This is a BSL review of A Sunny Disposition, written and directed by Nicola Reynolds, performed  at The Other Room, Cardiff. A written transcription is available below the video.

Hello, my name is Heather Patterson and this is Gareth Freeman.

We recently went to see a performance in Porters which had a small theatre inside a pub! Gareth felt the pub had a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere. The BSL interpreter was on hand to give information before the performance started.

We watched a performance called ‘A Sunny Disposition’ which was performed by a single actor throughout for approximately an hour. The story was about the effects of alcoholism and it’s knock on effects on others.

Heather asked Gareth how he felt watching the performance and he said that the story hit home as he has personal experiences of this in the family. Gareth felt that the story was realistic and he could connect with it. Heather mentioned the impact, the memories and how it can affect you as a person.

Heather asked Gareth how he managed to watch the performance using a BSL interpreter? It was generally felt by Gareth that the story was not lost in translation, he possibly missed the understanding of some signs used due to the regional dialects used in BSL but this did not affect the overall enjoyment. The venue was perfect for this type of performance as you are so close to the acting to be able to read all the emotions in the actors face and body language.

In the Q&A session Gareth wanted to asked questions but felt he did not have the confidence to do so. He wanted to say how much this performance related to his own experiences. The Q&A session was interesting and we both enjoyed that part.

We felt that that the story was realistic, emotional and understood the issues that it had a powerful impact on us. We both agreed having addiction issues were not easy for the person and others living with it.

Heather asked Gareth if this performance should be seen by more deaf people and he felt that everyone was different but encourages them to see it. Gareth will definitely be going to see more performances in Porters as it gives him an avenue to relate to his feelings/personal issues through theatre. Having theatre in BSL enables Gareth to have a social life, to enjoy watching things on an equal par to others (those who can hear) and generally feel less isolated.

We were most impressed that the writer wrote the story based on her own personal experiences, this helped us to really absorb the story and the performance. We will certainly look forward to another story by the same writer.

Thank you for watching us.