Rebecca-Anne Withey: How BSL consultants can advocate for deaf actors

As a BSL consultant, I get to meet a wide range of theatre companies who have cast a deaf character in their show.

The companies expect that I will monitor the BSL being used (assuming that the deaf actor is already a fluent BSL user) and they will also encourage feedback from me in relation to how the language is being used within the production.

Some organisations only book a consultant to visit rehearsals a few times, other productions request full time assistance throughout rehearsals. The bookings are all so varied. In some shows there are several deaf actors to work with, but in my experience there is commonly just the one.

Perhaps its because I’m deaf myself, but I always feel a great deal of empathy when I see a sole deaf actor in a large cast. I find myself noticing how they fit in with the rest of the group and I check that they are happy with the progress of rehearsals and their place in the company. I also do this more so now that I’ve seen a deaf actor struggle within a production.

David* (I’ve changed his name) is happy for me to share his story with you.

David was cast as a sole deaf actor in a show with six other hearing actors. He had only worked on one other acting job prior to this so was still pretty new to the industry. He is a strong BSL user, a fast signer with very little lip pattern and the interpreters attending had complained that they’d found it difficult to voice over for him.

I was booked last minute and asked to attend rehearsals on just two afternoons out of a 10 day rehearsal run. I asked why so little time was given to the BSL consultant and I was told the budget would not permit further time and that they had a ‘confident BSL user’ who ‘probably didn’t need much support.’

When I first met David he was very quiet, with a serious demeanour. He looked as though he was concentrating intensely. When I arrived I was hoping to have a chat directly with him first and he had also asked if he could work directly with me before we did anything else. However, the director requested a quick run through of a scene first of all to show me what they had been working on.

The scene they showed me was so difficult to watch.

David looked panicked and expressionless throughout and his eyes darted from actor to actor. Nobody had worked out any cues for him and so he was expected to know his place without hearing their lines. He missed quite a few of his lines and when he did sign it was rushed and off time.

He looked so unhappy.

The director turned to me and smiled. “What do you think?!” they asked. I had to be honest.

I told the director that David was actually at a great disadvantage because he was being expected to work when no adjustments or cues had been made to allow him to perform smoothly. I explained that the whole situation was unfair and before we did anything else, I wanted to work directly with David as he initially requested and also go through a few ground rules about working with deaf actors with the rest of the crew.

The director called a tea break and I noticed David had walked off. I approached him and found him in tears.

“Do you want me to give you some space?” I asked him.
David shook his head. “I would like it if you could stay.”

Through his tears David told me he was glad someone had spoken up for him as he found the whole thing ‘impossible.’ That was the word he chose to describe it all, ‘impossible.’ He also said he wasn’t sure he wanted to carry on acting after this job.

I found out that he had been living alone in a hotel throughout the rehearsal run with nobody to talk to and he felt unheard during rehearsals. He had been following the directors requests in rehearsal all the while finding it extremely difficult but feeling unable to say so.

I stayed with David and had a good chat before inviting the director and the interpreter over to join us. We had a long discussion and I spent the rest of the afternoon with David whilst the rest of the cast looked at how they could adjust the scenes and make them more deaf friendly for their fellow actor.

To cut a long story short, I actually attended five days instead of just the two afternoons that I was booked for. At first, this was to mostly advocate the needs of the deaf actor. After that I was able to monitor and review the BSL used within the show, as originally planned.

This has experience has led me to understand that negative experiences like this can and still do happen to deaf actors. I wanted to share a few things to bear in mind if you or anyone you know decides to cast a deaf actor within a predominantly hearing cast;

• If you’ve never worked with a deaf person before, please work with a BSL consultant from the very beginning.
  Consultants can deliver deaf awareness training to the cast/company or signpost you onto someone who can. They can also assist with casting to ensure the person hired has the level of BSL fluency you want for the job. Hiring a consultant from the outset will save you valuable time and money in the long run.
• If possible, ask the deaf actor/s if they have a preferred or recommended BSL interpreter for rehearsals.
  Failing that, asking a BSL consultant which agency to contact or for their recommendations will enable you to book a team of experienced interpreters who are comfortable in the theatre environment.
• Just like hearing people, not all deaf people are assertive enough to confidently communicate their needs.
  Such as in the case of David, some deaf actors may keep quiet and struggle along without knowing how to tell you that they’re having a hard time. A BSL consultant can be an advocate for the deaf actors needs and support them in getting their views heard. A consultant can also share strategies and methods of creating a deaf friendly production that will enable the deaf actor to feel fully involved and valued.
• Being the sole deaf person in a group is hard, no matter how easy it looks.
  Whether the deaf person is a BSL user or lip reader, chances are they are working twice as hard as their hearing peers to keep on top of what’s happening in the rehearsal room. Find out what extra things you can for them to feel supported, this may be short breaks every hour, someone to take notes for them, perhaps inviting another BSL user in the room.Also, as deafness can be very isolating, consider what type of accommodation your deaf actor stays in too. Can they share with someone else? Do they have someone to talk to outside of work in this new environment? Is there someone the deaf actor feels comfortable talking to if any issues arise?

In David’s case, having another deaf BSL user in the room in the form of a consultant allowed him to be honest about his struggles and ultimately enabled the company to change the way they worked to fully include him.

David has since told me that whilst the experience hasn’t put him off acting completely, he does feel more wary about the jobs he takes on. I hope that by having more positive experiences with informed and deaf aware companies David will continue to develop as an actor and grow in confidence.

Rebecca Anne Withey is a freelance writer with a background in Performing Arts & Holistic health. She is also profoundly deaf, a sign language user and pretty great lipreader. She writes on varied topics close to her heart in the hope that they may serve to inspire others.