Naomi Wray: The art of theatre BSL interpretation (BSL)

Cardiff’s New Theatre was host to the first BSL interpretation of the Mousetrap 70th anniversary tour in March. The talented Tony Evans stood in the familiar spotlight and proceeded to translate Agatha Christie’s play to us in the audience.

This is the fourth BSL interpreted performance I have attended since discovering these were offered in the Welsh Capital, and the second with interpreter Tony. The magic of receiving a show in more ways than one – by sound through my Cochlear Implants and by reading sign language – is yet to wear off on me; the day it does is the day Theatre is dead.

Now, I can’t speak much about the play itself. I am bound by an agreement I hold with each cast that has performed it: as an accomplice to the crime, I cannot share its secrets. Agatha Christie nails the murder mystery time and time again, and this play is no exception.

As the longest running play in the history of British Theatre, it has been revered many times over, and brought the West End back to life being the first show to re-open after the COVID lockdown. So what part of this incredible running of a show should be kept from the deaf and hard-of-hearing?

In the half-time show of the Super Bowl LVII, Rihanna took to the stage to entertain the many crowds present and watching.

What has become more iconic and popular, though, was the signer who supported the act; Justina Miles brilliantly communicates the lyrics of the song in ASL (American Sign Language) all while carrying the same energy as the renowned artist simultaneously performing it. But that is exactly the point: not only the words need communicating – the energy, attitude, tone and voice as well! This principle applies across the board with interpreters. There is much more to a show than the written script.

The Mousetrap contains many eccentric and differing characters, ranging from energetic youths to retired military officers. Think about what it takes for an actor to encompass this character: the facial expressions; the tone of voice; the shift in body language between having hope to having despair.

Reader: I ask you to read the following sentence in three different ways. “There’s been a murder!” “There’s been a murder?” “There’s been a murder.”

Do you see how the first is in shock, the second is inquisitive, and the third is authoritative – as if said by a detective? These subtle differences are important to all who watch the show, and it is these that the signer is responsible for conveying to the audience.

They do this by changing their position and the side to which they are signing. Facial expressions and attitude of the sign will also depend on whether the line is being said angrily, sadly, or energetically. While actors just stick to the words said by their character, an interpreter covers every single sentence in the show!

Even now, I still love to learn new signs for words I wouldn’t necessarily have known before. There is a beauty in the construction of sign language; I am often reminded of poetry when I admire its art and reason.

A new sign I learned in this performance was ‘architect’: one forearm lies flat like the ground while the other, connected at the elbow with the fingertips of the flat hand, moves like a paintbrush with the first two fingers extended. The sign from the second hand here, the paintbrush movement, is the same as the sign for ‘art’; quite literally, architect is signed as a ‘ground artist’ or ‘land painting’. The elegance in the creation of words, and by extension signs, continues to astound me.

Sign language interpretation is a fascinating art. It takes talented and skilled individuals to effectively complete the task. I cannot express my gratitude to all involved in the delivery of BSL interpreted theatre; I have been able to love and enjoy the arts once again, without the insurmountable stress and anxiety of not understanding the performance.

May Theatre never die, and may we continue to break down the barriers of exclusion so that enjoying a show need not require the ability to hear.

Naomi is profoundly deaf and a wearer of Cochlear Implants. Losing her hearing suddenly aged 11, she spends her time studying at Cardiff University promoting deaf awareness and is enthusiastic for further use of sign language to include the deaf community in every way possible.