Salina Community Theatre has always been concerned with improving the theatre-going experience for our patrons. In 1996, we installed a Sennheiser hearing assist system in the Kephart Theatre. In 2011 during construction of the Theatre Education Wing, we added an FM hearing system.
Last year, several patrons approached us about another system, the Telecoil Loop system, that required no external apparatus to access the enhanced auditory signal. Any patron that has a hearing aid device, as long as it has the telecoil installed, can access the system through their own device.
We’re proud to announce the installation of this hearing loop technology in both the Kephart Theatre and the Sunflower Financial Theatre. By changing the hearing aid or cochlear implant to the “T” setting, the loop sends the sound from the stage directly to the hearing aid or the implant, greatly improving the signal and minimizing static and interference.
We were offered several options: doing only one theatre, doing only part of the seating in both theaters, or adding the system to both theaters. We decided that we wanted to provide the best experience for all our patrons, so now both spaces are fully looped.
In upcoming playbills there will a page dedicated to the individuals and foundations who made this innovative system possible.
Please see your audiologist or hearing aid dispenser to have the t-coil activated. It’s a simple procedure and provided at no charge.
