Last week, my drama teacher organised a theatre trip for my drama group – who are all hearing – to attend.
We went to see the last performance of a London-based production, because we were going to meet the cast the following day in our drama class to discuss the play.
At first, when the play began, I was really attentive and tried to follow the dialogue.
The beginning was the best part, as there were more visual elements and less dialogue. But as the play went on, for a further one hour and forty-five minutes, I lost interest, as the play became extremely dialogue based.
I was feeling restless and bored out of my mind. I drifted in and out of the play and I felt more deflated by the second. The rest of the hearing audience were thoroughly engaged, of course, so they laughed when they laughed, squirmed when something awkward was said etc etc.
Why? Because they could hear.
At one stage I felt like leaving the performance, not because the play was rubbish but because I didn’t have full access to the wordy dialogue. I only went to the trip to be ‘sociable’.
When the play finished the audience were beaming, saying the play was well written etc etc. I walked out with a sullen face. It felt even more awkward when some of my fellow companions were asking me what I thought of the play. How an earth could I give them an honest response? I’d missed more than half of the dialogue!
I’ve bought the play text for me to read. But right now I’m not interested in reading it as I feel deflated and wish I knew about the captioned performance of the play, which happened at the beginning of the month.
I just wonder how far do some deaf people go to appear ‘sociable’ to their hearing peers?
It will be even more awkward when the cast come to visit my drama group session today to talk about the play. What should I do?
Remain silent?
For more information about captioned theatre performances, go to http://stagetext.org
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Robert Mandara
October 24, 2012
This is an all too familiar scene. You should tell the cast exactly what you’ve told us – or show them the article. That should make them think. What do the cast think you should do when you find yourself in that situation? I for one would be interested to know how they respond. As time goes on, I think we should all be making more of a scene. For example, walking out and demanding a refund (plus expenses incurred) when we find ourselves suffering inaccessible performances.
Janet Wood
October 24, 2012
Hi Lianne
I sympathise as I have been in this situation so many times – at school, group discussions, uni lectures and tutorials, work awaydays, conferences and even on my wedding day!
How many times do we nod and laugh when everyone else does just to ‘fit in’. This summer I went away with my family and another group and felt totally frustrated and fed up as I was excluded and the others made no effort. It is demoralising for sure and leads to isolation as you just prefer to spend time alone.
I think the only thing you can do is approach the organisers in advance and ask for a script of the play (I did this with work awaydays), then make sure you sit in the best place and that there is some narrative. When the actors visit, could you ask someone to take notes for you? (i did this in uni tutorials). I think preparation helps but you should always have a copy of what is being said. On my wedding day I asked everyone who was making a speech for a copy of what they were saying as why should I miss out on the most important day of my life? It takes a lot of confidence to be assertive and ask for help and make sure that you get it, but I find that is the only way.
Ted Evans
October 24, 2012
Hi Lianne, I sympathise with your situation and the best solution is to be honest and gently explain that you could not follow the play. I say ‘gently’ because the group will instantly feel responsible for not considering your deafness, and if you are in a drama group together, perhaps they should have done. This is probably not a good way of saying it but – ‘don’t make it anybody else’s problem but at the same time don’t let the problem make you suffer’… if that makes any sense.
By the way, its always nice to know of another deaf actress out there! I’m not an actress (incase you didn’t notice lol) but I’m a filmmaker and I am always on the look out for deaf actors. You may be interested in joining this group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/137149282974558/ it currently serves as the only updated acting database for deaf people. Lots of other directors in both theatre and film check it out. Also many acting opportunities are posted in the group.
Cheers
T
sk3
October 24, 2012
Why did you agree to go to a play that wasn’t captioned, or why didn’t you ask for a copy of the script in advance? I think the responsibility is yours to advocate for yourself. I would never go to a play and just sit there and have no idea what was going on. You should have said to your class — “are there any captioned versions? I won’t be able to follow a play without captions.”
Ugly American
October 24, 2012
I’m an American so sometimes I miss the secondary or hidden meanings behind British sayings and phrases.
But today I learned that in the UK being “sociable”means being a pushover.
Editor
October 24, 2012
Steady on – I think we all have a duty to be assertive but it’s only when things go wrong that we get the chance to work out how to make it better next time.
In sharing her experience, Lianne’s giving us all the chance to work out what we’d do in her shoes, and I think she should be praised for that, instead of being called a “pushover,” which helps nobody.
Liz
October 24, 2012
I agree – a ‘pushover’? Some of us are not as confident or as assertive as others. It is really hard sometimes to be confident enough to raise issues like this – especially when you’re young and don’t always know how to broach the subject. Often, to a deaf person, being ‘sociable’ means having to sit through situations within hearing company where we can’t access things. Even when people are aware of a deaf person being there, have had deaf awareness training, have been reminded of things lots of times – it still happens.
barakta
October 24, 2012
Thanks for this Charlie, I am considered quite mouthy about my needs as a deaf person and even I forget! Sometimes we forget our norm isn’t everyone else’s and that we’re expected to do all the legwork to remind them.
Supporting us in advocacy is something classmates and teachers can do as allies. They can ask us “we’re doing X, how can we include you” and that gives us a safer place to say “I will need a captioned version” etc etc.
Liz
October 24, 2012
Hi Lianne.
I completely relate to this – at least I did when I was doing Drama for my GCSE’s at school! (and this was about 11 years ago) We had to attend Blood Brothers at one point – its okay as far as a visual play, but there was a lot of talking and so much of plot is in the dialogue. I just can’t believe that this still happens – like you, I had to buy the script and read it before the performance (or after, I’m not sure). It is really hard to be upfront about these things because I remember not wanting to be ‘singled out’ – especially as a teenager.
However, I do agree with some of the commenters – in this day and age of captioning, you shouldn’t have to sit through a performance without captions. At the very least, make sure your teacher/tutor is aware of Stagetext, and most theatres now have access lists where you can keep up to date with captioned or sign interpreted performances. Give this information to your teacher and maybe even some of your peers. I know its difficult because there’s no guarantee that smaller plays will be captioned (especially experimental/low budget plays), but its still worth a try!
Ugly American
October 24, 2012
I resorted to using a strong and colorful term to clearly highlight the absurdity of bending over backwards to the point that Ms. Herbert does in her story.
She sat in a dark theater for what seems to be more than a hour, missing everything despite this being a school project, in an attempt to be “sociable”?
I’m sorry if I’m coming across as too strong or ugly here; but that’s a pushover in my book.
Liz Ward
October 25, 2012
Sometimes people do things like this to be sociable. It doesn’t mean someone is a ‘pushover’. For example, perhaps Lianne felt that on this occasion that it was more important to be sociable than to have full access. In an ideal world, all performances would be accessible and it wouldn’t be a problem being sociable, because we could all join in. I’ve gone to BSL interpreted performances before because even though I’m not completely fluent in BSL, I wanted to be sociable. It is kind of the same thing. Sometimes going to the cinema, for example, is a social thing even when there are no subtitles.If a film is visual enough, sometimes it doesn’t matter if there are no subtitles – you want to chat with your friends afterwards or just get out of the house. It doesn’t reflect on Lianne, it reflects on our society and the lack of access provided for deaf people. We can make a noise about it, but would you rather we all sat indoors all day and night and not be sociable? Sometimes being deaf means making sacrifices, no matter how hard and frustrating it is.
barakta
October 26, 2012
How many times can you say “Oy!” before you start to lose social currency for being “annoying” “whiny” “oh god not her again”? In the UK I reckon I can ask a hearie to repeat up to once easily enough, twice is pushing it, and three times is the absolute limit. A complete contrast from the Deaf signing community which in my experience is geared up to repeating, slowing down, simplifying signs, fingerspelling, writing it down, drawing pics or whatever to communicate!
Every time we deaf/HOH people ask for accommodation we risk impatience from those around us – not all of whom care of feel they should have to change anything about their lives to include us. We should just listen harder or shut up and put up or something!
I have been formally reprimanded by at least two managers for being “too aggressive” in asserting my deafness needs. Now that was because they were bad managers who didn’t like being reminded that they had Forgotten Yet Again – but it was me who was in position of vulnerability and at risk of losing my job if I didn’t back down.
deaflinguist
October 24, 2012
I so totally relate to Lianne’s post. As a mainstreamed A-level English student longer ago than I care to remember we were taken to a performance of Julius Caesar which was neither captioned nor sign-interpreted. Nothing like that back then! In point of fact, we were sitting in really cheap seats high up at the back with a partially blocked view from a pillar. Brilliant for access – not.
Just recently I met up with a hearing friend from those days, with whom I’m still in regular contact and we discussed this incident! She was absolutely appalled and supported me in making a stand with the teacher at the time, which I appreciated. I would have done it with or without her support, but it did make it easier for me!
Could you express your feelings to someone you know well in the group and then get them on side to approach the leader? It’s a reasonable adjustment to make to expect to go to captioned/integrated/BSL-interpreted performances and so on. Some performances also have captioned pre-/post-show discussions.
The same teacher wanted to take us all to see Murder in the Cathedral the following week, which was being performed in Canterbury Cathedral itself. I refused to go: simple as. The teacher was appalled and said that seeing the performance would illuminate the text. I simply said that being unable to lipread the performance would in no way enlighten me, a point she hadn’t considered before – yet she knew I was deaf! I stubbornly stuck to my guns saying it was a waste of time and money. That was the nub of the situation – a waste of time!
I hope you felt able to give honest feedback to both your group and the cast and say that you were not able to be enlightened by the performance. No reflection on the cast – it just wasn’t accessible to you. In these situations the access issue becomes part of the honest feedback and you never know, you may get others, like I did with my friend, to back you up or find out ways to help. Perhaps a friendly cast member may offer to take you through their experiences by e-mail or some such way of getting a new slant on the subject. Ask! Ask your friends, group leader, the cast.
You’re on the first step to self-advocacy – and it will give you the inner strength to become a finer actress. It becomes a realisation that you spend more time than you need accommodating others when they can accommodate you instead. The price is the negative feelings you’ve just experienced, the outcome when others accommodate you, positivity and fulfilment.
Good luck with your drama and please let us know how you got on with the cast meeting.
Angela
October 24, 2012
I think you should report your experience to your Drama teacher or Special needs coordinator at school. I think that it was unprofessional of your teacher not to anticipate and consider your needs when organising this trip. Teachers have a duty to ensure that every student is INCLUDED and is able to PARTICIPATE in ALL CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES and that NO ONE IS LEFT BEHIND – that is what INCLUSIVE EDUCATION is about.
On the other hand, YOU do need to speak for yourself as NO other student in your class has hearing difficulties and hearing people DO forget or are ignorant. You should have asked before your trip to the theatre, what the theatre provides for deaf viewers. Some theatres offer telecoil loop system, FM systems, captioning or interpreting services, which would have offered you access to the performance.
Lianne Herbert
October 25, 2012
Dear all,
Thank you for your comments. I’d like to make clear I do regularly attend captioned performances that Stagetext provide. Without Stagetext there’s a lot of performances I would not have been able to have access to.
I am hoping that my article shows that if you’ve missed the date of a captioned performance or you are not made aware of it well in advance then we as a deaf audience are forced to miss out completely. Why is it that a production can run for say a few weeks or months and the hearing audience can choose what night to attend? We as a deaf audience are usually given one fixed date. What if you can’t attend that date or as I said in my article you find out about the captioned performance at the last minute?
I really appreciate the services that Stagetext provide as they are making theatre more accessible for the deaf. It is however, costly to put on a captioned performance hence why only one for many productions. Not all productions even have to provide a captioned performance, why is this?
Should money really be more important than access to the theatre?