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

Regular readers may remember my dronings about treading the boards in a group of hearing actors. Earlier in the year, I auditioned for Reading Open Air Shakespeare’s 2018 production of Much Ado About Nothing, to be performed this July in the ruins of a local medieval abbey.

Much to my lingering astonishment, I was cast in a small role (a sergeant of the watch, no less, roughly one step up from third spear-bearer).

We’re now about half-way through the rehearsal period, and have just six weeks before curtain-up (not that there will be an actual curtain, it being performed outside and all that). So, how is it all going?

The short answer is, rather swimmingly. Scenes have mainly been done so far in small groups, making for a quieter rehearsal room, and meaning there has been limited contact with the wider cast, at least initially. But we are now beyond the World Cup-style ‘group stage’ and running through all of the first or second half each rehearsal, so these occasions are bigger and noisier.

Conversations with fellow cast members have to be whispered while rehearsing is going on. When talking to one actor, and ending up discussing the cancer he had as a young man, I asked him what type of the disease he’d had. Big mistake, for it ended with him having to hiss TESTICULAR more loudly than he would no doubt have liked. (To his credit he took it in his stride.)

The director and those I am working with most closely have shown exemplary patience and understanding, repeating instructions as often as necessary. There was one rehearsal at which a hearing aid battery packed in, guilty as charged I’d been an idiot and forgotten replacements, and I misheard an instruction about when to carry a lantern across the stage at least five times.

I have shared my concerns at not being able to hear when al fresco, but the actor with whom I share most of the cues, a veteran of the local stage, has assured me that no one has ever failed to hear any of his lines. (Just as well, for there is one thing I have to say while looking straight ahead as he walks up behind me.)

Rehearsals can be busy, mildly chaotic affairs, and it certainly helps if you can act on and grasp instructions first time round. Then there’s the business of being able to catch cast notices, and the director’s feedback at the end of a run-through. There isn’t always time to say everything twice.

I don’t live particularly near the theatre where most of the rehearsals take place, so I’m always grateful for lifts back to my part of town. There’s just one problem – hearing in a darkened car. Stony silence seems rude. Yet when one charming fellow cast member runs me back, her delightful yet heavy Italian accent, plus the usual dark-car problems, make communication an almost insurmountable obstacle. The other day, she was telling me about a recent trip to Bristol, and I responded by telling her all about the riots in Brixton in the early 1980s, mistakenly believing she’d visited inner-city south London.

At a local carnival where we were giving out leaflets, I confess to handing out the flyers quickly without lingering to chat to people, for fear that I wouldn’t be able to hear any questions they had.

So, like any activity undertaken in a hearing group, having a hearing loss in a theatre company isn’t without its challenges. But all in all, so far at least it’s been an incredibly positive experience and I’m looking forward to breaking a leg for the mid-July run.

And, quite splendidly, I recently discovered that I am in fact not the only cast member who often struggles to hear – I noticed the actress playing one of the leading roles was wearing a hearing aid, and we compared notes.

Finally, there’s always the added advantage of being able to say, with an innocent face, ‘Sorry? Say that again?’ when the director has something positive to say about what you’ve done. Playing the deaf card, you see. Always worth a shot.

In terms of hearing loss on stage, it was a lot more manageable than I was expecting. Obviously the whole set up of a theatre is that everyone is paying attention to the one person speaking, and there is little to no background noise (which is what I particularly struggle with).

Sometimes hearing cues from off-stage can be an issue – depending on the set-up – but on the whole, I think I worry about it being an issue, more than it actually being one. But obviously there is that additional ‘burden’ of responsibility that you have to make yourself aware of, that perhaps hearing actors just take for granted.

On the other hand, I was once waiting backstage to come on and because of a sound effect being played off-stage it was really hard to hear the actors onstage and my fellow co-star and I were worried about coming on at the right time – it was a much bigger issue for him, because he wasn’t used to not being able to hear – whereas I just assumed I couldn’t hear the onstage actors because of my hearing!

Anyway, we just did our best careful strained listening – and always made it onstage in time! But that’s the only issue I’ve ever had – speakers in dressing rooms and the Progress wings are quite smalls which mean I can hear cues pretty well. Not sure how it will work out in the Ruins – I hadn’t even thought about how it would be different hearing cues outside until we were in the park the other day, but again, I think other people were struggling too – so I never know if I’m just more sensitive to the possibility of problems.

It’s hard to know if something is just an issue for you, or for everyone. But, the best thing is to be in place, ready to go on, nice and promptly anyway. Personally, I think all actors should know where the action onstage is at any time, i.e. just be constantly aware of what’s generally happening – waiting to “hear” a particular cue to leave the dressing room probably isn’t a great idea – as someone may forget a line or whatever! Obviously, literally hearing your cue is important, but it shouldn’t be the only thing you’re relying on getting you to the stage on time (I hope that makes sense….)

I guess there are issues around whispering back-stage. I mean, you’re not supposed to be talking anyway, but obviously people do tend to chat in rehearsals, and this is always done at a whisper (in order to not distract those onstage of course) …but obviously, this puts those of us who don’t hear so well at a disadvantage!

I can whisper in response (at least I think I am!) but hearing a whisper is tricky, I point my “good” ear at them and that usually is ok, but obviously, it’s just another thing that you can’t take for granted and can sometimes make it hard to bond with people, because you can’t necessarily join in all the chat. but some people are easier to hear than others – and it’s never a major issue for me. people are often surprised to find out I wear a hearing aid so I guess I “pass” pretty well

As you say, the worst is if my battery starts to go onstage – that awful BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP right in your ear – which blocks out all noise anyway! I honestly can’t remember which play it was, I think it was The Weir by Conor McPherson which was the first major part I played – and I was so nervous anyway! I think it was just before I was going off anyway, thank goodness, so no major disasters!

Fortunately I did a lot of listening in that play – so I just had to look interested in what others’ were saying (ACTING) – the BEEP is distracting if you’re trying to talk at the same time, but I didn’t have loads to say for much of the play. I had one big monologue and that went well every time.

I’ve had it happen a couple of times in dress rehearsals / techs – but I always have batteries on me in the dressing room. I’m also lucky enough that if worst came to worst, I could take my hearing aid out completely and still be able to mange – particularly in a theatre setting, which as previously stated, is set up for only one person speaking at a time. Furthermore – you already know what they’re going to say! As with most people, I assume, the problems come when I can’t work out what someone has just said, whereas a play is literally scripted – you don’t have to guess

In fact, one time – wearing a hearing aid was an advantage – I was in a musical production of Animal Farm at Progress and the way the speakers were set up, they were pointed out the audience (naturally) so the backing tracks were being aimed “away” from the cast onstage (if that makes sense), I think even the hearing actors were struggling a bit at times – but I put my hearing aid on to loop setting for a particular cue that I really needed a note for and could hear the backing track perfectly! So sometimes it’s an advantage.

Anyway, let me know if you have any other questions. And just to confirm – I’m in year 1 of a PhD in Early Modern English Literature (looking at female authored Restoration manuscripts on gender equality in marriage). I’d describe my hearing loss as on the mild side of moderate in my right ear, and basically normal in my left.

Read more of Juliet’s articles for us here.

Juliet England does freelance social media and PR work for cSeeker.