Deaf creatives and young people have called on Scottish Government and Creative Scotland to guarantee a fair deal for Deaf Arts.
The third annual Edinburgh Deaf Festival (9-18 August), which runs in tandem with the Fringe, is currently in full swing but organisers fear for its future without proper support.
In an open letter Scottish Culture Secretary, Angus Robertson, recently pledged more funding for Scotland’s festivals and a strategic partnership with Creative Scotland and Event Scotland. He described our arts festivals as “a jewel in the cultural sector and national life”.
Since then, however, there have been warnings of widespread cuts to arts funding.
Philip Gerrard, CEO of Deaf Action which runs the Edinburgh Deaf Festival, said: “We welcome the latest warm words from the Scottish Government, but what we need is prompt action.
“This festival has been a huge success but we only just managed to survive this year due to the funding challenges, and 2025 looks bleak. Festivals take a long time to organise, and that cannot be done without financial security.
“We previously took the Scottish Government at its word when its British Sign Language National Plan pledged to work with Creative Scotland to support and encourage deaf arts. The results have been failure, disappointment, bundles of red tape.
“This is a unique festival which has been built and developed by the deaf community for deaf and hearing audiences. It is lively, vibrant and fun – providing a showcase for deaf talent, providing access to deaf culture and supporting and encouraging deaf young people.
“All we want is a fair deal so we can ensure that this festival has a sustainable future and can make its contribution to Scotland as a nation of fabulous festivals.”
Creative Scotland has repeatedly rejected three-year funding bids by Edinburgh Deaf Festival, despite recommendations from its own staff.
Deaf Action is also concerned that, unlike the Arts Council of England, Creative Scotland does little to ensure deaf people are represented in its decision and policy making, or even that staff have deaf awareness training.
This year’s festival, slimmed down due to the shortage of funds, has nonetheless presented its first-ever specially commissioned play.
The Ghost of Alexander Blackwood, which celebrates the lives of Edinburgh’s early deaf rights pioneers, is the work of an all-deaf team and has been popular with audiences.
This has helped deliver one of the festival’s key goals, to provide opportunities for Scotland’s highly talented deaf creatives.
The programme also features:
- Gavin Lilley: The renowned deaf comedian brings us his stories about life as a sign language user, traveller, and a weary father of three. Gavin performs across the UK and Europe and has performed alongside John Bishop. A unique perspective on our diverse cultures.
- Listen to the Forest: Do forests carry a message which needs to be shared? This is the place to ask these questions and listen to the voice of the forest. Take a journey that melds movement improvisation, music, creative writing and BSL. A dance performance created from a workshop on the same day.
- John Smith: Drawing on personal experience and real-life observations, John offers an amusing insight into what it’s like as a deaf person navigating a hearing world.
- Life is a (Deaf) Cabaret: Join us for fresh and exciting cabaret, as emerging performers take to the stage to showcase their talents. Featuring dance, sign songs, comedy, drama, and monologues, performances will be a mix of English and BSL.
- There Is No Me Without You: Two sisters navigating life’s challenges, growing apart and rediscovering the true meaning of family. A short theatre performance followed by Q&A.
The festival has a programme of tours, workshops, family and children’s activities all suitable for BSL users.
These include tours at the National Galleries of Scotland, the Botanics, Edinburgh Castle and National Museums Scotland.
Workshops allow participants to discover more about everything from photography to deaf history. There are children and young people’s workshops on art, interactive storytelling, TV production and more.
Then there are also a variety of other productions which are holding accessible performances including Lubna Kerr’s new play Chatterbox, which is part of the Fringe and the Edinburgh International Festival’s Hamlet.
A ’Interpreter on demand’ service allows deaf people to arrange an interpreter or captioner for Fringe shows that are not accessible.
- For more about the funding issues see the Deaf Action website here.
-Ends-
Notes for editors
- See the Edinburgh Deaf Festival website at https://edinburghdeaffestival.co.uk.
- Tickets available through the Fringe box office at https://www.edfringe.com.
Festival supporters and sponsors: We would like to thank our supporters and sponsors including Sign Live, ASLI (the Association of Sign Language Interpreters), Creative Scotland, The Heritage Lottery Fund, Baillie Gifford, Asmaan Accessible Tours, Heriot Watt University and Arts Council England.
About Deaf Action
- Deaf Action is a deaf led charity based in Edinburgh, supporting people in Scotland and the South of England – see https://www.deafaction.org
- Founded in 1835 it is the world’s oldest deaf charity and the first formally constituted deaf organisation.
- It exists to support the diversity of deaf people, including deaf users of British Sign Language (BSL), and those who are deafened, deafblind or hard of hearing.
- Deaf Action’s work is geared towards empowering all deaf people to achieve their potential and fully participate in society, with equality of rights, access and opportunity.
- Almost half of the staff are deaf, and many more have grown up with deaf parents or siblings. Deaf Action truly understand the challenges deaf people face, and believes that its collective experience allows it to honestly position itself as having the expertise to unlock deaf people’s potential.
Social media: www.instagram.com/edindeaffestival/ www.twitter.com/EdinDeafFest/ www.facebook.com/EdinDeafFestival/
Sign Live: Sign Live is a deaf-owned and dead-led organisation that offers interpreters on demand through a mobile and desktop app. They translate emails, letters, phone calls and meetings. It is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and offers an online solution to the needs of BSL users and businesses that want to make their communication more accessible. They Edinburgh Deaf Festival’s headline sponsor.
About Creative Scotland: Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We enable people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery. For further information about Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland.
For media information contact Matthew Shelley at SFPR on 07786 704299 or at [email protected].