How a pub joke became a comedy show teaching Auslan for Ben Richardson | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | Wheat, Wine & Whiskey

What began as a tipsy joke in a pub has evolved into one of Ben Richardson’s most inventive performance yet. Drawing on his life as a CODA - a Child of Deaf Adult(s) - and his years as both a comic and Auslan interpreter, Richardson blends stand-up with hands-on language learning, inviting audiences to laugh while picking up the fundamentals of Auslan along the way. In this interview, he reflects on the accidental origins of the show, the influence of growing up between Deaf and hearing worlds, and why signing to a song could be the funniest way to learn.
 
"This came about from a drunken night out, as all good shows do," Richardson explains. "We were at a country pub and there was a live band playing the usual country pub songs. I drunkenly started singing them in sign language. My mates joined in after I showed them how to do the chorus. Then others on the dance floor jumped in and it became quite the scene. I realised hearing people enjoy doing these in Auslan and I also realised the only way people are ever going to want to hear me sing is if I do it quietly in sign language. Hence, Welcome to the Auslan Jungle was created."

Personal - review

Jodee Mundy is the only hearing person in her family. In Personal, she shares stories of her childhood and adulthood and opens up about the pressures she faced being a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA) and the frustrations of living in a society that failed to recognise the needs of Deaf people.

Mundy appears on stage with six large grey cubes scattered behind her, reminiscent of toys a child has not bothered to put away. She speaks to the audience verbally and through Auslan, sometimes using both, sometimes only using one of these languages. This means there are moments during the show where some people are unable understand what is being said but are still able to easily infer the information being imparted through her facial expressions and body language. In some ways, by separating us, Mundy shows that we are more alike than we think.

The Vagina Monologues - Melbourne Fringe Festival review

Written in 1996, Eve Ensler’s collection of monologues in The Vagina Monologues explored issues around sexual experiences, body image, reproduction and sex work. The groundbreaking work was an opportunity for women to reclaim the word ‘cunt’, and in 2017, Deafferent Theatre is bringing its production of the show to the stage as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Deafferent Theatre is a bilingual theatre company that seeks to create inclusive productions, and with The Vagina Monologues this includes telling the story through Auslan, surtitles and voice over translations (both live and pre-recorded), which allows for engaged interaction with the performances and the text. The cast act out several monologues, including 'Hair' and 'My Angry Vagina', and while the play is over 20 years old, there is still relevance to the themes being raised.

Livi Beasley, Ilana Charnelle Gelbart, Hilary Fisher-Stewart and Marnie Kerridge work very well together as an ensemble and deliver some strong performances, particularly from Kerridge who displays brilliant comedic timing and produces some vivid storytelling to the audience.

The set design has the women sitting around a table, enjoying some wine and strawberries with a shopping list written on a board behind them listing oranges, chocolate and tampons as items needed. This informal setting and the relaxed direction of the cast immediately creates a sense of familiarity and honesty, and makes you feel like you are sitting out there with these women.

Black Is The Colour - Melbourne Fringe Festival review

New theatre company Deafferent Theatre is just a little bit deafferent, in that they create new and engaging pieces of work for hearing and deaf audiences. For their first production, presented as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, they have chosen Daniel Keene's Black Is The Colour, which is performed entirely in Auslan.

The story revolves around two friends and their experiences with domestic violence. Catherine (Anna Seymour) is a victim of physical abuse from her husband, while her best friend Irene (Hilary Fisher) struggles to makes her understand the situation she is in. This production results in a unique exploration regarding loss of voice: in the text, the two characters have lost their voices and in reality, so too have the people of the Deaf community. There are some powerfully directed scenes by Jessica Moody where the characters express their rage and frustration by letting out a scream only to have the room remain empty with silence.

Black Is The Colour | Deafferrent Theatre | Melbourne Fringe Festival interview

Deafferrent Theatre is another emerging theatre company that is making their debut at the Melbourne Fringe Festival with Australian playwright Daniel Keene's Black Is The Colour. The difference here, and as the name might suggest, is that the performance is presented entirely in Auslan, and captioned in English. Deafferrent theatre aims to create theatre that is accessible to hearing and deaf audiences and to attract new audiences to the world of theatre.

Usually, there are enough nerves from just performing a show, let alone performing your inaugural show during one of Melbourne's biggest festivals. "It's simultaneously thrilling and completely nerve-wracking!" says Ilana Charnelle Gelbart, one half of the team at Deafferent Theatre. "Jess and I have been planning this company for nearly two years so it's very exciting to finally see our theatre 'baby' taking its first steps out in to the world!"