One of the UK’s leading theatrical sign-language interpreters, Wendy Ebsworth MBE returns to Lighthouse, her home town theatre, this Christmas to sign this year’s traditional family pantomime Sleeping Beauty.
There are two signed performances during the run in which Wendy will stand at the side of the stage and interpret the script as it is being performed – every line of dialogue, every joke, every song lyric, she relays it all.
It’s a big job and requires weeks of preparation.
“Panto scripts are fast moving, there’s a lot going on and you have to be very alert because there are so many ad libs and such a lot of singing – there’s definitely not time to sit there and plan your dinner!” she explains Wendy.
“I have the script and the score in advance so I can learn where the jokes are and prepare the songs. Then I sit in on rehearsals and get used to the different actors’ voices, although of course it all sounds very different when it’s on set and on stage.”
Awarded the MBE in 2001 for her work interpreting opera and theatre, Wendy has also interpreted on films including Four Weddings and a Funeral.
It is literally her life’s work. Having made it her vocation to work with deaf people at just ten years old, she completed her education and travelled all over the country to gain specific training for working with deaf people, becoming a social worker before an unplanned introduction to theatrical sign-language interpretation lead to a career rethink.
“I don’t know why at such a young age, but I just decided that I really wanted to work with deaf people and nothing was going to deflect me from that.
“In those days it seemed nobody wanted to work with deaf people, but I stuck with it. Then one day, out of the blue, I got a call from someone who said they’d heard I signed theatre productions. I was puzzled but went along with it and it turned out they wanted me to sign a production of Ibsen – not exactly the ideal first show to do.”
Before long Wendy found herself working on operas and now, some 34 years later, she has a good working knowledge of the main repertoire.
“I need some time to refresh my knowledge, but in the beginning it would take me a year to prepare for a production, particularly if it was sung in its original language.”
It’s not always plain sailing though…
“I was working on a production of Rigoletto not so long ago and was fully prepared for the English translation, but when the tenor opened his mouth and started to sing, he was singing in Italian!
“There’s not much you can do in that situation, but carry on and knowing the production well was vital. Luckily the tenor realised and seamlessly slipped into the English translation.”
Fortunately she can be sure that whatever else happens in Sleeping Beauty this year, the actors will all be speaking English. However, there’s plenty of room for jeopardy and no matter how careful her preparation, Wendy can never be completely certain what will happen next – it’s panto after all!
“There’s no room for delay, you have to keep up with the script, otherwise the jokes don’t work, and there might be times when you have to reflect the meaning rather than relay exactly what is being said. Lists of names can be a problem because to finger spell every name on the list would be prohibitively complicated to sign and to read, and not all the script will translate so there might be moments when I have to explain that it’s a hearing joke, but it’s great fun to do.”
:: Sleeping Beauty opens on Thursday 12 December and runs until Sunday 5 January. Tickets are on sale now at https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/sleeping-beauty/ or call 01202 280000. BSL and captioned performances on Sat 14 Dec and Mon 30 Dec. Audio described on Sun 15 Dec and Fri 3 Jan.
(NC)