Lyric Opera's "Don Giovanni" gets live ASL interpretation

Lyric Opera of Chicago makes history this week with an American Sign Language interpretation of Mozart's Italian-language "Don Giovanni."

Why it matters: Sunday's performance will mark the first time a major American company has presented a live ASL interpretation of a foreign-language opera, a significant step toward making opera more accessible.

How it works: Veramarie Baldoza, one of two interpreters for the show, watched a video of "Don Giovanni" with English subtitles to get a feel for the words but also the performers' body language.

"There's different instruments that are happening, trying to convey … the strength of 'dun dun dun,' versus the happy-go-lucky wedding type of sound that we hear from the different instruments, and so kind of using our body to match the rhythm and the melodies," Baldoza adds.

State of play: Sunday's performance will also offer a guided, pre-performance touch tour that allows blind and low-vision guests to access costumes, props, instruments and the stage.

These patrons can listen to concise narration of scenes, settings, costumes and action on headphones during the opera.

Flashback: Lyric introduced SoundShirts in 2023 for deaf and hard-of-hearing opera-goers as part of its ongoing accessibility efforts.

Microphones capture the music and action on stage and convert them into digital data that triggers 16 motors creating vibrations in the wearer's shoulders, forearms and back.

What they're saying: "Anything that makes people feel included … the fact that we can actually now allow deaf people to be able to experience it just as the audience is amazing," Baldoza says.

Fun fact: Interpreters follow the old performers' superstition about saying "good luck."

They say "break fingers."

If you go: "Don Giovanni" runs through Nov. 1 at the Lyric, with the ASL performance Sunday at 2pm.