Rose Bruford College collaborates with the Interpreters of Colour Network on a pilot training programme (BSL)

Rose Bruford College and the Interpreters of Colour Network have collaborated to provide a pilot training programme that trains the next generation of British Sign Language interpreters in theatre.

Rose Bruford College is a leading London drama school which provides undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in acting, design, production and performing arts.

The Interpreters of Colour Network is a leading organisation that addresses the underrepresentation of people of colour in the sign language interpreting and translation profession.

The collaboration sees seven participants from the Interpreters of Colour Network working alongside students and staff at Rose Bruford College to increase their knowledge and awareness of British Sign Language interpreting specifically for the professional theatre and performance industries all within within a drama school setting.

The participants’ eight months of training has included attending rehearsals and working with cast and creative teams to understand plot and character motivation, all delivered on site at Rose Bruford College by the Interpreters of Colour Network Director, Jacqui Beckford. This has been supported by Rose Bruford College’s Jo Rawlinson (Stage Management Lecturer) and Professor Brian Lobel (Professor of Theatre & Performance.)

The training has also included assessments carried out by leading Deaf theatre practitioners assisted by qualified interpreters working in theatre, who have attended the productions to observe interpreters at work during performances by Rose Bruford College students in front of an invited audience.

The work now culminates in a selection of publicly-available BSL interpreted shows at Rose Bruford College this autumn, created by and featuring final-year Rose Bruford performance, design and production students and interpreted by the seven members of the Interpreters of Colour Network.

Deaf actor Nadia Nadarajah says:

“I am a Deaf actor, dark skinned South Asian woman so the Interpreters of Colour Network is very important to me, because there is greater likelihood of a shared cultural understanding. Rose Bruford College is an essential ingredient for those interpreters to develop their skills alongside their continual acquisition of Deaf culture and sign language. With this combination, I believe the cohort can achieve the high quality and in turn I will be keen to book any one of them.”

Commenting on the partnership, Rose Bruford Honorary Fellow and actor Adjoa Andoh adds:

“Audiences, casts and crews of colour living and working within different hearing/non-hearing scales should expect to be reflected amongst the cohort of sign language interpreting and translation professionals working today. Director of IOCN, Jacqui Beckford has set in motion a programme in collaboration with Rose Bruford College to change that. As a friend and huge fan of Jacqui’s work, and as an Honorary Fellow of Rose Bruford College, I couldn’t be more excited by this partnership. We all want and need to be seen and reflected.”

Interpreters of Colour Network Director Jacqui Beckford said:

“I am delighted with the teaching opportunity Rose Bruford has offered enabling me to pay it forward to colleagues who value my years of experience. For this endeavour to succeed, it was vital to incorporate the experience and expertise of Deaf creatives. This pathway is something that I wish I had access to in the infancy of my career.”

Following their training which is due to be completed in December this year, the seven members of the Interpreters of Colour Network are to be awarded a certificate that may be used towards Continuing Professional Development (CPD.) This is a requirement as an interpreter with members then aiming to accept work within the theatre industry to serve and support the Deaf community.

Dates and ticket details for the BSL performances this autumn at Rose Bruford College will be announced soon. Check the College’s events page for details here. 

The Interpreters of Colour Network addresses the underrepresentation of people of colour in the sign language interpreting and translation profession, and offering a safe, nurturing and supportive environment for our colleagues of colour. See more information here.