Over the years, Mousetrap Theatre Projects has developed an exciting range of drama projects for young people with additional needs. We recently completed a third education theatre day for young people who are deaf or hard of hearing. This bespoke project, StageSeen, starts with a 90-minute pre-show workshop for the participants, led by experienced Deaf and hearing facilitators with British Sign Language (BSL)/English interpreters. The workshop is followed by an opportunity for the young people to meet the cast before they watch a top London show which is BSL interpreted or captioned.
“Going to a show where you don’t know the story line is so difficult for the Deaf community so having the explanation beforehand helped so much.”
The aim of StageSeen is for young people to experience theatre, often for the first time, in a friendly and supported environment with access barriers removed. These education days develop confidence, creativity, playfulness and imagination. Young people are encouraged to take pride in their deaf identity by learning from deaf professionals, seeing aspirational role models in work settings and meeting other D/deaf or hard of hearing young people.
This year we took 135 deaf students from 13 schools and Sensory Support Services to watch a BSL integrated and captioned performance of Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe. We chose this production because teachers told us that the language in Shakespeare’s plays can be a barrier for their students, so the workshop focused on demystifying the language, exploring the narrative and introducing the characters.
We also ran two StageSeen days for family groups to Life of Pi and Wicked. Family theatregoing has been an important development in our work for young people with additional needs. By bringing the whole familiy to the theatre, everyone gets to participate in workshops alongside their child as well as seeing the show. We also believe this positive theatre experience encourages these families to attend other accessible performances independently.
“It made me cry to see my daughter so included in something like this.”
If you are interested in our work with young people with additional needs, we’d love to hear from you.
With all good wishes,
Susan Whiddington CBE, Chief Executive
Photo: Bonnie Britain