"We feel Emily isn't quite the right fit for the role, as she is deaf, but we like what she did with the character. We have decided to make the character deaf and we'd like Emily to come in for one day and teach the girl we have cast how to act deaf."
what’s the worst professional rejection you’ve ever gotten? I was dropped as a client by my first manager who ended the call with “I remain a fan.” Turns out that is not fan behavior!
Matt Hancock proving once again that, while contracting Covid-19 can ruin or end your career, testing positive for being an absolute fucknugget every day you exist causes you zero harm under Tory rule.
Yesterday I was informed I'm too old to play opposite a 54yr old man & today I've been told I can't work in film at "anything but lowest level" because I'm deaf EVEN THOUGH they also said I don't "look or sound deaf" and please hold the line, caller, while I scream into the void.
Out with George and a little girl with a cochlear implant came over to say hi. I signed, "Oh I have one too!" And her mum said, "We got it so we don't have to sign" and, well, I'm sad. So is George.
If you are in an abusive environment or relationship, please don't lose hope because of this sensationalised trial and its outcome.
Start working at your escape plan. Keep working at it. There are people who can and will help you, outside of the justice system.
1/
Theatre
Related
Public
Service
Announcement:
If you hire a BSL or access consultant and then ignore everything they tell you, YOU LOSE THE RIGHT TO USE THEIR NAME AS 'PROOF' YOU 'DID IT PROPERLY'.
And you are also a bit of a dick.
Message ends.
Hi! 🖐
Please don't cast non-disabled actors in disabled roles until you're also regularly casting disabled actors in non-disabled roles.
We don't really want to gatekeep all the disabled roles, we just want equity.
Thank you! ♥
You know what, kids? For every 1 job I get because I'm deaf there's at least 500 that I don't get because I'm deaf and let's not fucking pretend that's favourable odds.
As much as I love the universal positivity and inspiration, there's a dark little part of me that waits to see a theatre maker tweet, "Actually I'm working with a bunch of arseholes, the coffee is foul, the script is terrible, and I'm going to hide in the toilets til tech week."
Came out of hairdressers, and a random guy felt it appropriate to ask "Is that really an essential trip out?"
First 60mins I've had of my own since lockdown.
I'd like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to hairdressers and a HUGE FUCK YOU to people who think mental health isn't important.
You've heard of Elf On A Shelf but have you heard of giving deaf roles to deaf actors and autistic roles to autistic actors and black roles to black actors and *fades into the void*
If you want to serve deaf audiences, use BSL in your art.
If you want to use BSL in your art, hire BSL fluent deaf actors.
If you want to support deaf actors, ask how to make your space welcoming, then do it.
Thank you
@DerbyTheatre
for our new BSL/lipreading-friendly lights.
Your girl hardly ever gets to see theatre she hasn't been involved in because
#access
, so may die of excitement at seeing her favourite
@neilhimself
story onstage WITH CAPTIONS 💙 🌊 ❤️
Theatre.
I've worked in theatre for... lots of years.
I have NEVER seen so much theatre in my life as I have these past few weeks.
Because suddenly it's all accessible.
It was EASY to make it more accessible once EVERYBODY needed it to be more accessible.
Remember that.
@bronactitley
@josierones
May I add: "Your man" means literally anyone but specifically someone, and almost certainly not your actual man, if you think you have such a thing.
E.g. "Your man over there wants his wallet back."
PLEASE can we NOT fetishise being deaf, with loads of hearing people on telly and radio talking about how great it is to be deaf because THAT'S NOT NEW and it SUCKS and, more importantly, WE CAN SPEAK FOR OURSELVES ABOUT HOW GREAT WE ARE.
Thank you.
If you share a link to the Mail On Sunday article to express how shit it is, the Mail On Sunday will make money from every click.
If you share a link to my article, it's much nicer, not racist/sexist/Tory-loving hogwash, I make £0 and you can see my huge face.
Ppl all losing their mind over a video of kid getting aids/implants AGAIN? Nah, c'mon, let me take you by the hand & repeat after me:
"This child is still deaf. And that's ok."
Stop this fuckery. Hearing aids/cochlear implants are tools to help us fit in your world. Not cures.
I'm in London with my usual eyes and someone said "Your eyes look very gay" and I said "thank you!" and they said "oh it was a warning" and now I am sad for London and for my queer eyes and everyone's queer eyes.
Exciting news; finally allowed to tell you that I'll be playing Beatrice in this wonderful new version of Much Ado ❤ 💔❤💔❤ and I literally cannot WAIT to get started. Just look at the amazing team 👀
Join the celebration! 🎉💔🥂
UK premiere of Much Ado About Nothing by Ranjit Bolt at
@Century_Theatre
this May.
Audio description, BSL, captions.
Tickets - pay what you can.
Full details at ….
Supported by
@ACE_Midlands
and
@PlayOnShakes
.
You have to be in the room to change things.
And if you're in the room, you have a responsibility to those who aren't.
Representation matters. Speaking up matters. You can't change it all in one day, or one job. Maybe not even in one lifetime.
But you can, and should, try.
In the pub with 2 male friends and a man from the group at next table decided to talk to us.
Didn't ask him to but we're social beasties so, ok.
Til I reference being deaf and he loses his shit over my "false advertising" because I "look normal".
Genuine WTF moment, kids.
Excited for my hot date tonight!
Except they wanted to go to the cinema so I actually mean;
"Excited for my hot date this AFTERNOON because thats the only time there's any captioned films because deaf people are basically children, and don't ever work or have sexy nights out".
If anyone was still wondering whether
@PIPAinfo
is important...
YES.
MORE. THAN. EVER.
I am looking for a new agent as my current (wonderful, supportive, took me on knowing my Extreme Family Situation) agent is leaving the biz.
I'm not exactly an unknown face.
And yet...
@TheStage
Hi, please can you remove the paywall from this? Not trying to be a dick - I know there's the thing about accessing 3 articles a month, but something like this really needs to be accessible to everyone if the aim is to see real change. If not, what *is* the point of it?
You lot are AMAZING. I actually can't find the bottom of my mentions (Insert unmentionable bottom joke), but here's a couple of notes;
A) Yes it happened
B) About 10 years ago (but have we really moved on at all, hmm
@Sia
?)
C) The love from you all has blown my tiny mind! ❤
Please can someone write a script for me that involves a deaf person going fucking wild on a train due to inaccessible announcements?
And/or a killing spree in a hotel due to fire safety protocols that involve random managers letting themselves into your room.
THANKS IN ADVANCE
As a deaf director, I essentially have 3 (BSL inclusive) shows live this Christmas;
Studio/kids: The Snow Dragon
Main house: Treasure Island
Digital stream: The Offerings
and NOBODY seems to find it worthy of note and I LOVE THAT SO MUCH.
Please continue to normalise this!
The next deaf person you see on television, or watch at the theatre, or meet in real life, will *not* be like any deaf person you've known of before.
Don't expect them to be.
Don't ask them to be.
Thank you for coming to my latest "Don't Be A Dick" talk.
BSL CONSULATANCY.
I'm seeing so much more work now (especially in theatre) that includes the work of a BSL Consultant.
HURRAH, FINALLY, EXCELLENT, etc.
My question is; can we start differentiating between them yet? 🤔
I hope so!
Why? Well...
1/
Today my friend (who is *stunning*) got told she'd be beautiful if she wasn't blind and this, hot on the heels of another person who said I deserve to be single forever for being deaf, means I'd like to reiterate;
I'm SO tired of this shit 💔
Enough! I can't stand it anymore! Privileged white men spoil Twitter, the UK, THE ENTIRE WORLD with their inability to contemplate anything slightly different to their own hermetically sealed experience of life.
On behalf of the English population, and all its diversity, shush.
Enough! I can’t stand it anymore! Alex Scott spoils a good presentational job on the BBC Olympics Team with her very noticeable inability to pronounce her ‘g’s at the end of a word.Competitors are NOT taking part, Alex, in the fencin, rowin, boxin, kayakin, weightliftin & swimmin
Deaf & disabled people exist in real life and
A) Get up to 'mad shit' EVERY DAY
B) Are fantastic
C) Use better, less-offensive terms than 'mad shit'
D) Are fantastic
E) Like seeing themselves represented on telly and not just cos, goddamn, we're hot
F) Are fantastic
G) See A-F
ONE MORE TIME FOR THOSE AT THE BACK;
1) Don't presume what disabled people can and can't do. This is, as best, Saviour Complex. At worst, being a massive douche.
2) If your environment is too difficult for disabled people to work in, change your environment.
3) LISTEN TO US.
My one problem with Janet; now I've played HER, I can't be anyone else in the
#InsideNo9
world.
Absolutely loving this series. Love's Great Adventure just (very gently) knocked my socks off. Amazing skills in this team.
Lucky to have been part of it but also; DAMMIT JANET.
Oh, someone has sent me a DM saying there's apps that will make my profile picture better - specifically, my arms less manly and my face less fat.
That is kind.
Sadly, I can give no fucks.
I ate them all.
They're really heavy, hence arms.
And really calorific, hence face.
Earlier, George dragged me across a shopping centre (NEVER does this while working) and stood in front of a small child who then threw herself on him, for about 10min. Her dad said she sometimes struggles with crowds and had been about to panic. She hugged a George instead.
The world feels a little ugly. But it isn't Let's remind ourselves about some beautiful things. I'll go first - partly because I am a mouthy little shit, but mostly because I'd really like to hear yours too.
@CliveDavisUK
Hi Clive, I would love to know your reason for posting this, because I'd assume it's in the spirit of sharing a positive step forward in theatre, but some people seem to think it's more about disdain or mockery. Obviously you don't have to explain, I'm just curious.
I don't mind hearing people doing fun sign songs. Music is for everyone, and so is sign. Knock yourselves out.
Profiteering from nonsense 'sign songs', chasing celebrity support and exposure, while culturally deaf artists are sidelined? Well, now, that's different. Get to fuck.
Have we reached the point where we can stop using the divisive D/deaf and d/Deaf?
As far as I'm aware, it was actually a hearing-led development - rather like changing the sign for 'holiday' to make it look less offensive - and deaf people are actually happy just to be deaf...
My CI means I can walk though here and hear something.
I can't tell if it's birds singing, leaves rustling, kids shouting or an axe murderer murdering.
I love my CI. But they're tools, not cures.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
Um.
Are hearing people ok?
It's not even lunchtime and I've already had 3 of them "disappointed" to learn I'm "actually deaf".
Do they need more fibre in the diet? What's going on with them?
It's ok to sometimes give yourself massive credit just for making it through the day. Do it. Do it, and don't feel guilty. You did it. Fucking revel in it.
Sexual orientation is who you go to bed with.
Gender identity is who you go to bed as.
Neither of these things have any universal effect on your moral compass, ideology or social behaviour.
Neither of these things require the commentary or opinions of strangers.
You are 🔥
Hi BSL Twitter.
Can a deaf person refuse to work with a specific interpreter/s?
Yes.
Do they need to give a reason?
I don't believe they do.
What should they do if an employer has booked an interpreter they don't wish to work with, but they also don't want to lose the job?
Waiting on Sue Gray to confirm whether or not I am deaf. I have been deaf for many years, and do not hear, but does that mean I am still deaf? Until we see the results of her inquiry, I just cannot be sure.
Everybody (nobody) always (never) asks, "Emily! How DID you become a WONDERFUL and FABULOUS yet MODEST director? TELL US YOUR SECRET!"
And it is this:
10% skill
20% great fringe game
70% dog who could not care less about me and my arts wankery, but loves everyone else
So my wonderful new agent
@mcleanwilliams
(yesssss) introduced me to the ridiculously talented
@HeadshotScott
who is just 🔥, cannot thank these gorgeous humans enough and also I probably need a haircut.
There are Hearing Dogs and then there are Actor's Hearing Dogs... This morning George went around the Meet & Greet circle by himself to say hello to everyone individually, and then, job done, went to sit on his bed. Ridiculous. Utter buffoonery.
“I’ve concluded that in travelling to find the right kind of childcare... I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent”
PM Boris Johnson says Dominic Cummings acted “responsibly, legally and with integrity”
Latest:
Today started badly and I'm struggling to get it back in order, mentally and emotionally, and although I know it will improve (it always does), I just wanted to acknowledge it, in case anyone else is feeling the same.
But: It ALWAYS gets better. Much love to you all ❤🧡💛💚💙💜
Being different to the norm means regularly finding yourself in a position where you've got to choose whether to educate people or tolerate their ignorance.
Does anyone else just sometimes get too tired to care anymore, while also caring so much it hurts? It's so weird.
As there seems to be a lot of talk around Robert Webb, and THAT Mermaids discussion (
@Mermaids_Gender
), I'd like to remind you that
@k8_lister
composed a fabulous, fact-based thread at the time, and it remains... fact based.
I’ve been watching the intense debate surrounding
@Mermaids_Gender
unfold in recent days - including the publication of Janice Turner’s article on the training Mermaids offer - based on a training session that was recorded in January 2018.
When we can do it, I'm setting up a hug cafe and you can literally just come and get the hugs. Save it up and keep going and know that one day you can GET THE HUGS.
Or a hand squeeze if hugs aren't your thing.
Keep going.
We continue.
Reminder:
d/Deaf is divisive and the community have moved away from it.
If you are a mainstream company and still using this labelling in your material, you are alienating the people you claim to be including.
And if I've told you several times and you're still doing it...
It feels relentless, but it isn't.
It feels endless, but it isn't.
It feels like you've been forgotten, but you haven't.
You are loved. Keep loving yourself.
Keep talking. Keep breathing.
We continue.
❤🧡💛💚💙💜
He is home ❤
Awaiting blood test results, and many medicines and special things to eat in the meantime.
God tier dickheadery today from the nation's number one numbskull. V happy to be home to tell him so myself.
Last night, I went on stage like this. Which was fun.
This morning, my kids let me lie in. Which was fun.
Then I realised the reason was because they'd found the makeup that made this look, and decorated the house with it.
Slightly less fun... 😂 ♥ 🌈
Hoping and wishing that the current mood of "Deaf Artists And Sign Language Are EXCELLENT And We Should See More Of Them On Screen And Stage" continues forever and doesn't fade away**
🔥❤🔥
**HELLO writers, directors and everyone else, this is your moment too, we're ready 🖐
Sometimes we need external reminders to do a little self care so today I grant you permission to give zero shits about:
~ Billionaire man babies
~ Festering wizard authors
~ The absolute state of the 'government'
Just for today. Zero shits. Zero opinion. Eat cake, switch off ❤
Eid?
"No. Illegal gathering."
Diwali?
"No. Illegal gathering."
Christmas?
"Knock yourselves out. Have 50 people in your house. Get yourself in debt buying shite to throw away in January. Eat everything in sight. Spend. SPEND. I mean, *cough*, religion is important."
As a child, my parents said Sundays were special because we could get ourselves up, eat whatever we liked for breakfast and watch whatever we wanted on telly til they woke up. This was marketed as an amazing treat, and we believed it.
As a parent, I say to them; "Well played."
Gonna ban actors saying "Oh it's only a small part" or "It's only a little show".
The VAST majority of people in this world will never perform on a stage or in front of a camera.
You are privileged and talented and part of something huge - telling stories.
Own it. Enjoy it. 🔥
Guys, I'm having *such* a shit time today and properly just burst into tears halfway down the stairs and this best boy has just sat there the whole time like this, nudging me every so often, colour me dead, I love him ❤️
Always know when a new series of Inside No. 9 airs because people start watching the back catalogue and for some ungodly reason decide Janet would like to see their penis in her DMs**
**SPOILER: no she wouldn't, and I'm not *really* her anyway...