The Jungle Book, Derby Theatre’s first ever BSL integrated theatre show

Derby Theatre’s first ever BSL integrated theatre show, The Jungle Book, opens on 5th April. The production boasts a talented cast of actors and musicians, with three of the main characters being deaf and a young deaf actress as part of the ensemble too. I was lucky enough to have a sneak peek of the show and get up close and personal with the cast and creative team to find out more.

It is rather unusual (and brilliant!) to see more than one deaf actor in a mainstream production, and even more so to have so much input from deaf professionals on the creative team.

Sarah Brigham, Derby Theatre director works alongside associate director Emily Howlett who is a deaf director, actor and founder of PAD (Positive About Deafness) productions. Offering further “deaf eyes” are Darryl Jackson, BSL consultant and Rowan Warnock, creative associate.

Whilst Derby Theatre has been using interpreters to provide access at their shows for many years, The Jungle Book is the first time the theatre has devised an inclusive show with the actors and captions providing the access.

Sarah Brigham told me the idea came about after she was inspired by a talk Emily Howlett gave at a festival. During the talk Emily highlighted that the quality of deaf-led theatre suffers because “you can only make good theatre if you can access it.” Realising that she had a responsibility to provide more access to support deaf artists, Sarah began working on a show to attract a deaf audience. The Jungle Book was born!

The show, unlike the Disney film of the same name, follows the original story much more closely and features characters that were not featured in the film. Caroline Parker, renowned deaf actor, plays a jackal who very cleverly translates most of the dialogue while still remaining part of the tale.

Alexandra James plays Mowgli’s Mother and Emily Rose Salter acts as the Mother Wolf. Both deaf actors described how BSL lends itself to the show very well, with facial expression and wordless gesture being such an enormous part of how the animal characters communicate.

Rowan, creative associate, also explained how certain signs were adapted to fit in with the show. For example, the sign for “man” was altered to depict a person with a spear in their hand. This visual portrayal matches how the animal kingdom would have seen man – as being hunters first and foremost.

These thoughtful nuances ensure the show is not only accessibly clear but also culturally appropriate. The show also uses live music, to ensure the songs are as visual as can be. There are stunning costumes and a very beautiful set in which the story is played out.

Chatting to the cast it seems that the rehearsal process was a learning curve for all involved. Regular interpreters were employed, and the etiquette of working with these was a new experience for most. Ensuring people spoke in turns, raised hands before speaking and assigning all members with sign names were simple yet essential measures they took and which resulted in a very happy, comfortable cast. There are no hearing and deaf divides here, which is lovely to see.

While I was present at rehearsals I was treated to a viewing of the shows’ “Monkey song.” Hypnotic rhythms were beaten on a drum and the monkey tribe sang and danced with sign and voice. I was engrossed throughout, partly because of the pulsating rhythm that saw the monkeys spring from side to side and also because of how ape like the actors were! Deep bounces into the ground, loose swinging arms and fixed expressions all transported me directly to the jungle.

Throughout this piece the deaf and hearing actors performed alongside each other, with no clear distinction – they were fully integrated as a group and that was a delight to see. As the production is advertised as a family show, there is no doubt that the actors will serve as role models for young deaf theatre goers and hopefully inspire future generations of deaf actors and theatre makers.

Many congratulations to Derby Theatre for such an innovative production and for opening more doors for deaf professionals. Here’s to more inclusive, integrated collaborations!

Make sure you get your tickets!

The Jungle Book runs from 5th to 20th April. See www.derbytheatre.co.uk for more details and to view a captioned trailer.