Opera House to feature captions on Tuesdays.

The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center will begin screening films with open captions as part of its Cinema Series. The captions will be visible during Tuesday evening screenings; Saturday evening screenings will remain without captions.

“A number of our patrons have requested we consider having captions visible for our films, especially for films in which the actors have heavy accents,” says Opera House Executive Director Rick Davis. “So, we have been talking with moviegoers and also seeking input on social media; and beginning with our June movies, we will display captions on films for our Tuesday night screenings.”

Davis notes that many, but not all, patrons engaged in discussion expressed interest in having the option to view movies with the captions. “That’s why we’re just doing this on one of our two movie nights.” He adds that this will be done on a trial basis throughout the summer months to determine overall acceptance by audiences.

Davis notes that the request for captions is not a new one. In fact, he says, the conversation about hard-to-understand dialogue has been circulating for quite some time. Some in the industry point to poor sound mixing as the culprit. Others suggest it’s the result of conscious decisions by film directors; Christopher Nolan is an oft-cited example in whose films dialogue often seems just more than a whisper. Still others maintain an increase in the use and volume of sound effects is at fault. This debate has gotten more prevalent in just the past few years.

Whatever the cause, says Davis, audiences are taking notice and in some instances, staying out of movie theatres. “Several of our patrons have said they prefer watching movies at home where they can turn on their TV’s closed captions. We’re hoping to bring them back into the theatre,” he adds, “at least on Tuesday nights.”

The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center is a member-supported not-for-profit performing arts center with a mission to “present the performing arts for the benefit of our community and region … providing access to artistic diversity … and high quality programming at an affordable price.” It is located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.fredopera.org.