Surtitles

Surtitles, also known as supertitles, Captitles, SurCaps, OpTrans, are translated or transcribed lyrics/dialogue projected above a stage or displayed on a screen, commonly used in opera, theatre[1] or other musical performances.

[6][7] Generally projected above the theatre's proscenium arch (but, alternately, on either side of the stage), surtitles are usually displayed using a supertitling machine.

Originally, translations would be broken up into small chunks and photographed onto slides that could be projected onto a screen above the stage, but most companies now use a combination of video projectors and computers.

Lotfi Mansouri, then general director of the Canadian Opera Company, hired Friedman to use the system for the first time in a live performance during the January 1983 staging of Elektra.

The American company called Figaro Systems established by Patrick Markle, Geoff Webb, and Ron Erkman developed the first assistive technology for individualized libretto-reading for audiences.

The electronic libretto system uses individual screens placed in front of each seat allowing patrons either to view a translation or to switch them off during the performance.

Viewers move the panels into position (usually below the movie screen or stage) so they can read the reflected captions and watch the presentation.

"[15] In October 2019, the Théâtre Édouard VII, in partnership with Panthea and the Fondation pour l'audition (a non-profit foundation for the hearing-impaired), became the first Parisian theatre to offer surtitling smart glasses for a full season, providing the service at no extra cost for audience members with hearing impairments.