Audio Description Training Retreats

Bridget Melton is an award winning audio describer, most recently for her narration work on Steppenwolf Theatre’s “Duchess! Duchess! Duchess!” (SOVAS) and for her work live extemporaneously describing the 2021 Presidential Inauguration (Vernon Henley Media Award). Her description work runs the gamut from virtual and live events to theatrical performances, to recorded media as a writer, narrator, or both. Her screen work can be found on streaming services such as Disney+ and HBO Max, and she spent three years as the main describer for “Hamilton” during its Chicago residency. Active in the cultural accessibility community for many years, she works to create a welcoming environment for all. Around the United States, and virtually, she can be found at various theatres promoting inclusion as an audio describer, advisor, or volunteer. She holds a BFA in Theatre Studies from SMU Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, TX.

Colleen Connor is the co-founder and Director of Audio Description Training Retreats (ADTR). As a blind professional with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Theatre and training from The London Dramatic Academy, Colleen brings a unique perspective to the field of Audio Description (AD). Their work encompasses museum exhibitions, quality control, voice performance, training others in AD roles, advocating for accessibility, and maintaining high quality curriculum materials. Passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices, Colleen and the ADTR team collaborate with like-minded entities such as Netflix, the BlackStar Film Festival, and Descriptive Video Works (DVW) to support opportunities for blind and other chronically marginalized talents. Colleen herself can be heard on several description tracks, and recently collaborated with Roy Samuelson to write the open AD for the AFB documentary “Possibilities” by BeachGlass Films. Colleen’s goal is to continue fostering a diverse, supportive, and professionally integrated AD community.

Susannah Mars is a lifelong performing artist living in the Pacific Northwest. She has appeared in over one hundred productions and concerts all over the world. A member of The Committee for Audio Description in the Arts (CADA) in Portland, she’s been writing and describing live theatre in Portland, Oregon, and beyond. As an actress and singer, she is especially interested in innovative description including events like touch tours that engage patrons and artists at the heart level. Access-centered community is something that she is passionate about. Susannah has also been an Arts Ambassador to Egypt partnering with the U.S. State Department and is currently serving on the Portland Center Stage Board of Directors. Currently, she is working on a short animated and audio-described documentary film about grief entitled “Mourning Has Broken,” and completing a run of Matilda as the terrifying Miss Trunchbull for which she wrote the audio-described trailer and conducted a touch tour.