Caption System

Theater captioning software, built to run offline.

Cuelora Caption System is the live theater captioning tool American stages actually asked for. It imports your script, translates it into multiple languages at install, and streams captions to every patron in the house over your own Wi-Fi — no cloud, no per-performance fee, no "our servers went down on opening night" story.

Request early access → Request early access

Browser-based — no app required Perpetual license · pricing announced soon

LIVE · Patron viewEN · ES · FR

Viola

Conceal me what I am, and be my aid…

—

Distant music. The Captain looks out to sea.

Captain

Be you his eunuch, and your mute I'll be.

Viola · ES

El que mis ojos no puedan ver, no lo dirán mis labios.

Cue 412 · Act I, sc. 2 Offline · LAN only

How it works

From script file to patron seat in under an hour.

No dedicated captioner required. No expensive in-house stenographer. No hand-typing cues during the show.

Drop in your script

Import any PDF, Word (DOCX), Final Draft (FDX), or Fountain file. Cuelora automatically parses speaker names, dialogue, and stage directions into cues — no retyping, no manual tagging.

Pick your languages

Select the languages you want. Everything translates once, at import, in the background. Your Wi-Fi never touches the internet again for the rest of the run.

Raise the house

Patrons join your local Wi-Fi and pick their language. The operator runs cues with spacebar, arrow keys, or a foot pedal. Captions update in near-real-time.

What you get

Accessible live theater, done right.

Multilingual translation

English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, ASL gloss text — and 22 more. Patrons pick their language from the device; no language switching on the operator side.

Offline at showtime

Translations bake into the file at import. The show itself runs entirely on your venue's LAN. No cloud dependency, no opening-night panic when your vendor has an outage.

Three display modes

Patron phones (BYOD), house-supplied tablets, an HDMI LED ticker sign, or a TV display. Choose per performance, per patron, per device — no hardware lock-in.

Reads your script formats

PDF, DOCX, Final Draft (FDX), Fountain, screenplay, transcript — seven formats parsed automatically. Speaker names, dialogue, and stage directions separated cleanly.

Operator mode with shortcuts

Keyboard, foot pedal, or remote. Spacebar advances, arrow keys reverse, ESC pauses. Your ASM runs cues from the booth without ever touching a mouse.

Accessibility reporting (Pro)

Usage counts per show, per language, per device. Export a one-page PDF for your board, your accessibility coordinator, or a grant application. Learn more →

How we compare

What makes Cuelora different.

Most live captioning tools are SaaS: monthly fee, per-performance pricing, cloud dependency, an app your patrons have to download. Cuelora isn't.

How others price

✕Monthly subscription, billed per venue
✕Per-performance fees on top
✕Language packs as add-ons
✕Cloud-dependent at showtime

How Cuelora prices

✓One-time perpetual license (Core or Pro)
✓Unlimited shows — forever
✓All multilingual
✓Runs entirely offline at showtime

Who uses it

Theaters of every size, running real performances.

See how Cuelora fits different types of theater operations.

For regional theaters

Full-season accessibility programs, 8+ shows per year, multiple venues. Board-ready reporting.

For community theaters

Volunteer-run, tight budget, still serious about the work. Perpetual license pays back in two shows.

For schools & universities

Drama programs, BFAs, conservatories. Student-friendly pricing, Title III accessibility built in.

Pricing

Two tiers. One perpetual purchase.

CORE

TBA

one venue · one-time · perpetual

✓Unlimited shows
✓Patron tablet & phone support
✓HDMI LED sign or TV display output
✓Script import (PDF, DOCX, FDX, Fountain)
✓Email support, free updates

Notify me when ready

Before you buy.

Do my patrons need to download an app?

No. Patrons join your venue's Wi-Fi and visit a short URL or scan a QR code. Captions appear in their phone's browser. No app store, no account, no friction.

Does the show really run without internet?

Yes. Translation happens once when you import the script — that part needs internet. After that, the performance runs on your local Wi-Fi. We designed it this way because theaters don't have reliable showtime internet, and because patron data shouldn't leave the building.

Which script formats do you accept?

PDF, Microsoft Word (DOCX), Final Draft (FDX), Fountain, plain-text transcripts, and screenplay format. If you have a script, we've probably already parsed one like it. See the pipeline →

Is this a subscription?

No. Core and Pro are perpetual licenses — pay once, own the software. Future major versions are optional paid upgrades, never forced. Updates within your major version are free.

What about ADA compliance?

Live captioning is a widely accepted "effective communication" accommodation under the ADA. Cuelora's accessibility reports (Pro) let you document usage for grants and board-level compliance reviews. See reporting →

Do you offer discounts?

Yes — a non-profit discount for registered non-profits and an education discount for schools, applied automatically at checkout with proof. No haggling.