A Describer’s Journey
Guest Hosted by Ava Forsyth
Due to unexpected health and wellness circumstances, our planned Describer Cafe event, On Becoming an Apprentice Describer, with guest Conor Wylie, has been postponed until the Fall. We look forward to revisiting this important conversation later this year.
While our topic has changed, Describer Cafe will continue as scheduled. Please note that this week’s session will run for one hour, from 11 am to 12 pm, rather than the usual 90 minutes. We’re delighted to welcome VocalEye’s Managing Director, Ava Forsyth, as guest host for a conversation with VocalEye Describer Cas Warden.
In this informal interview-style discussion, Ava and Cas will explore Cas’s journey into the world of audio description. What first sparked their interest in the craft? What does VocalEye’s describer training involve? What skills and perspectives help make live theatre and cultural events accessible (and interesting!) to blind and low vision audiences?
Join us as Cas shares insights from their training process, reflects on the skills and creative challenges involved in becoming a describer, and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the art and practice of audio description. Whether you’re curious about accessibility, interested in the describer’s craft, or simply enjoy hearing personal stories about finding a meaningful path in the arts, this promises to be an engaging and thought-provoking conversation. Bring your questions, there will be time for audience discussion and Q&A!
Describer Cafe livestreams are free to attend. Register here to receive links and reminders to all upcoming cafes.
Describer Cafe recordings are available for viewing with a Pro D Account or on a Pay Per View basis.
Guest Bio
Cas has been a storyteller since the first time they picked up a pencil. Having studied Linguistics at university back home, they have channelled that ear for language into a career based on words both written and spoken. When not describing, they are invariably creating, whether that be writing, acting, or editing. Cas grew up in Aotearoa New Zealand, and moved to Vancouver in 2016, where they live with their wife and cats.
As a queer, disabled immigrant, Cas is passionate about authentic representation and own-voices stories. There are as many different possible life stories as there are people to live them, and we all deserve to tell our own.
