In late January and early February, Equal Voices Arts company will tour the North Island (with two dates at TAPAC, Western Springs) with their acclaimed bilingual collection of stories for Deaf and hearing audiences – At the End of My Hands.
At the End of My Hands is directed by Dr Laura Haughey, a British practitioner who has relocated to New Zealand to teach Theatre Studies at the University of Waikato. Dr Haughey has a background in inclusive theatre and has worked for many years in Deaf-led professional theatre in the UK and in Europe.
“Beginning a devising process which crosses cultures and languages needs to find a starting point where we can move from, so we started by telling stories. Stories about communication, culture, making friends, Deaf culture and the oppression of Sign Languages. These were all explored and told without words and signs at first – just using our bodies. Signs and words followed, as did visual vernacular, gestural storytelling and universal modes of expression,” says Dr Haughey.
At the End of My Hands has already had short seasons in Hamilton and Auckland, and thanks to support from the NZSL Fund, the production will be returning to both cities, as well as presenting in Wellington for the first time. Each performance will be followed by a NZSL interpreted Q&A forum between the creators of the piece and the audience.
Performer Alex Lodge says the Q&A forum is her favourite part of each performance as it “allows the audience to become part of the performed conversation between two cultures, in a supportive setting.”
The stories relayed in the performance range from comical failed seductions to sobering classroom oppression. Dr Haughey notes that “the Deaf audience get a slightly different narrative to the hearing audience, and this is deliberate.”
“Most of the Deaf audience know these stories; they know what oppression has done to the development of the languages and cultures in Deaf communities worldwide. For most of our hearing audiences, these stories are new and shocking. Watching alongside a Deaf audience also changes their perceptions hugely,” she says.
Special thanks are given to the NZSL Fund, the University of Waikato and Edge Hill University. For more information about the tour visit www.equalvoices.co.uk .
Auckland Show Dates:
5-6 February – At the End of My Hands performances. Show starts 7.30pm, interpreted Q&A to follow at 8.30pm
The Auckland Performing Arts Centre (TAPAC), 100 Motions Road, Western Springs. For tickets, book online at www.tapac.org.nz