Shakespeare’s The Tempest has seen countless interpretations over the centuries but the production I’m watching at Birmingham Rep’s The Door gives us a new take on the classic.

Created as part of the University of Birmingham’s Signing Shakespeare project (in association with the University’s cultural partnership initiative Culture Forward) the show features a group of young people from Braidwood Trust School for the Deaf bringing their own magic to the story.

The production, which features Act One and a rapid resume of the remainder of the play, is told through Total Communication, incorporating British Sign Language, Sign Supported English and mime, with the words and images projected onto a screen behind the actors.

The youngsters, pupils from years seven, eight and nine based at Braidwood Trust School for the Deaf, have been workshopping and rehearsing the play for the past half-term - and are now enjoying their moment on stage.

Our Antonio grins malevolently at the audience as he prepares to oust his brother Prospero, Ferdinand throws himself energetically to the floor as he dives from the shipwreck and Miranda marvels at the brave new world she discovers.

All have developed their characters and the production with the support of the Signing Shakespeare project which is led by Dr Abigail Rokison-Woodall of the University’s Shakespeare Institute and freelance Shakespeare education practitioner Dr Tracy Irish.

The project began in 2018 as a collaboration between the University of Birmingham and the Royal Shakespeare Company which aimed to explore how best to create Shakespeare resources for students who are deaf and hard of hearing.

That first phase of the project resulted in a set of resources and materials specific to Macbeth which have been sent to special schools for the deaf across the UK and are available on the RSC website.

“The core element of our resources was a series of films with Deaf actors performing Shakespeare,” explains Tracy. “We had films in BSL, SSE, but then also something we call Visual Shakespeare which is a bigger, more theatrical experience.

“The films were really important because they provided role models for the students who can see Deaf actors and think ‘I could do that’.

“But also it was about having the films so that they could copy them or adapt them or do them in their own way - taking ideas from those films but doing their own versions. It is encouraging them to get up and play with the language for themselves.”

Abigail and her team were keen to continue the project and received funding from the University’s Culture Forward initiative to develop the resources for Act One of The Tempest. Culture Forward is a University of Birmingham initiative aiming to extend the University’s cultural engagement across the region and particularly with the city’s diverse communities.

Working with Braidwood School to develop a specific learning process on The Tempest for children who are deaf and hard of hearing has been an enriching experience for all involved.

“Abigail and I went in once a week for three weeks to lead workshops with the students so they understood the story before we started rehearsals,” says Tracy.

“There was a lot of active work in the workshops so by the time we had finished that we also had a sense of the different students’ personalities, their skills and who would be good at which parts.

“And then we had lots of casting discussions in consultation with their teachers. They are a mixed age group and it has been really beautiful to watch how they have got on so well and worked together.”

The students have learned not just about Shakespeare but also about performing in front of an audience at a city centre venue.

Kiana, who played the Young Prospero and one of the Mariners, says: “I had to learn how to be a sailor and I had to learn how to act sad because the sailors are sad because of the storms but I enjoyed doing that. Then I had to change and be Prospero. It was a quick change, I had to hide behind the screens to do that.

“I liked learning it. I’ve always enjoyed acting and to be here doing it with signing has been really good, it’s helped me grow and develop as an actor. It is hard to learn Shakespeare and trying to learn the signs as well but I would like to do more Shakespeare in the future.”

Godwill, who played Chief Ariel alongside fellow pupils as four other spirits, admits to some last-minute nerves. “I’ve been enjoying doing different characters and different emotions. Sometimes Ariel is a hard character to play but sometimes it’s easy.

“This is my first time doing Shakespeare and I enjoy acting. I felt really nervous doing the show in front of people but I felt happy once we had done it.”

Sophie took the part of the witch Sycorax. “I’ve liked all of it,” she says. “I hope everyone who saw it enjoyed the show and that it looked nice. I would like to do more acting in the future.

“I enjoyed doing the spells and the shooting gun powers and then I’m able to catch the Ariels, I like that part. I’m not very nice as Sycorax but I’m a nice person really.”

Signing Shakespeare is about so much more than just one performance.

“It’s an active approach which enthuses children for Shakespeare. If they are working in this theatre-based way hopefully it gives them a better understanding and enjoyment,” says Tracy.

“Also they are seeing adult Deaf role models - we have worked with Mia Ward who is our Prospero, director Lara Steward, designer Maral Mamaghani  and our UoB intern Lucy Dunkerley, who composed and recorded original music for the show,  and is hard of hearing.

“So it’s raising aspirations for the students through Deaf role models but also showing the general public what these students are capable of - that they are brilliant, can do a beautiful show and can bring something new to Shakespeare.”

The team have high ambitions for the project into the future.

“We would like to do the rest of The Tempest and then potentially all the main Shakespeare plays,” says Abigail. “And we could also do a similar set of resources for other texts such as World War One poetry. It’s just a question of finding the funding to expand the work.

“We’ve figured out how it works, how to make the films with Deaf actors, the scheme of work that goes with them, the kinds of exercises which embed the knowledge so it could be applied to any text.”

For more on Signing Shakespeare see birmingham.ac.uk/research/culture-forward/signing-shakespeare

Feature by Diane Parkes