Nadeem Islam, actor and writer, is the co-founder of A Night in Sign which this year is coming to Edinburgh Deaf Festival. Joanna Matthews interviewed him on Friday 14th August just before the first of A Night In Sign’s three night run at Deaf Action, Albany Street. With thanks to Louise who interpreted BSL/English to enable Nadeem and Joanna to have a conversation.
Where did the idea for A Night in Sign Come From?
It was 2020 and the first lock down was coming to an end, so my friends Harry Jardine (director) and Chris Fonseca (dancer/director) went to the pub to catch up. We all felt that deaf art had just stopped during lockdown, funding had been cut, like we were back at square one. So we were chatting about our skills and one we could do and we realised it was rare to see a deaf cabaret event and this was a way of getting deaf performers back on stage. Harry is hearing but uses BSL, he wants hearing people to be aware of deaf people in a fun way, not just in a formal way in work (which is where a lot people encounter sign, at conferences and workplace events), so A Night In Sign was born. Our first event was in Streatham, 60 people turned up in masks, we couldn’t even tell if they were laughing! We didn’t know if they could sign or were deaf but afterwards we got lots of positive feedback about how people were just glad to get out, to meet other deaf people and that it had been great for their mental health.
That was in 2020. Why has it taken so long to get to the Edinburgh Deaf Festival [now in its fifth year]?
Well we’ve been 6 years on the road. We’ve taken the show to Bristol and Chester. We’ve performed at The GLobe theatre in London and the Orange Tree in Richmond. Then it got us thinking about a gaps in the arts for deaf people so we have set up Fuse Theatre to help deaf artists get into mainstream theatres and other arts spaces. So that is why it has taken so long to get here. The Globe theatre in London and the Orange Tree in Richmond. Then it got us thinking about a gaps in the arts for deaf people so we have set up Fuse Theatre to help deaf artists get into mainstream theatres and other arts spaces. So that is why it has taken so long to get here.
What can we expect from A Night In Sign?
Its got a lot of different acts in it. There are signed songs, a story in VV [visual vernacular which is interpretive signing, no BSL knowledge needed]. William Grint will be doing signed Shakespeare, there will be a drag act from Bea Webster Mockett and dancing from Chris [Fonseca]. I’m the MC, telling terrible jokes. It will be accessible to everyone because it will be interpreted into English.
What do you think of the Deaf Festival now you have finally got her here?
It’s great. There is nothing else like it in the UK. I have been to a Deaf festival in France with international acts. There is the Wolverhampton Deaf Festival but that focuses on film I was amazed when I got here to experience Deaf Karaoke. I thought ‘that’s an oxymoron’ but it works. It’s great fun.
Is this your first time at Edinburgh Fringe?
No. I performed here 7 years ago. I was around for the first discussion about encouraging more deaf people to perform and Philip [Gerard, CEO of Deaf Action Edinburgh] said why can’t we have a Deaf Festival as part of the Fringe. I thought it was just a dream, it would never happen but look at what he has made happen. He’s made the impossible happen. I think there could be more shows accessible for deaf people in the Fringe. All the shows at the Deaf Festival are accessible for hearing people but the reverse isn’t the case in the Fringe. There should be a policy in place to ensure accessibility.
Tell me more about Fuse Theatre and its role in promoting accessibility.
It was established two years ago, by Harry and Chris, they are the artistic directors. I am an associate artist. We have set up a scheme called Lighting the Fuse which awards five days of rehearsal and one day of performance for deaf artists who want to develop a show. We are the residential company for Mercury Theatre in Colchester, we have made a short film coming out in 2027 and we have partnerships with Camden People’s Theatre and the Edinburgh Deaf Festival.
What about your new Fuse Theatre show at Camden People’s Theatre?
It’s called The only brown deaf man in England. It’s directed by Harry with movement direction by Chris. It’s written by me, about me, recollections of my parents, sister, people of Bangladeshi origin who I group up with. It’s about the brown community in London and the deaf community. I have put all these stories into one character called Raj Kumar. He’s a Deaf Bengali amateur cricketer and the play starts in 1971 during the Bangladesh liberation war. Raj comes to Brick Lane in London as an escapee fleeing the genocide in Bangladesh. He grows up in the UK and the story stops just after the 2011 destruction of the Twin Towers in New York. We have four work in progress outings’ Camden People’s Theatre, National Theatre studios and at the Pleasance in London.
Do you think it will come to Edinburgh next year?
That would be great! Need to have a lot of conversations to make that happen. I would love to be part of the festival in 2027. Hopefully more Fringe shows will be accessible next year.
And finally, apart from your own play, what are you doing next?
I’ll be doing a two hander with Chris at Greenwich Docklands International Festival called Man Down. Then I will be in the musical Private Jones, at Southwark Playhouse with Rose Ayling Ellis. It’s a show that has transferred from America, and the roles were created for American Sign Language users, but they have translated it to BSL. There will be 3 deaf actors in total.
That is the end of my chat with Nadeem. A Night In Sign is on at 19.00 on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th. Check out the Deaf Festival website for this and other shows.
