Disability: casting a revolution | Jenny Sealey | TEDxWarwickSalon
-
0:16 - 0:18It will make sense at some point.
-
0:18 - 0:22I'm Jenny and thank you very,
very much for having me here. -
0:22 - 0:26I'm deaf, and all deaf people give
each other name signs, -
0:26 - 0:28so I have to show you my name sign.
-
0:29 - 0:33Can you follow my instructions?
Have I put this on? -
0:33 - 0:35Nope, I haven't,
so not a good start, is it? -
0:35 - 0:37How about now? That's good.
-
0:37 - 0:40Can you put your right palm
on your right nipple? -
0:41 - 0:46Left palm on your left nipple.
Have a rub - no, no, don't! -
0:46 - 0:48(Laughter)
-
0:48 - 0:51Now, move your palms,
so your palms are facing the heavens, -
0:51 - 0:54and your little fingers
are still touching your nipples. -
0:55 - 0:58Now imagine you're carrying something
very big and bouncy, -
0:59 - 1:01and have a good look at me.
-
1:03 - 1:05They're not small.
-
1:05 - 1:11I'm a 34K and, as Bravissimo say,
I'm working my way through the alphabet. -
1:11 - 1:16So while we're here, can you just think
about what would your sign name be? -
1:16 - 1:20Your signing frame is from your stomach,
it's almost like a TV around your head. -
1:20 - 1:23It could be you have long hair, you've
got sparkly eyes, you like football, -
1:23 - 1:26you're always smiling, you've got dimples.
-
1:26 - 1:29So just take a split second.
-
1:29 - 1:33What is the sign representative of you?
-
1:33 - 1:36I'll count to three, and then we'll just
do a mass signing of names -
1:36 - 1:38and shout out your names as well.
-
1:38 - 1:40Ready?
-
1:42 - 1:47One, two, three!
(Audience overlapped responses). -
1:47 - 1:49Look, I know it's Saturday
afternoon, three o'clock, -
1:49 - 1:51we could do a bit better than that!
-
1:51 - 1:53One, two, three!
(Audience overlapped responses). -
1:53 - 1:59Fab! So, I'm the Artistic Director
of Graeae Theatre Company. -
1:59 - 2:00I have my tools.
-
2:02 - 2:06I have a rose: you throw the rose
at the actress you most adore. -
2:07 - 2:12An onion: you peel away, you peel
away to find your character. -
2:13 - 2:19Gaffer tape: no theatre is
complete without gaffer. -
2:20 - 2:25And nails: to nail those floorboards, nail
those flats, that set, everything. -
2:26 - 2:29So, the tools of theatre.
-
2:30 - 2:33Graeae is an awesome theatre company.
-
2:33 - 2:36It is founded on the Greek myth,
-
2:36 - 2:41the three Graeae sisters had between
them one eye and one tooth -
2:41 - 2:45but Perseus stole them, because he wanted
to know how to kill the Medusa. -
2:45 - 2:49So of course they tell him, but they
want their vital organs back. -
2:49 - 2:54He doesn't give them back,
instead he flings them -
2:54 - 2:59and the Graeae sisters are left
screaming and defenseless. -
3:01 - 3:04As a theatre company Graeae is screaming.
-
3:04 - 3:09We are screaming with passion
to make change. -
3:09 - 3:13We are also exactly the same
as those Graeae sisters. -
3:13 - 3:16We use our eye and our tooth,
-
3:16 - 3:20we use what we have
rather than what we haven't got. -
3:20 - 3:21So if someone walks up with no legs,
-
3:21 - 3:24I'm not going to go
and find them some legs, -
3:24 - 3:25I just check out how else they move.
-
3:25 - 3:28It is as simple as that.
-
3:29 - 3:33Graeae has been evolving
over the last 33 years, -
3:33 - 3:37not only because we put deaf
and disabled people centre-stage, -
3:37 - 3:40the work is always political.
-
3:40 - 3:46It's always theatre that really, really
matters and because of that it is always, -
3:46 - 3:52as far as I'm concerned, a tool
of huge importance and huge influence. -
3:52 - 3:54Not just because of our performers,
-
3:54 - 3:57but also we're curious.
-
3:57 - 4:00What does access really, really mean?
-
4:00 - 4:04We've been pioneering creative use
of sign language on the stage. -
4:04 - 4:07This is usually the furthest
I would ever be with an interpreter. -
4:07 - 4:10She would normally be right next to me.
-
4:10 - 4:13We've been looking at creative captioning,
-
4:13 - 4:14we've been looking
-
4:14 - 4:18at how does audio description be part
of the whole theatrical experience; -
4:18 - 4:21It's not something
that is just an afterthought, -
4:21 - 4:23not something that is just chucked in.
-
4:23 - 4:26I, maybe it's because I'm a control freak,
-
4:26 - 4:30I like to know every single essence
of access, and how we are going to do it. -
4:30 - 4:34And how the art informs
the creative process of access, -
4:34 - 4:38and how access in itself
informs the creative process. -
4:38 - 4:40It's all entwined.
-
4:40 - 4:45Access for me is everything
that Graeae does. -
4:45 - 4:49And also entwined within that
is the word 'evolution,' -
4:50 - 4:52the word 'revolution,'
-
4:54 - 4:56and the word 'revolting.'
-
4:58 - 5:02Revolting is synonymous with Graeae,
I don't know whether that's the right word -
5:02 - 5:08but people sometimes think
we are nauseating, we're sick, -
5:08 - 5:11we're repellent, we're degenerate.
-
5:13 - 5:16Two years ago, I did a presentation
for the Bush Theatre, -
5:16 - 5:19and I called it my Bush Provocation.
-
5:20 - 5:22Take with that
what it means, what it will! -
5:22 - 5:24Anyway, but in this provocation,
-
5:24 - 5:28it was a litany of things
people have said to my actors. -
5:28 - 5:32"Ah, with that arm!"
- to a young woman who's an amputee - -
5:32 - 5:35"With that arm,
we'll never let you on stage." -
5:35 - 5:38"Thank God our theatre
backstage isn't accessible, -
5:38 - 5:41it means we can't have
that lot on our stage." -
5:41 - 5:46"You're deaf and black. Fuck,
you haven't got a hope in this theatre." -
5:47 - 5:51"Come back," a drama school said,
"come back when you're cured." -
5:52 - 5:57A director said to me: "Jenny, people
don't come to the theatre to be reminded -
5:57 - 6:00of the tragedy of being handicapped."
-
6:01 - 6:08And very recently, i.e. 2014,
we did the Threepenny Opera, -
6:08 - 6:12with New Wolsey Theatre, Birmingham Rep,
-
6:12 - 6:16West Yorkshire Playhouse
and Nottingham Playhouse and Graeae. -
6:16 - 6:19It was wicked, it was fantastic!
-
6:19 - 6:21But when we were trying to evaluate,
-
6:21 - 6:26asking the audiences
about the show, some people said: -
6:26 - 6:32"Oh, I arrived, and there were
all these disabled people in and around, -
6:32 - 6:34and I thought maybe I had come
on the wrong night, -
6:34 - 6:38it was a show just for the disabled
by the disabled." -
6:39 - 6:43"Oh, if I'd known that it was going to be
performed by disabled performers, -
6:43 - 6:46I might not have bothered to come."
-
6:48 - 6:532014, and we still have that.
-
6:56 - 6:59Do we question Stephen Hawking?
-
6:59 - 7:03Do we question Stephen Hawking, that he is
a genius, a scientist, he is awesome? -
7:03 - 7:08Do we question David Weir,
wheelchair racer? -
7:08 - 7:11Do we question Ellie Simmonds,
power swimmer? -
7:11 - 7:13Do we question David Blunkett?
-
7:13 - 7:15You may not agree
with David Blunkett's politics, -
7:15 - 7:19but did we question his ability
as a blind man to be a politician? -
7:19 - 7:20No.
-
7:22 - 7:26So why do we question actors on stage?
-
7:27 - 7:32Their right to be centre-stage,
why do we question that? -
7:34 - 7:36TV, I suppose, is evolving.
-
7:36 - 7:38We've got Lisa Hammond on Eastenders,
-
7:38 - 7:41we've got Cheryl Houston
on Coronation Street, -
7:41 - 7:47Lizz Carr on Silent Witness,
Cerrie who's on CBeebies. -
7:48 - 7:51But, oh my God, when she was
on CBeebies, hell broke out! -
7:51 - 7:53Our children are going to be traumatized
-
7:53 - 7:57by seeing a woman with one arm
on stage, or on television. -
7:59 - 8:04Casting, I'm sorry, has not evolved
in the way that I think it should. -
8:06 - 8:12So, these become the tools of casting,
and the disabled experience. -
8:15 - 8:22We are like petals, fragile
because of constant discrimination. -
8:23 - 8:26But oh, my God, we have thorns
-
8:26 - 8:29because we dare
put ourselves on that stage. -
8:31 - 8:37We're like an onion, but somebody else
has peeled us away and exposed us. -
8:38 - 8:44We need gaffer to wrap around
those wounds of bruises and cruel words. -
8:46 - 8:51And nails, it is always
another nail in the coffin. -
8:51 - 8:55When there is a role,
it is a disabled character, -
8:55 - 9:00but even then, we don't get cast in that.
-
9:00 - 9:04A non-disabled person
will crip up and play that role. -
9:05 - 9:09And another bloody nail is when...
-
9:09 - 9:13how many Oscars are awarded
to those actors that do crip up? -
9:16 - 9:18The tools of casting.
-
9:20 - 9:21Shakespeare.
-
9:22 - 9:26When I was headhunted
for the National Theatre of Scotland job, -
9:26 - 9:31- "Wow, oh my God,"
I thought, "this is incredible." - -
9:31 - 9:36first question was: "Jenny, I know
you're the Artistic Director of Graeae, -
9:36 - 9:39but if you were to work
with a normal theatre, -
9:39 - 9:45would you still be wanting
to audition deaf and disabled people, -
9:45 - 9:46and if so, why?"
-
9:48 - 9:50(Groans)
-
9:50 - 9:55Shakespeare doesn't say whether Juliet
was or was not a wheelchair user. -
9:55 - 9:59I've had a deaf Juliet,
I've had a blind Prospero, -
9:59 - 10:02I've had a wheelchair user
who was Miranda, -
10:02 - 10:05I've had a woman playing Caliban.
-
10:05 - 10:10Theatre is about throwing it all up
in the air, getting it messy. -
10:10 - 10:15It's a brilliant, brilliant thing to do,
it just requires a bit of imagination. -
10:16 - 10:18And, oh my God, how brilliant it is
-
10:18 - 10:20when someone rocks up
and they have a different voice pattern -
10:20 - 10:24and you're thinking about access,
you're thinking about their access, -
10:24 - 10:27access for audience,
access for that character? -
10:27 - 10:32How much richer is the world
in which I inhabit for people out there? -
10:33 - 10:38I love casting, and I work
with a wealth of actors. -
10:39 - 10:42These are just some people
Graeae works with. -
10:42 - 10:47I've had an all disabled cast for Bent,
an all disabled cast for Blasted. -
10:49 - 10:54Look at her, how sweet is she?
This lot deserve to be everywhere. -
10:54 - 10:57Why can't we have
Mat Fraser as Doctor Who? -
10:57 - 11:00Or, what about Leslie
who's really revolutionary, -
11:00 - 11:03have a young disabled woman
as Doctor Who? -
11:03 - 11:06Why can't we have one
of my favourite actors, Nadia, -
11:06 - 11:10who the National Theatre said
they couldn't have because of her arm? -
11:10 - 11:16Why can't she be in a cherry orchard?
Why can't she be Juliet? -
11:17 - 11:21Why are this lot not everywhere?
-
11:25 - 11:28I'm proud that I work with these people,
-
11:28 - 11:31and I know Stevie will talk
about her Candoco performers, -
11:31 - 11:34she's proud that she works
with them as well. -
11:34 - 11:38We work with people
that nobody else wants, it's brilliant. -
11:38 - 11:42At the moment, my big "if only" is...
-
11:42 - 11:46A casting request came through
to Graeae on Thursday. -
11:46 - 11:49Steven Spielberg is looking
for a young woman -
11:49 - 11:55to play the lead
in the Big Friendly Giant. -
11:57 - 12:02We have two young wheelchair users
as part of our youth theatre. -
12:02 - 12:04Robyn, she's stocky, she's got glasses,
-
12:04 - 12:07she’s a wheely, oh, my gosh
she's dangerous! -
12:07 - 12:10You really have to watch
your feet when she's around. -
12:10 - 12:12She's a glorious young woman.
-
12:12 - 12:16And then, Evie, not quite as robust,
but she's got that sparkle, she's cheeky. -
12:17 - 12:21If only Spielberg would think:
-
12:21 - 12:26"Yes, yes I can see beyond
the normal sort of casting, -
12:26 - 12:29these girls are good,"
and give one of them a role. -
12:29 - 12:32In the stadium for the opening ceremony
of the Paralympics -
12:32 - 12:36we had Spasticus Autisticus belting out
-
12:36 - 12:41in front of a 40-foot statue
of Alison Lapper, -
12:41 - 12:43Marc Quinn's statue,
Alison Lapper Pregnant. -
12:43 - 12:47Limbless, woman, defiant, it was heaven.
-
12:49 - 12:5367,000 people in that stadium
singing Spasticus Autisticus -
12:53 - 12:56and then "I am what I am".
-
12:56 - 13:00I was in heaven.
We were glorious. -
13:01 - 13:05The whole artistic festival that happened
afterwards, the sports itself, -
13:05 - 13:10there never has been
such a time to say, "we're good." -
13:10 - 13:14And Channel 4 said,
"Thank you for the warm up." -
13:14 - 13:19They embraced us for a split second.
-
13:21 - 13:24How can I be asking
our artistic directors, -
13:24 - 13:29our filmmakers, all of those people,
to join me in the revolution of casting, -
13:29 - 13:34when Channel 4 then pull
the rug from under us? -
13:36 - 13:40They contacted me, they phoned!
-
13:40 - 13:43I'm deaf, I don't use the phone, hello!
-
13:43 - 13:46Anyway, so then,
they emailed me, and they said: -
13:46 - 13:49"Jenny, what a fantastic show.
-
13:49 - 13:50You must have met
-
13:50 - 13:54some wonderful professional
deaf and disabled artists and volunteers. -
13:54 - 13:57Please, please,
can you suggest people for..." -
13:57 - 13:59- I'm thinking: "Oh my God, here we go,
-
13:59 - 14:03here is the moment where my art
is going to be really everywhere!" - -
14:03 - 14:05"please can you suggest people
-
14:05 - 14:09for our fantastic new programme,
The Undateables." -
14:11 - 14:14Have any of you seen it? It's sick.
-
14:14 - 14:18It's car-crash television.
It's insulting. -
14:18 - 14:21It takes the most vulnerable
deaf and disabled people -
14:21 - 14:23and just smacks them in there
-
14:23 - 14:26to be vilified, to be looked at,
and to be laughed at. -
14:26 - 14:28It's disgusting.
-
14:31 - 14:33There's that,
-
14:35 - 14:40and this might be the last time
I ever do a speech like this. -
14:40 - 14:45I want us to evolve, I want how Graeae
use the aesthetics of access to evolve. -
14:45 - 14:49I want it to influence a whole
generation of theatre-makers. -
14:49 - 14:53But I might not have a job anymore
because Access to Work, -
14:53 - 14:55which is the government fund,
-
14:55 - 14:58so that I can have Madeline
as my interpreter, -
14:58 - 15:01and Jen who's over here,
who's an interpreter and prompter -
15:01 - 15:03when I get a bit stuck...
-
15:03 - 15:07I have my interpreters for rehearsals,
for meetings, for stuff, -
15:07 - 15:11the Department
of Work and Pensions pay them. -
15:12 - 15:15A lot of my actors also use
the Independent Living Fund, -
15:15 - 15:17so that they have PA support
-
15:17 - 15:21for bath and food, holding
a script, for line feeding. -
15:21 - 15:23Brilliant, brilliant resources,
-
15:23 - 15:28and we could not have done 2012
without those resources. -
15:28 - 15:33But suddenly, they're being
cut, cut, cut, cut, cut. -
15:34 - 15:39So from the 35 hours a week entitlement,
I'm now told I can have 72 hours a month. -
15:39 - 15:42I fought that,
so I've got some of my hours back, -
15:42 - 15:44but I got an email this morning
-
15:44 - 15:48from a young woman who's just left
university, just got her first job. -
15:48 - 15:52She was awarded six days a week,
she's been doing that for a year. -
15:52 - 15:54She's now just recently moved job.
-
15:56 - 16:02They've given her six hours a week,
not six hours a day. -
16:02 - 16:05She's had to quit her job.
-
16:11 - 16:14So, tools of a revolution.
-
16:17 - 16:22Nails: nails to nail
my feet down to the ground. -
16:23 - 16:26Gaffer: to tie me up
by the railings. -
16:27 - 16:32Onions: I mean,
I never could facilitate tears, -
16:32 - 16:37but I have been crying so much
about this whole debacle -
16:37 - 16:40around Access to Work
and my fight to keep Graeae -
16:40 - 16:45and other disabled companies,
like Candoco, fighting this battle. -
16:45 - 16:46I don't have any more tears.
-
16:48 - 16:50But I will put the rose in my mouth,
-
16:52 - 16:54I will be defiant.
-
16:54 - 16:58And Access to Work
will not fight this battle, -
16:58 - 17:04you will all join me in this revolution
to ensure that theatre does evolve -
17:04 - 17:09because theatre is crucial
for each and every one of us, -
17:09 - 17:13because it is about
our mental health and wellbeing, -
17:13 - 17:17it's about our emotions and intelligence.
-
17:17 - 17:20It's about articulating feelings.
-
17:20 - 17:24And if theatre is taken away from us,
from disabled people - -
17:25 - 17:28- it's not going to happen,
so don't worry - -
17:28 - 17:33but please do go on 'Stop the Changes'
it's a petition around Access to Work, -
17:33 - 17:38please make a noise, and please
join me in twittering and twattering, -
17:38 - 17:43and get that bloody awful programme
Undateables cut, gone forevermore. -
17:43 - 17:45And on that note,
-
17:45 - 17:49thank you very much
for listening to me burble, and join me. -
17:49 - 17:51(Applause)
- Title:
- Disability: casting a revolution | Jenny Sealey | TEDxWarwickSalon
- Description:
-
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
Jenny Sealey wants theatre to evolve and explains how crucial it is for each and every one of us, and how deaf and disabled actors are not just deaf and disabled people, but...exactly that: actors, and they should be given a chance and as well the recognition they truly deserve.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 17:58
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Denise RQ edited English subtitles for Disability: casting a revolution | Jenny Sealey | TEDxWarwickSalon | |
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Helene Batt edited English subtitles for Disability: casting a revolution | Jenny Sealey | TEDxWarwickSalon | |
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Denise RQ edited English subtitles for Disability: casting a revolution | Jenny Sealey | TEDxWarwickSalon | |
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Denise RQ edited English subtitles for Disability: casting a revolution | Jenny Sealey | TEDxWarwickSalon | |
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Denise RQ edited English subtitles for Disability: casting a revolution | Jenny Sealey | TEDxWarwickSalon | |
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Denise RQ edited English subtitles for Disability: casting a revolution | Jenny Sealey | TEDxWarwickSalon | |
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Denise RQ edited English subtitles for Disability: casting a revolution | Jenny Sealey | TEDxWarwickSalon | |
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Denise RQ edited English subtitles for Disability: casting a revolution | Jenny Sealey | TEDxWarwickSalon |