Juliet England: Check out pantos with captions and BSL interpretation

Panto season is in full swing once again (oh, yes it is) – despite the online wags claiming that many shows are closing because they can’t compete with the House of Commons (ho, ho.)

A trip to the pantomime is all part of the festive jollity for many people, for whom no Christmas season would be complete without a dame or two, the obligatory panto horse and some slapstick buffoonery – not to mention the old audience participation.

Then there’s the fun of working out which character is which former soap or TV reality star or children’s presenter.

But if you, a family member, friend or visitor are deaf, joining in such japes may not always be that easy.

It was only as recently as 2016 that Britain got what show organisers claimed was a UK first, in the form of a signing character, Fairy Fingers, who interpreted all the words and songs in BSL for every performance during a run of Jack and the Beanstalk in Doncaster.

This was an interesting example of BSL integrated interpretation from a cast member, rather than a separate interpreter standing at the side of the stage.

It prompted the chair of Doncaster Deaf Trust, Bobbie Roberts, to urge more theatres to do the same.

This year, the same Doncaster venue, Cast, is showing Robin Hood until New Year’s Eve. Again all performances will be BSL interpreted by an integrated signer/performer.

Seasonal signed shows

Unfortunately, signed performances of Beauty and the Beast in Winchester and Aladdin have already been and gone. (Winchester had two signed shows this year, Cambridge just one.)

Sleeping Beauty is signed at the Camberley Theatre, Surrey on December 28^th, from 1pm.

At the Customs House, South Shields, where Beauty and the Beast is on until January 5, the cast includes a hearing-impaired actor, Sunderland-born Charlie Raine, who will be helping with sign language and will appear as the signing sheep Cutlet, who also gets to wear some very natty outfits into the bargain!

If you prefer the full glitz and glamour of London’s West End, Snow White at the Palladium has a cast of popular stars including Dawn French, Nigel Havers, Gary Wilmot and Julian Clary. And there’s a BSL-interpreted performance at 7.30pm on January 10.

This is just a selection – there are other signed panto performances up and down the country.

Captioned shows

Stagetext is captioning a range of festive performances around the country (see their full listings of both pantos and other live performances by clicking here).

We may not be in Kansas anymore, but if you’re in Bolton, The Wizard of Oz, offering a few regional twists on this classic story, is at the Octagon on December 20, from 7.30pm, with captions.

Staying north, Dr Dolittle featuring ex-Corrie stars Brian Capron and Vicky Entwhistle and former Fast Show star Mark Williams, is captioned at Manchester venue The Lowry for its December 22 matinee.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking to fill in the days between Christmas and New Year, Robin Hood is at Milton Keynes the day after Boxing Day, or catch a matinee showing of Peter Pan at Aylesbury’s Waterside theatre on the 28^th.

Cinderella is captioned at Woking’s New Victoria Theatre on the afternoon of Saturday 29^th, Cinderella in Chelmsford the evening of the day after.

If you’re after some New Year cheer, Jack and the Beanstalk is at Newbury’s Corn Exchange for a matinee on January 2, Peter Pan in Nottingham on January 5 for a captioned afternoon show, or catch Aladdin in Norwich at 5pm a day later.

Dick Whittington is in town at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, on the evening of January 4, and there is a second captioned performance on January 10 in the afternoon.

Finally, if you’re not all panto-ed out by then, you could see A Christmas Carol at London’s Old Vic on January 10^th from 7.30pm.

So there are definitely a few options, but things are still seemingly far from perfect, with accessible performances rather few and far between, with a fair bit of advance planning needed.

Steve Haines, executive director at the National Deaf Children’s Society, says:

“Christmas can be a challenging time for deaf children, and too often they risk being excluded from activities that other children take for granted. Pantomimes are such a wonderful way for children to get excited about the festive period, and they are great entertainment. But background noise, multiple people talking at the same time and difficulty in lip reading can all be a challenge.

“It’s vital that pantomimes do what they can to offer deaf-friendly performances, like putting on captioned performances or organising sign language interpreters, so that deaf children can experience the magic of a good British panto.”

While the repetitive nature of some of the gags (‘Oh, no it isn’t!’…’It’s behind you!’ etc.) may help some, and the storylines and characters may well be familiar to some audience members, and plots are hardly likely to rival Line of Duty for complexity, these shows also tend to be pretty fast-paced.

Equally, some of the throwaway quips and asides may not always be that easy to catch, while to appreciate a pun or a bit of the (usually mild) innuendo, you normally need to be able to hear every word.

So do check out the accessible pantos around the country in the new year!

Read more of Juliet’s articles for us here.

Juliet England is a hearing-impaired freelance writer.