Why Accessibility Shouldn’t Be An Afterthought

“These moments were beautiful to watch and incredibly powerful.”

Over the last few months, I’ve been thinking about theatre and accessibility in the art that I am making. This was originally sparked from a production I watched in April at the Leeds Playhouse of an adaptation of Lord of the Flies. When I watched it, this performance blew my mind, bringing to life a book I’m not particularly fond of and somehow making me second-guess my opinion of the story and its characters. Most importantly, this performance proved that accessible performances shouldn’t be an afterthought but can be integrated into the performance itself through diverse casting and direction. As I’ve been working lots on the Pocketfull Project recently, it has got me thinking about what I loved so much with this production and how we can integrate elements of accessibility into our own theatre making.

“The use of BSL wasn’t a shock, it was simply intrinsic to the show.”

I need to preface this post by stating that I am a non-disabled person. However, I am a theatre-maker who, with Haywire as a platform, is continually learning how to achieve diversity, inclusivity and accessibility. In my opinion as a theatre-maker, this adaptation of Lord of the Flies has shown me one very effective way of ensuring we consider accessibility right from the very beginning, starting with the vision. Working with Deaf Creative Consultant Stephen Collins and deaf actors Eloise Pennycott and Ciaran O’Breen, it was phenomenal to see BSL being used within performance by all actors. Pennycott and O’Breen played twins Sam and Eric, with Eric being entirely non-verbal and relying on Sam for translations. The scene in which they spot the parachutist was gorgeously performed entirely in BSL. Despite not knowing BSL, the scene was incredibly clear to me, each nuance made clear by the two actors’ facial expressions, body language and tone. Then again, when caught by Jack, there was a heart-breaking and terrifying moment when Jack tries to force non-verbal Eric to join in the chant, Sam screaming “he can’t!” behind them both. These moments were beautiful to watch and incredibly powerful. The use of BSL wasn’t a shock, it was simply intrinsic to the show.

This leads me to one big question: if accessibility can be integrated into the heart of a show in a way that looks so seamless and easy, why isn’t it done more in other shows and theatres? Leeds Playhouse often provides relaxed performances and audio descriptions for their shows where possible, but in this case, the focus for the development of this show was on integrating BSL into the performance itself. 

“I want to consider how I can ensure each of my projects incorporate accessibility into the concept.”

I think there’s an interesting point to consider when it comes to “theatre etiquette” and how relaxed performances have been introduced to avoid those more strict conventions of a traditional performance. Sitting still for 3 hours without vocalising or moving in any way can be an impossible task for some theatre lovers. This is why relaxed performances are offered in some theatrical runs to ensure that those people have the opportunity to see some theatre in a relaxed and anxiety-reducing atmosphere. Usually this means that audience members are free to move around and make noise and common triggers - such as darkness, loud music and sudden noises – are reduced or removed completely. These appeal to those audience members with anxiety, autism or other neurodivergence that make theatre visits difficult.

Offering these relaxed performances is one way of ensuring accessibility, just as incorporating BSL into the vision and concept of a performance is another way. I’m not suggesting there is one perfect way of being 100% accessible to all, but there is always something you can do. In my personal theatre-making practice, I want to consider how I can ensure each of my projects incorporate accessibility into the concept so that it appeals to more than just neuro-typical, non-disabled people. With Pocketfull, we have tried to consider this in our casting and pre-production processes, encouraging people of all backgrounds and experiences to apply and audition. However, we have not yet had the opportunity to work with any creatives who have disabilities, so our ability to fulfil any accessibility requirements is yet to be seen. However, if we can take a step in the direction of this adaptation of Lord of the Flies, I think we are on the way to achieving our core values as a company. 

“…each of these smaller decisions and ideas are a step in the right direction.”

I’d like to see Haywire developing performances with accessibility as part of the vision. This could be achieved within the casting and production process. Part of Pocketfull’s aim is to connect with artists from across the world with a variety of different backgrounds and experiences. It’s always a given that we welcome theatre-makers with disabilities, though as I mentioned earlier, we are yet to have experience in working with a creative with particular access requirements. The likelihood is that we would need a stronger infrastructure in place to ensure we are confidence in fulfilling those requirements as they come. One option is to have consultation with a disabled creator about access to casting and employment. Alternatively, we could look inwards at the making of our company, considering our values and priorities when creating performances and the kinds of things that are non-negotiable. This might mean striving to incorporate BSL into live performances or making it essential that there is at least one relaxed performance per run of a live show. These are larger things that I think would be the ideal goal long-term but for the moment, we should be looking at smaller things we can do to help. These include adding closed captions to our Pocketfulls, alt text to our social media and checking the accessibility of our website. If this becomes part of our regular practice, this ensures that we are actively working towards making our theatre work a more accessible and open space intrinsically. 

Of course, some of these things cost money and require additional staffing, such as hiring a BSL interpreter or professional captioning in the theatre. For larger theatres with the money to do so, this shouldn’t be an afterthought. For smaller companies, consulting disabled creatives that specialise in helping companies in becoming more accessible is something we can start with. Perhaps a large-scale production of this adaptation of Lord of the Flies isn’t something most smaller companies can achieve right now - and it isn’t perfect either - but each of these smaller decisions and ideas are a step in the right direction.

Accessibility should be integral, not an afterthought.

Lisa