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Over 40 deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people from all parts of the country flocked to the Bristol Old Vic on Saturday 17 April for the captioned performance of Juliet and Her Romeo featuring their deafened friend, actor Tim Barlow.
Keen to catch Tim in the role of Tybalt, members of the National Association of Deafened People (NADP) and Hearing Concern LINK contacted Bristol Old Vic in droves last November to ask whether the production could be captioned. They also got in touch with STAGETEXT who in turn set up a meeting with the theatre.
Audience members travelled from as far as Preston, Runcorn, Huddersfield, Leicester and Eastbourne to see the show. One deaf lady had planned to fly down from Scotland but was unable to make it as all flights were cancelled because of the volcano in Iceland.
The performance was a resounding success and a wonderful opportunity for NADP and Hearing Concern LINK members to meet up with friends. One lipreading teacher from Bristol who had taken some of her students said afterwards, “What a brilliant production. Just superb!” An NADP member commented: “This was my very first experience of STAGETEXT captioning. I thought it was brilliant, of course, with perfect text and good to have the music explained as well.”
Juliet and Her Romeo tells the story of a flourishing love affair in one generation, crushed by the financial and political concerns of another. The play, which has been adapted by Artistic Director Tom Morris and Minder producer Sean O'Connor, is set in the Verona plc care home and uses Shakespeare's text, but casts the lovers in their 80s, with their anxious children, not their parents, seeking to prevent an imprudent and costly match.
With Sian Phillips as Juliet and Michael Byrne as Romeo, the production included a generation of actors of global stature to play great Shakespearean roles which they never thought they'd play again. Alongside Tim Barlow were Terry Taplin and Michael Medwin playing Benvolio and Paris, and Dudley Sutton as Mercutio.
"Bristol Old Vic is excited to be hosting its first captioned performance using STAGETEXT for one of its own productions,” said Gary Hall, Theatre Manager. “With it being so popular we will host STAGETEXT performances in the future."
Article in the Bristol Evening Post.
Interview with Tom Morris, Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic.
IMAGE: Actor Tim Barlow, Juliet and Her Romeo
Article First Published: 20/04/2010
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