“The Singer” brings deaf experience to the stage at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre

“The Singer” is a 20-minute gig-theatre piece staged by Dundee Rep and Solar Bear at the Traverse Theatre. It follows Joe (played by Jamie Rea), a BSL-fluent singer-signer who experiences music through vibration, and Andy (played by Dylan Wood), a street busker who discovers Joe and invites him home. Using a Subpac vibration device and a towering speaker stack, Joe “feels” the bass while teaching Andy—and the audience—to sign the chorus of the KT Tunstall song “Find My Feet.” The show blends live music, sign language and spoken word, with musical direction by Michael John McCarthy and a set designed by Jenny Booth to keep written, spoken and signed languages visible throughout.

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• Jamie Rea – actor portraying Joe, a deaf BSL speaker.

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• Dylan Wood – actor portraying Andy, a busker-songwriter.

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• KT Tunstall – songwriter of “Find My Feet,” providing the indie-folk-rock score.

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• Michael John McCarthy – musical director.

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• Jenny Booth – set designer ensuring multilingual accessibility.

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• Hannah Jarrett-Scott and Peter Dobre – performers as Andy’s grandparents, adding comedic commentary.

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• Cora Bissett – writer and director of the accompanying 20-minute film and co-writer of the stage story.

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The production deliberately foregrounds d/Deaf culture. All dialogue and lyrics are simultaneously presented in spoken English, written text and British Sign Language, allowing audience members of any hearing ability to follow the narrative. By having Joe use a Subpac to “feel” the music, the show illustrates an alternative sensory experience of sound, challenging the assumption that hearing is required to appreciate music.

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“The Singer” uses a light-hearted storyline to raise awareness of the marginalisation of d/Deaf people in the music industry and the lower status often accorded to BSL culture. Its accessible design demonstrates how theatre can be inclusive without sacrificing artistic quality, offering a model for future productions seeking to integrate sign language and tactile sound technologies.

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The reviewer praises the seamless integration of sign language and music, suggesting the show succeeds both as entertainment and as a statement on cultural inclusion.

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