Auracast Assistive Listening System Auri Stars in Off-Broadway Production

	Drew Michael

Auri, the Auracast broadcast audio-based assistive listening system from Listen Technologies and Ampetronic, is featured in Love Me, an immersive theatrical experience written and performed by former Saturday Night Live writer and Emmy Award-nominated comedian Drew Michael. The show is playing now through November 22 only at SoHo Playhouse in New York City.

In Love Me, Michael brings the audience inside his mind as he retraces his lifelong search for love -- five chapters, five relationships. Through headphones and cinematic sound design, the story isn't just told, it's felt from the inside, thanks to Auri.

Auri is built on Auracast, a Bluetooth capability that broadcasts audio to unlimited compatible devices.

At each performance of Love Me, audience members receive headphones to wear. The headphones are wired to a small Auri receiver that communicates wirelessly with the Auri transmitter in the theater. Guests with Auracast-enabled hearing aids and cochlear implants can stream the show directly to their own devices, with no receiver or headphones needed.

During the show, the transmitter broadcasts what Michael is "thinking" to the Auri receivers and guests' Auracast-enabled hearing aids and cochlear implants. The audience hears the anxieties, uncertainties, and thoughts that occupy Michael's mind. Thanks to the show's Tony Award-nominated sound designer Daniel Kluger, the audio is clear and delivered directly to listeners' ears.

Michael, who is Deaf, performs on the same technology as his audience. Auracast-enabled hearing aids on a separate broadcast feed serve as his in-ear monitors, keeping him in sync with the recorded audio he performs against.

Michael says, "I never liked the word access; I prefer the word integration. In Love Me, the whole audience wears headphones. We researched Auracast as an access method for hearing aid and cochlear implant users who might want to connect directly. Then it struck me: what if the entire show ran on Auracast? That was an exciting energy to follow, and we're so grateful it led us to this place. Between Auracast and our dynamic captions, this is a fully integrated system which allows for multiple ways for audience members to be immersed in this show."

Michael and the Love Me team contacted Listen Technologies about incorporating Auri into the show. Listen Technologies enlisted help from manufacturer representative firm SKMac to meet the team's specific needs. Headphones were provided by Austrian Audio.

"Love Me is the first show in the US to run on Auracast as its primary sound system, and we're proud to have Auri play a role in helping Drew bring his creative vision to life," says Tracee Bracken, content marketing strategist, at Ampetronic | Listen Technologies. "Audio is an important part of the theater experience. 'Love Me' illustrates that so well while demonstrating the power of Auracast assistive listening. With Auracast, audiences can immerse themselves in the performance and hear every word."

Access is built into Love Me from the ground up, an approach shaped by Deaf West Theatre, one of the show's producers and a leader in accessible theater for 35 years. Deaf audience members follow along on iPads with live captions, designed alongside the sound and color-coded to match it, available at every performance from any seat. The same broadcast that carries the show to headphones streams directly to hearing aids and cochlear implants. Every seat at every show is accessible.

While Love Me is the first show to incorporate Auri as part of the immersive audio experience, the Auri system has been installed in multiple theaters and performing arts centers around the world.

Specific features of the Auri system that are ideal in theaters:

*Small, lightweight receivers are intuitively designed, so they are easy to use.

*Receivers have minimal latency, which is critical during live performances, and more than 20-hour runtime per charge, so they work throughout multiple shows.

*Transmitters in black or white blend seamlessly into surroundings and offer two channels for multiple broadcasts and broad coverage that reaches every member of the audience.

Love Me is a limited engagement that ends November 22. It is presented as part of the 2026 New York Comedy Festival. Peabody Award winner Prashanth Venkataramanujam directs the show. It is produced by Deaf West Theatre, OHenry Productions, Nimitt Mankad, and Prashanth Venkataramanujam. Tickets are on sale now at LoveMeShow.com.

Live captions are available at every performance of Love Me, at any seat and at no extra cost. Patrons can request a caption device from the box office or an usher on arrival.

See Drew Michael explaining how Auracast powers the audio experience at Love Me on his Instagram account.