Big Sky Audiology donates Auracast system to Billings Studio Theatre

Big Sky Audiology Clinic donated an Auracast transmitter to Billings Studio Theatre, and the system went live for the theater’s Sept. 11 production of Come From Away. The upgrade lets patrons with compatible hearing aids, cochlear implants, earbuds or headphones hear performance audio directly from the soundboard without checking out a receiver.

Why it matters: - The installation gives people with hearing loss a way to hear live theater through their own devices instead of borrowing a separate receiver. - Auracast removes a common barrier in public venues: asking for special equipment at the door. - The clinic said it wants other Billings-area venues to adopt the same technology, which could expand accessibility across the region.

What happened: - Big Sky Audiology Clinic purchased and donated an Auracast transmitter to Billings Studio Theatre. - The system is now live and was ready for the theater’s production of Come From Away. - The transmitter was operating for the opening of Come From Away on Sept. 11, the second show of Billings Studio Theatre’s 74th season. - The project began in July, when the clinic contacted the theater’s managing director with the upgrade proposal. - Theatre staff connected the transmitter to the house sound system.

The details: - The donated equipment connects directly to the theater’s soundboard. - Performance audio streams to compatible hearing aids, cochlear implants, headphones and earbuds. - Patrons with compatible devices can join the broadcast without checking out a receiver or identifying themselves as needing accommodation. - KTVQ reported on the installation the same day. - The theater had used an older assistive listening setup since roughly 2015. - The older system required patrons to request a receiver and headset at the door. - Auracast is a Bluetooth audio technology that sends sound from one transmitter to any number of compatible receiving devices at once. - Older hearing loop systems required a hearing aid with a telecoil and worked only for devices with that feature. - Auracast works with any Auracast-enabled receiver, including premium hearing aids, cochlear implant processors and consumer earbuds. - For venues, the system removes the need to charge, sanitize or replace loaner receivers between shows. - The system also avoids a hard cap on how many audience members can use the audio stream at the same time. - For patrons, the direct audio feed reduces reverberation, distance and audience noise.

Between the lines: - Big Sky Audiology is treating the theater project as an extension of clinical care, not a standalone promotion. - Dr. Tracy Hayden, who founded the clinic and has practiced audiology for 33 years, said the goal is to keep people connected to live theater and community life. - Clinic audiologist Dr. Kelsi Prosser has framed Auracast as a quality upgrade because the signal goes straight from the board to the listener’s device. - The project also gives patients a reason to ask whether new hearing devices carry Auracast certification. - Broader venue adoption would make that certification more useful to patients in Billings and across Montana.

What's next: - Big Sky Audiology Clinic said it hopes other venues in the area will adopt Auracast. - Patients shopping for hearing technology can ask whether a device includes Auracast certification. - The clinic’s broader service list includes diagnostic hearing evaluations, hearing aid selection and fitting, tinnitus care, cochlear implant services, vestibular and balance testing and earwax removal. - The clinic also works with local organizations to expand hearing accessibility in public spaces.

The bottom line: - The donation turns one Billings theater into a live test case for a simpler, device-based accessibility model that could spread to more venues.