Juliet England: Performing in a hearing theatre group – Act III  

Photos by Aidan Moran. 

I have already written at some length about coping with a hearing loss in a non-deaf company of actors, as we prepare for Much Ado About Nothing at Reading’s Abbey Ruins this summer.

I was delighted to learn recently that I wasn’t the only one of our number who didn’t always catch everything.

My fellow actor Kate Shaw (left) has a day job as a first-year PhD student at University of Reading, her subject being Early Modern English Literature (specifically female-authored Restoration manuscripts on gender equality in marriage).

She leads the cast as Beatrice in our Much Ado ably and with a fine talent for comedy. She identifies as having ‘a hearing loss as on the mild side of moderate in my right ear, and basically normal in my left.’

She says: “Having a hearing loss on stage has turned out to be more manageable than I feared. While, like many, I really struggle with background noise, the whole idea of a theatre is that you pay attention to one voice, so that is reduced.

“Catching the cues from off-stage can be problematic, depending on the set-up. In fact, I think the worry is greater than the reality. But there is that extra ‘burden’ of responsibility you need to be aware of, that perhaps hearing actors can take for granted.”

Shaw related how she was once waiting backstage to make her entrance, and because of a sound effect being played off-stage, she struggled to hear the actors on stage.

“I was worried about coming on at the right time. So was my co-star, indeed it was a bigger issue for him – he wasn’t used to not being able to hear. We always made it on stage, thanks to very strained and careful listening!”

Where Shaw normally takes to the stage, Reading’s Progress Theatre, the small wings and loudspeakers in the dressing rooms mean she can generally catch the cues.

However, performing in the outdoor setting of the medieval ruins could present a fresh challenge.

“I’m not sure how that will work out. To be honest I hadn’t even thought about how hearing cues outside may be different until we were rehearsing in a local park the other weekend.”

However, she adds, others were also struggling (the park is adjacent to a noisy main road).

“I never know if I’m just more sensitive to the possibility of problems.”

Shaw adds that, in any event, actors should rely on other factors than hearing to be ready for their cue, and constantly be aware of what is happening on stage.

There can be other issues, too.

“There can be problems around whispering backstage, though clearly people shouldn’t! But people do chat in rehearsals, and while they tend to whisper, it puts those of us who don’t hear so well at a disadvantage.

“I point my ‘good’ ear at the whisperer, but can’t take being able to hear for granted. Sometimes this can make it hard to bond with the cast, since you can’t always join in the chat. But it’s never a major problem, although some are inevitably always easier to hear than others.

“People are quite often surprised to learn I wear a hearing aid at all! So I guess I ‘pass’ pretty well.”

Of course, like any other hairy situation, being on stage presents a nightmare scenario if your hearing aid battery choses that very moment to pack in.

“There’s that awful BEEP BEEP BEEP right in your ear, blocking out all other sound! And it’s distracting, especially if you have lines at the time. It happened I think in The Weir by Conor McPherson, my first major role so I was very nervous anyway. But thankfully it wasn’t long before my exit, so I managed.

“Batteries have run down a couple of times in dress and tech rehearsals, but I always keep batteries in the dressing room. I’m also lucky in that, if the worst came to the worst, I could remove my hearing aid completely and still manage.

“You also have the added advantage of knowing in advance what the rest of the cast are going to say, you don‘t have to guess.”

Sometimes, Shaw concludes wearing a hearing aid can even work to her advantage.

“I was in a musical version of Animal Farm and the speakers were pointed towards the audience. So the backing tracks were aimed away from the cast onstage. I think even the hearing actors were struggling a bit at times! But I put my aid on to the loop setting for one cue I really needed a note for, and could hear the back track perfectly!”

Read more of Juliet’s articles for us here. Juliet England does freelance social media and PR work for cSeeker.