as an assistive listening option for people using supported hearing aids or other receiving devices. It is not, by itself, a guarantee that every visitor can connect: compatibility, the venue’s equipment and the information provided to customers all matter.
The Hearing Review report says Auracast has been introduced at public venues including Vue Cinemas across the UK and Ireland and the Sydney Opera House. GN Hearing’s Laurel Christensen said GN has included Auracast in all new ReSound and Beltone hearing aids since 2023. The guide is framed around UK theaters, though RNID technology lead Alastair Moore said its practical principles may apply in other countries as well.
“Installation alone is not the finish line.”
— Alastair Moore, technology lead at RNID
Questions About Venue Rollout
The release does not identify a timetable for adoption by theaters, name venues planning to follow the guide or report how many sites currently offer Auracast. It also gives no independent evaluation of whether the playbook’s recommendations improve connection rates, audience satisfaction or attendance.
Practical access will vary by venue and user. The source material does not specify which equipment or connection procedures individual theaters will provide, how systems will be maintained, or what alternatives will remain available for visitors whose devices are not compatible. The guide is described as available now, but its recommendations are guidance rather than a reported requirement for venues.
How Venues May Apply the Guide
RNID and GN Hearing have made the playbook available for venue teams to consult as they assess or develop assistive listening provision. The next reported steps will depend on individual theaters: selecting suitable systems, testing them with people who have lived experience of hearing loss, training staff and making clear information available to customers.
No specific venue launches or follow-up milestones were announced in the source material. Any assessment of the guide’s reach will depend on whether venues adopt its recommendations and report how the systems work for audiences in practice.
Key Questions
What is Auracast for Theatres?
It is a practical playbook released by RNID and GN Hearing to help theaters and live-performance venues plan and communicate Auracast assistive listening services.
How does Auracast assistive listening work?
A venue broadcasts audio that can be received by compatible hearing aids, headphones, earbuds or dedicated receivers. The equipment and connection process depend on the venue and the user’s device.
What does the playbook cover?
It covers system selection and installation, testing with people with lived experience, staff training, on-the-day assistance and communication through channels such as websites, booking pages and signage.
Where can venues find the guide?
RNID says the playbook is available at rnid.org.uk/auracast-playbook/.
Does the release say every theater will offer Auracast?
No. The announcement provides guidance for venues but does not name a rollout schedule or say that any particular theater is required to adopt the system.
Source: rss
