Edinburgh Deaf Festival is entering its third year and Its Executive Producer Philip Gerrard spoke to Joanna Matthews about deaf culture and heritage and why having a Deaf Festival as part of the Fringe is vital for both deaf and hearing audiences.
Inclusion and representation are hot topics in theatre, TV and film and although more Deaf and Disabled people are seen on our stages and screens there is still a long way to go. Rose Ayling Ellis was a popular winner of Strictly and the RSC and Globe now cast Deaf actors as a matter of course but there is much more that can be done. Philip, whose first language is BSL, explained why. “It is good of course that more shows have BSL or captioning for Deaf audiences but there are so many creative responses possible to engaging Deaf people that can be integrated into a show. Writers can think about word choices, directors introduce lighting that enhances the spoken word. Deaf people who have grown up deaf, like me, see the world, it’s all visual for us. Now there are some great techniques which have been developed which can make theatre inclusive for all.” Philip knows that Deaf people too may not be aware of what arts can offer them and like everybody deserve the opportunity to be enthralled, nourished and provoked by creative performances.
When newly appointed CEO of Deaf Action Philip was inspired to start Edinburgh Deaf Festival when leafing through the Fringe programme. “There’s country specific strands in the programming and I thought if Taiwan and Canada can celebrate their culture through theatre and art then why can’t we?” He was also looking for ideas to develop Deaf Action’s beautiful Victorian building in Edinburgh New Town, to make it relevant in the 21st century and had an inkling that through culture the organisation could develop. After more than 100 people turned up to a 2019 Fringe debate he knew that there was an appetite to have a festival celebrating deaf culture for Deaf people to enjoy and introduce hearing audiences to new experiences. The 2022 inaugural festival was a great success, supported by external funding, but now Philip faces the uneven road familiar to all festival directors – where to get the next tranche of investment.
“The Fringe is over 70 years” Philip reminds us, “It’s long overdue, a festival of arts that celebrates Deaf culture, not just access provision through captioning and a handful of BSL interpreted performers.” SInce 2022 Philip and his team have been instrumental in making sure many more shows are available for Deaf people and not just in the Fringe. “The Book Festival have been funding interpreters but an hour is a long time for a BSL user to sit through a Q and A with an author, so last year we enabled a new format – a session with a 30 minute play followed by 30 minute Q and A. About 80 people came and were amazed at all the other Deaf people there. Out of that has grown a BSL book club and we hope to develop more.”
The Deaf Festival is open to all audiences and Philip was pleased that the 2023 audiences were 50/50 “We want everybody to enjoy the shows on offer” Philip is keen to emphasise, “the stand up comedy, the theatre, the dance. But there is an element of awareness raising too, so producers and writers and audiences learn more about what is possible.” Philip has an ambition that the Deaf Festival will become a hub for all Deaf led and shows that are fully accessible in the Fringe, so get in touch if you want support to make your show accessible or want to be included in the listings.
Edinburgh Deaf Festival isn’t the first in the world – Clin D’Oeil in France and Wolverhampton Deaf Festival are older and bigger but Philip thinks it is the first that has opened up its doors for hearing people. And everybody – deaf and hearing alike are sure of a big welcome.
Deaf Festival opens on 9th August and runs to the 18th. A handful of shows are listed in the Fringe programme but go to the website for a full event listing across shows, arts activities and workshops. All performances will be accessible to deaf and hearing audiences through BSL, BSL/English interpretation, or captions. The hub is at Deaf Action, Albany Street. If you want to make a donation to the Deaf Festival appeal or find out more about Deaf Culture and Heritage in Edinburgh contact Deaf Action admin@deafaction.org WhatsApp text or video call 07775 620757 0131 56 3128
For our round up of what to look out for at the Deaf Festival see Joanna’s blog post The Best of Deaf Fest.
