A Spotlight on Joseph Fletcher

As part of Deaf Awareness Week 2024, we are shining the spotlight on our amazing ambassador, performer and choreographer Joseph Fletcher.

The Go Live Youth Forum (who help us in all areas of our work), put their questions to him in this exclusive interview.

“I was told to be “realistic with my career goals within the arts” and that performing in the West End wouldn’t be something that was possible.”

To celebrate Deaf Awareness Week 2024, Go Live Theatre Projects’ Youth Forum sat down with Hard of Hearing Actor and Go Live Ambassador Joseph Fletcher, to shine a light on his journey through the theatre industry.

As an actor, Joseph has been in the original cast of 101 Dalmatians (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Wicked (Apollo Victoria), The Snowman (International/UK tour/Peacock Theatre) and many more shows.

Joseph was the Associate Choreographer of the West End hit, The Little Big Things, a production that played a very important part in showcasing diversity and celebrating disability on stage.

Go Live continues to help make theatre accessible to young people through education programmes in schools, work with low-income families, youth groups, and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and through its annual relaxed performance. (The next relaxed performance is Sister Act, Dominion Theatre, on 2nd July at 6.30pm. For more information about this performance, visit: https://golivetheatre.org.uk/relaxed-performance-sister-act-2024)

What is your earliest memory of theatre – when did you get the bug?

My earliest, most visual memory of going to the theatre was back in 1993/1994 to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, I remember sitting in the Circle of the London Palladium and being transfixed by Linzi Hately and Jason Donovan’s iconic performances. I think I caught the theatre bug early and yes, I have admitted my inner fan girl to Linzi while working together during The Little Big Things and she knows everything. It felt nice to be able to say thank you for inspiring me.

What has your journey been to becoming a professional performer and creative?

In equal measures, it has been incredibly hard and incredibly rewarding. I feel very fortunate that I have found a way to put a passion and a career together and I don’t take it lightly that I get to live this life with this experience. There have been many many lows, doubts and insecurities that have obviously questioned my ability to do this. But with knowledge, education and fight, the highs and fights won, making it all worth it. The industry is changing, we haven’t got it completely right just yet but it’s changing and for that, I am excited to see what happens next for me.

Were you ever told your hearing would be a barrier to success in the arts?

I was never told that my hearing specifically would be a barrier, however, I was told to be “realistic with my career goals within the arts and that performing in the West End wouldn’t be something that was possible.” This had a profound impact on me and still does to this day. I took those words and used them as an ingredient to my success. I decided to take the positives of that conversation in that, it was one persons opinion, and right or wrong they may be, it wasn’t for them to decide. Maybe they were right but I couldn’t let them be without trying first, turns out they were absolutely wrong. I don’t have any ill feelings toward them either, they were simply expressing their concerns with the industry as they knew it.

What achievement are you most proud of from your career so far?

Honestly, making it this far without getting run over by a car, haha. In all seriousness getting into Wicked was a massive achievement for me, for the reason above in the previous question, but also for the bigger people in that representation matters and for people like myself to see themselves on a stage that maybe someone told them they wouldn’t be seen on. I remember at one accessible BSL performance, having my entire deaf school from when I was younger coming to watch, and that felt huge. I also loved being a part of the 10th Anniversary cast, and to then rejoin the show after Covid was also pretty special. I’m still trying to find a way to be apart of the show for its 20th anniversary, I’m sure it can be done.

I do feel like every opportunity has opened a lot of doors for those who comes after me and it proof that anyone can do it, if they really want to.

Being a part of The Little Big Things also felt like a huge moment, to be a part of the creative team for such a diverse show was pretty darn cool.

Who is your role model in the arts?

Gosh, this feels like a trick question, there are far too many and it would be unfair to mention just one, so lets just leave it as, the most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever it is that they want to do. The world is a much better place to be in when we constantly strive to inspire each other.

What musical theatre song describes you best?

I CAN DO THAT – A CHROUS LINE

What was it like assist choreographing for The Little Big Things? Whose idea what it to include BSL/SSE into the choreography?

Working along side Mark Smith is always an absolute dream. We have worked together on a few projects now and The Little Big Things, was no exception. Mark has this wonderful ability of allowing space in his vision for other people’s creativity. I always feel like I can voice my opinions and ideas, and that together we can explore them to see if they work. The best way to discovering movement is through trial and error and it always feels so nice to be a part of his creative journey.

Mark is the brainchild in including BSL into his choreography, and with his ideas, it’s my role to translate them into movement and shapes for him to then deicide which he likes. We were also very close to not using BSL due to no characters in the story being deaf, but we decided in the world of post accident Henry Fraser, were access is necessary in order to thrive, that we could get away with it. If you noticed, the BSL only really came out during Man Henry (Post Accident) sections, but as the story evolved, it became more and more frequent as the world around Henry also started to adapt.

What advice would you give to young D/deaf or hard of hearing people who are interested in a career in the performing arts?

You can, you will, you must. It’s not a question of wanting to do it, it’s a need to do it. Don’t let anyone define your success and be unpolgotically yourself, because being D/deaf or Hard of Hearing within this industry can be your unique selling point, and thats incredibly cool.