Hull Truck's integrated festive production of A Christmas Carol

Such a revolution has been happening at Leeds Playhouse in the last few years and the results of that revolution arrive in Hull this Christmas.

Led by Amy Leach, the revolution has seen deaf and disabled actors slowly taking centre stage in productions throughout the Leeds Playhouse’s seasons. In 2020 Leach directed a defining production of Oliver Twist for Ramps on the Moon, an initiative that aims to centre deaf and disabled actors. The production clearly had a profound effect on Leach, the Playhouse’s deputy artistic director, who as a result of the show learnt sign language and has continued to use integrated casts regularly.

Someone else clearly affected by the mission to make their work as accessible as possible is Sameena Hussain, associate director at Leeds Playhouse and the woman at the helm of this year’s Christmas offering from Hull Truck Theatre.

Championing the inclusion of deaf actors within the cast, Hussain has embedded British Sign Language (BSL) into the production.

“We may not be conscious or aware of them, but we all have access needs. That was one of the early markers in this rehearsal process where I invited everyone to share their access needs,” says Hussain.

“It has been brilliant having a real range of people within the company. We’ve got people who are profoundly deaf, we’ve got people who are hard of hearing, we’ve got people who’ve never met a deaf person before; it’s about asking ‘how do we hold the space for everyone?’. My job has been to find ways for us to have an equitable way of communicating.”Presumably by now, we’ve all got the message that increasing access in one area doesn’t decrease it in another, but if there were any doubters who did believe that, the story of A Christmas Carol is surely the perfect vessel to prove them wrong. The story of misanthrope Ebeneezer Scrooge, who undergoes a Christmas Eve journey to his epiphany that embracing humanity with love is his only path to salvation could not be more full of hope for this time of year.

“The story invites us to share the joy and family connection of Christmas, landing a lot of truths, but what I love about the story is how it invites us to question our complicit involvement in the oppression of people in our society. The fact that we have food banks is an issue, and that people who are working 9 to 5 are still having to go to food banks is an issue. Bob Cratchit works 9 to 5 and his family must scrimp and save – that is our reality. The reason Tiny Tim is ill is because his family is living in poverty. I love that this piece opens the conversation, inviting people to think about the changes we can make to the environment we live in to allow everyone to have the opportunity to grow,” says Hussain.

“I think this version of the story is bold and brave. Even though it’s a Christmas show and it’s for families and is all about fun and joy, the story is not afraid to lean into truth and sometimes the truth isn’t shiny and bright. Deaf people, people of colour, disabled people and people from the LGBTQ community have always been part of our society, but the unfortunate fact is that we’ve been pushed to the margins. I love that there’s honesty about that at the heart of this production.”

Playing the role of Bob Cratchit in the production is Adam Bassett, a Hull-born actor who is profoundly deaf. He is delighted to be working on his home town stage.

“This is the first time Hull Truck has contracted a BSL Deaf actor into one of its productions. For many people who go to the theatre, this will be the first time they experience a Deaf actor working alongside a hearing cast, embedding BSL into their performance. It gives an amazing opportunity to see a deaf person performing in mainstream theatre, hopefully providing an excellent role model to future generations and proving that anything is possible.

“When I was growing up, I watched a lot of silent films and slapstick comedy, for example Charlie Chaplin. Watching an actor perform with no speech made me think that this was something that I could do. The opportunities for deaf actors are growing and it is important for deaf children to see these role models.”

The revolution continues.

A Christmas Carol, Hull Truck Theatre until December 31. hulltruck.co.uk