Interview: Paula Garfield on ‘Everyday’ and 20 years of Deafinitely Theatre

Content warning: Please note this article discusses domestic abuse.

As Deafinitely Theatre prepares for the world premiere of their play Everyday, The Limping Chicken’s Liam O’Dell sat down with writer and artistic director Paula Garfield to discuss domestic abuse, handling sensitive subjects in theatre, and 20 years of the award-winning theatre company.

It’s unconscionable that Paula Garfield, the acclaimed artistic director of the Deaf theatre company Deafinitely Theatre, would ever consider stepping back from producing challenging and engaging theatre, but as we talk about the organisation’s journey over the past two decades, the theatre maker opens up about the challenges she’s faced since Deafinitely Theatre began.

“We’ve been through so many ups and downs. I’ve had some really hard times and had impostor syndrome many times,” she tells me. “I’ve had those times where I’m like, ‘I just need to leave’ because the pressure’s becoming too much, but I’m so pleased that I stayed.

“I’m really lucky as well, I’m very fortunate to have an amazing team, who I have the full support of. They really have that belief in my vision and I think without my team, I just wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t be here.”

She continues: “I feel really pleased to be able to work with these talented actors and I really love seeing their careers taking off – particularly those people who have started at Deafinitely. It’s so lovely.”

Garfield cites Shakespeare performers Nadia Nadarajah and William Grint, The Bay star and soon-to-be National Theatre actor Nadeem Islam, and EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis.

Our conversation takes place amid rehearsals for Everyday, the company’s 20th anniversary production which begins performances at London’s New Diorama Theatre next week. We soon agree it would be quieter in another part of the rehearsal space, and I talk to Paula and her interpreter on Zoom as they sit behind a bright pink background – it certainly was a colourful change of scenery.

With Everyday drawing on interviews from Deaf survivors of domestic abuse, I begin by asking Garfield what that process was like.

“it was very difficult,” she says. “But we’re all part of the Deaf community, so it meant that we could engage really well together. Some people I’ve never met before, and I didn’t know them, but I felt really honoured by the fact that they trusted me. I felt enabled to share their stories.”

The conversations took place over Zoom – which Garfield says made the process “a bit easier” because she was not in the same room as the individuals – but the artistic director soon realised that one call wasn’t enough, and the “finer details” were needed.

But Garfield noticed something. “We obviously know about #MeToo – Harvey Weinstein – there was this culture suddenly of naming and shaming people,” she explains. “Within the Deaf community, it’s something that people are so worried about, and they’re worried about the effect on people’s careers, and they think, ‘actually, if I named and shamed someone would it affect my own capability to get jobs, particularly if I’m an actor’.

And the statistics available on domestic abuse within the Deaf community, while not up to date, paint a harrowing picture. The Deaf health charity SignHealth – which provides support for Deaf people suffering from domestic abuse – cites British Crime Survey data from 2010, which found Deaf women are twice as likely to experience domestic abuse compared to their hearing peers. Deaf children are three times more likely.

“I think because they’re with a Deaf partner, it means that [perpetrators] can just express all of their anger towards them,” Garfield continues. “Their partner almost becomes their punchbag, because they get to take out all of their frustrations and vent their anger. They can’t express it elsewhere because they don’t have those avenues or those outlets elsewhere within their families, let’s say, for example.

“Hopefully some people will see the play and realise that there are certain behaviours that are not acceptable, and to ask for help,” she adds. “I think what we have to remember is that the perpetrators, I believe, also have their own mental health issues and they require support as well.”

Everyday, I am told, focusses on four witches, as society “sees witches as awful people”. The play doesn’t just want to change views around the subject of domestic abuse, but perspectives about witchcraft as well.

“There so many stories I wanted to share,” Garfield says of the creative process, “but I have to be careful and be very selective because you can’t do too many. Sometimes I feel like I probably should add more stories, but then I think maybe the content will be quite emotionally heavy, and I’m trying to cap the play, in terms of its running time, at 60 minutes.”

Everyday isn’t the only Deafinitely Theatre production to tackle “heavy” topics, either. Garfield staged her own take on 4.48 Psychosis, the final play by Sarah Kane, in 2018 before it was revived a year later.

Were there any learnings from 4.48 Psychosis which have been applied to work on Everyday? “We provide a counsellor – an individual counsellor – who provides support for the actors throughout the rehearsal process,” Garfield replies. “They can have a conversation with a psychotherapist because there are so many triggers and emotional scenes that they are working through. I really learned that from 4.48 Psychosis, actually, that we needed to make sure that provision was in place. Also, if the actors need that time out, they can take that time out of the rehearsal room.

“I think in terms of 4.48 Psychosis, it was much more intense, but I think Everyday is more about like the empowerment of women and non-binary people,” she says, adding that the cast and creative team want to “inspire people” to get themselves out of these abusive situations.

The message, the director explains, is completely different to 4.48 Psychosis. I have a feeling, however, that Garfield and Deafinitely Theatre will still make an impact with Everyday – much like they have done for the past two decades.

Photo: Becky Bailey.

Everyday plays at the New Diorama Theatre from 17 May to 11 June, before beginning a UK tour and visiting Birmingham Repertory Theatre, York Theatre Royal and Northern Stage.

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Note: If you are in an abusive relationship or think you might be, advice and support is available. Contact SignHealth’s Domestic Abuse Team by texting 07800 003421 or emailing da@signhealth.org.uk.

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By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.