Emily Howlett: Why is BSL still a revelation to mainstream theatres?

There has been a Jenny in my life for about 15 years now. She is like Madonna, or Pele; you only have to say ‘Jenny’ and I know who you mean.

I say she is ‘in my life’, but to be honest, I sometimes go years without seeing her in person. Despite that, I feel her influence most days, and I often see her name in conversation when I’m at work.

Her reputation has spread far beyond her career, which is arts-based, so that even people who have never set foot in a theatre know of her.

She was responsible for all the best bits (yes, I am biased) of the Paralympic Opening Ceremony, and she has brought us endless, wonderful, accessible theatre productions, not always on stage but often in surprising locations.

She is always honest and open about her journey, the mistakes she has made along the way, and the things that are difficult.

She is, of course, the inimitable Jenny Sealey, currently Artistic Director of Graeae Theatre Company.

Now, if you want to learn more about Jenny (which I always recommend), there are endless things to be found with a quick Google search. Endless fascinating and informative things.

But what I wanted to talk about today isn’t (just) how brilliant The Sealey is at being… well, The Sealey.

You see, as I mentioned, it’s been about 15 years since I first became aware of the existence of Jenny. I had started to hear rumblings and rumours of this deaf woman who had been breaking new ground in the arts and theatre world, but I was so new to everything myself that I hadn’t really paid much attention.

However, soon enough, I found myself taking part in a workshop which included a session led by none other than one Jenny Sealey…

I cannot remember where the workshop was, or why I was there. I can’t remember who else was in the group. (To be fair, I struggle to remember what I had for breakfast, so this isn’t surprising news.)

But I do remember what we did in that workshop, and I remember that it was a mainstream, hearing group. I remember that Jenny explained about sign names, and made sure everyone had one.

The group were collectively blown away by the notion of sign names! Jenny used different exercises and drama games to explore and explain access within theatre productions; how signing can and should be integrated, how audio and auto-description works for visually impaired audiences, why we should consider which venues we take our shows to and whether they are physically accessible.

But the thing that the group really seemed to find astounding was the signing itself. Being given a sign name, learning each other’s’ and using them as part of the creative process.

The fact that BSL was beautiful, that someone whose first language is BSL could lead a mainstream workshop full of non-signing, hearing people… the fact BSL interpreters exist and do an amazing job! All of it was new and exciting to them; something they hadn’t considered on any level before.

Everyone in that group left feeling invigorated and keen to explore BSL and deaf access in their own work. The chatter after the session was filled with energy, enlightenment and excitement.

A huge win for Jenny, the BSL community and the arts in general, because integrated sign always lifts a production. It is beautiful and benefits everyone.

The workshop had real beauty and power, delivering an education around BSL in such a simple, effective way. There was no pressure, just fun and collective learning.

A few months later, I saw Jenny deliver the same workshop. It had the same effect on the hearing, non-signing group. Everyone left brimming with new knowledge and plans to use it wisely.

Five years ago, I was part of another mainstream training program. Jenny was there, giving the same workshop. It is a fabulous workshop; I could do it every week and never get bored. I cannot stress that enough.

But I did think… “Surely 10 years has been enough time for us to see a difference? Why is this STILL such a new, unknown concept to everyone else in theatre?”

Last week, I took part in a fabulous series of workshops with a truly brilliant group of people. And The Jenny came along, and she delivered The Workshop. And… everyone was astounded. The idea of integrating BSL was so exciting and new! The workshop was so wonderful!

And I love this.

I love those people for being excited by this, and I do believe a lot of them will do something with their new knowledge.

I LOVE The Jenny for being such a powerhouse, and for devising such a truly inspiring workshop. And for having the capacity to deliver it again and again and keep it completely fresh. I’m not lying even a little when I say I could do that session every week and never get bored of it. I love it.

What I don’t love is the fact that, 15 years later, we’re still so ‘exciting.’

We’re still new, and our beautiful language is still an ‘extra’, an ‘add-on’.

There can be no embarrassment for Jenny in repeating the workshop for so long; the embarrassment is with the industry in which there is STILL a need for it.

There are, of course, some companies and individuals who are taking The Sealey’s teaching and running with it – I’m very happy to say that my own ’local’, Derby Theatre, have done exactly this, working on integrating BSL users into every area of the theatre, not just performance.

Also, Ramps On The Moon, a UK-wide cultural endeavour bringing deaf and disabled stories and performers to the mainstream, is largely based on Graeae practice. There are others too.

But not enough. It seems as though we’re still, in many ways and many places, a novelty. Something surprising, and (pun fully intended) unheard of.

And, after 15 years of it, we really should be more than that. More than a passing fancy, or an occasional workshop. We should be included in the whole picture, all the time, everywhere. We shouldn’t be separate from the mainstream anymore; we should be part of the mainstream.

We should just be.