This week, Signature share with you more about Jenny Sealey, an individual who is passionate about the arts and inclusivity across this sphere. Throughout the blog, Jenny highlights her passion for theatre and touches on her recent show, Self-Raising.
- Hi Jenny, could you begin by introducing yourself to our Signature readers?
Hi, I am Jenny Sealey, a white middle-aged deaf woman who has the best job in the world as Artistic Director of Graeae Theatre.
- Can you tell us some more about your recent show, Self-Raising?
Self-Raising is an autobiographical play about growing up deaf in an all-hearing family. It is about family secrets and poses the question as to whether it is better or not, to keep things from children. I found out my family secret as a 50+ adult and now I wonder what my life would have been like had I known the circumstances surrounding my birth. There is no point having regrets as I know what I know now and what I am most thankful about is that I asked my mum the right question at the right time…i.e., before it was too late. This is a key thing I wanted the audience to take away- the importance of asking questions and being curious about family history and heritage.
- When did you realise that you had a passion for theatre and the arts?
I loved my ballet classes from the age of 6 and that passion for telling stories started then because we did so many productions over the years, telling stories through dance. I then went to Clarendon College and did theatre studies under the tutelage of the magnificent Marielaine Church who has the clearest lip pattern and a very loud commanding voice. She really inspired me to explore acting as well as dance and this is something I continued at Middlesex polytechnic on the BA Performing Arts course. This was, thank goodness a very practical course and we also did a lot of the work in small groups which made it overall more accessible. I did not go to any formal lectures as it was impossible. I got the reading list and spent endless hours in the library.
- You are often directing performances, why in this production did you want to take to the stage?
I was going to be directing an adaptation of a children’s book Flour Babies by Anne Fine. A class of boys are given flour bags to look after as if they are babies. The lead character Simon wants to know about his dad in the same way I wanted to know about my dad, so my own story started to worm its way in and suddenly it became about me and my family and less about Flour Babies. We do have bags of flour, but they have a different significance in my narrative.
- Have you faced any challenges as a deaf individual in this industry, if so, can you explain how you have personally overcome them?
Being the only deaf person in any given situation- family, school, socially or work is always difficult. You learn to nod as if you know what is being said as there is only so many times you can say pardon! Meeting deaf people and realising I needed to learn sign language was a huge turning point for me. This did not happen until I was in my early twenties and met my tribe at a Graeae audition! I have sign language interpreters at Graeae which has been life changing and I have no idea how I survived in the workplace without them in my earlier working years. Having interpreters gives deaf people the access to enter a space with absolute equality and enables us to be the best person in our job and not always feel as if we are behind not being able to keep up.
- An impressive fact about yourself is that you co-directed the London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony. How was this experience and can you expand on some of your favourite memories of this process.
Co-directing London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony with Bradley Hemmings was an extraordinary experience. Setting up the largest circus training initiative with National Theatre of Circus Arts for deaf and disabled people was just amazing and then seeing our 44 newly trained circus artists performing on the night was pure magic. Meeting Professor Hawking’s was exciting and terrifying as I did not understand Quantum Physics. Beverley Knight sharing the stage with the late Lizzie Emeh and Caroline Parker was a total joy and I loved Ian Mckellan demanding to be in the Equality Section where he sang Spasticus Autisticus with the actors and the volunteer cast.
- Here at Signature, we are incredibly excited for the prospect of a BSL GCSE qualification in upcoming years. Can you expand on some of your thoughts regarding this.
It is brilliant news that there will be a BSL GCSE. We need to be introducing it into schools at Primary level and early years in secondary school to ignite interest so that young people make informed choices and have knowledge of what it is and why it is important. It needs to run through the DNA of the school. I hope that there will be some training for deaf people to teach the GCSE module and that there is proper monitoring/quality control of the teaching and support for the deaf teachers. Some people think if you are a grass roots BSL user that you can therefore teach. We need to be taught how to teach.
- Finally, do you have any upcoming projects or general aspirations that you would like to share with our readers?
I am off to Bangladesh to do a final symposium launching the disability arts movement there which has been a 10-year process led by British Council Bangladesh and National Theatre of Dhaka. I am going to be casting for Shakespeare which will happen in the Northwest this year! Our young company continue to be radical in their desire to revolutionise the world and to make it accessible for the deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent people. My Desert Island Disc is being translated into BSL with deaf actors signing my chosen songs. Lots is happening!
Here at Signature, we would like to thank Jenny for sharing with us her passion for the arts. It was great to learn more about inspirations behind her recent show, Self-Raising. Additionally, learning about the intricate processes behind co-directing the Paralympics Opening Ceremony was fascinating and hopefully inspiring for many deaf and hearing individuals who are passionate about directing. We look forward to seeing what Jenny creates in the future.