Signing the times: Deaf artists centre stage at Edinburgh festivals

While [Seagull] by Flanders-based company Olympique Dramatique, an adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull in Flemish Sign Language staged by a company of Deaf and hearing actors, is part of the Edinburgh International Festival programme, The Singer, written and directed by Cora Bissett, featuring new songs by KT Tunstall and starring Deaf actor Jamie Rea, is on the main stage of the Traverse for the Fringe.

Jennifer Bates, creative director of Scottish theatre company Solar Bear, who work with Deaf and hearing artists and are co-producers on The Singer, says: “It’s a significant moment. I think it shows how far the Scottish (theatre) landscape has come. It feels like we’ve been working in separate places having the same conversation. Bringing us all together at the same time feels like a real celebration of Deaf talent.”

She says shows such as The Singer are the product of decades of developing Deaf artists, from Solar Bear’s Deaf Youth Theatre to the launch of BA Performance in BSL and English at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) ten years ago. “The Singer seems to have come out of nowhere but really it has come out of decades of work looking at how we get Deaf talent into our theatres. The key is inclusion, not just access. You can make it accessible by bringing in interpreters. We want to see Deaf people as actors, directors, costume designers.”

READ MORE: KT Tunstall and Cora Bissett on the personal stories behind The Singer

The Singer is significant because it is one of the first big Fringe productions performed in BSL and English on an equal footing, with a bilingual rehearsal space and a Deaf associate director, Benedetta Zanetti, working alongside Bissett. Jamie Rea, one of the first cohort of graduates from the RCS course, stars as Joe, a Deaf musician who helps washed up singer Andy (Dylan Wood) rediscover his love of music. The story is based on the 2023 short film co-written by Rea and Bissett.

“Adapting the story to a full-length stage production has given us a chance to dig deeper into Joe’s character and journey,” says Rea. “It’s been a real pleasure to work alongside my fellow Deaf artists. I also have complete respect for the hearing actors who have worked alongside us, and we’ve built a great rapport.

“The Singer is an invitation to a hearing audience to engage more deeply with Deaf people and for Deaf audiences to celebrate seeing themselves represented on stage. We are seeing BSL become much more visible in society, and this makes this feel like the right time to bring BSL and song to the fore through storytelling. Presenting it on the main stage of the Traverse during the Fringe gives that visibility even greater significance.”

Meanwhile, Edinburgh Deaf Festival, in its fifth year, is a recipient of Creative Scotland multi-year funding for the first time. Over ten days, it offers more than 80 events including theatre, comedy, family shows, workshops and Deaf karaoke. Highlights include cabaret show A Night in Sign, Sign Slam, a fast-paced performance from Brazil blending comedy, improv and audience participation, and Pray For Me, a new play written and performed by Sarah Adedeji exploring faith, deafness and identity.

Festival director Nadia Nadarajah described the festival as a celebration of Deaf culture within the festivals landscape which centres Deaf experience and BSL, but says hearing people come to the performances too and audiences are often split 50/50. She hopes the festival will be a “catalyst for lasting change”, helping to drive greater accessibility across all the festivals.

She describes the programming of Deaf artists on mainstream stages this year as “an incredibly exciting and important step forward”. “For a long time Deaf artists have been seen as existing on the margins of the arts. Seeing Deaf-led productions on some of Scotland’s biggest stages shows that Deaf stories belong in mainstream cultural spaces. It sends a powerful message that BSL is not simply an access tool but a language capable of telling complex, moving and world-class stories.

“I hope Deaf-led productions become an increasingly visible part of the festivals. Every successful production helps build confidence, encourages venues and producers to programme more Deaf work, and inspires the next generation of Deaf artists. The Fringe has always been about discovering new voices and championing bold, original work. For me, success will be when seeing Deaf artists and Deaf stories on Edinburgh’s biggest stages is no longer something we celebrate because it’s unusual, but because it’s normal.”

Edinburgh Deaf Festival runs until 16 August, www.edinburghdeaffestival.com

The Singer, Traverse Theatre, various times until 30 August; [Seagull], Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 7-11 August, www.eif.co.uk

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