Year 8 pupil Angel attended a prestigious performing arts workshop in the Midlands this month, but with a twist – it was entirely for children who are deaf.
Angel, who has cochlear implants, is a keen singer and actor and performs with local group, East Hull Urban Arts.
Her teacher saw an advert for ‘Raising the Bar’, a weekend-long workshop run by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS), and suggested she audition for it.
Angel said, “I sent in a video of me performing a piece of musical theatre to the company and answered some questions about how being deaf affects me as a performer.
“I was one of only 35 children selected from across the UK to take part. Some had cochlear implants like me, some had hearing aids, some used British Sign Language (BSL), and some were speaking – it was a good mix.”
‘Raising the Bar’ has been running since 2015 and was developed to drive expectations of what deaf children and young people in the UK can achieve in performing arts.
The project aims to gives young stars from all over the UK the opportunity to meet leading deaf professionals in the arts industry and to perform on stage together.
Performers were involved in workshops and activities on Saturday, ready to perform to an audience on Sunday – including CBBC’s Newsround, who were filming for Deaf Awareness Week.
The performances were split into drama, dance or singing, and Angel was chosen for drama.
She commented, “I was part of the drama group and we worked on a piece about silent films, and also an improvisation piece about the suffragettes.
“As all the performers were deaf, the way we were taught was quite unusual for me. There were interpreters, and we all had different ways of communicating.
“I’ve not found having a hearing impairment any barrier to enjoying the performing arts. My theatre group in Hull are really supportive of me, and they don’t see me as a deaf person, they just see me as another member of the group.
“Occasionally I struggle. I did a show a couple of years ago and the music came on but I didn’t hear it. Everyone started singing so I was a bit confused but I just joined in and worked it out from there.
“It’s improved my confidence, and made me believe in myself a bit more. I’m really passionate about musical theatre.”
Angel really enjoyed the experience and gained a lot from it, especially talking to other deaf children.
She said, “It was brilliant to speak to other people who understand what being deaf can be like. We had a lot in common and it was really good to make new friends.
“I also picked up on a lot of BSL which I found useful. I go to a mainstream school, and have a hearing family, so I don’t have much opportunity to use it.
“I’ve been speaking since I was young, because I lost my hearing gradually, so I’ve never needed to use BSL, but I think its useful to know. I can also lip read, so it’s good to not just have to rely on one type of communication.”
Photo credit: NDCS UK