[meeuw] is a show presented in a foreign language. For the first time, a repertory play – Chekhov’s The Seagull (‘De Meeuw’ in Dutch) – has been translated into Flemish Sign Language (FSL) and is being performed by a mixed cast of deaf and hearing players for an audience of both deaf and hearing viewers. The performance has surtitles.

The cast consists of three deaf and five hearing players: Yousra Boukantar, Sofie Decleir, Tom Dewispelaere, Lobke Leirens, Lut Reysen, Willy Thomas, Serge Vlerick and Yana Wuytens. [meeuw] strives to be an encounter with the Flemish deaf community and an egalitarian collaboration of artists from different backgrounds. The form taken by this production will hopefully reveal something about the (im)possibility of communication between loved ones, between generations. How to see? How to listen? What is understanding/misunderstanding?

The Seagull is ‘a comedy in four acts’ about the love woes, intrigues and worries of a colourful group of characters from different generations that come into play during a family reunion. Despite all the misunderstandings, they actually all want the same thing: love, contact and respect. But because of their inability to communicate with each other, catastrophe is inevitable.

In [meeuw] by Olympique Dramatique, the medium of communication between the characters/actors is Flemish Sign Language. To make this possible, Toneelhuis worked closely with the University of Leuven, Faculty of Arts in Antwerp, and in particular the Flemish Sign Language Group of the Applied Linguistics Programme. The school was closely involved in different aspects of the creative process, ranging from discussions about the translation of the script into Flemish Sign Language to the selection of suitable translators, interpreters and work-study students, as well as support during the translation process and language coaching for the hearing actors. The hearing actors also took classes in Flemish Sign Language: language proficiency, linguistics and introduction to deaf culture.

[meeuw] targets an audience of both hearing and deaf people. This time, deaf viewers will have an advantage over those with hearing, who must or can rely on the surtitles. Each viewer will thus witness the attempts at communication between the characters in their own way and from their own linguistic background. The brackets around the title refer to ‘closed captions’, an optional type of subtitling that in addition to reproducing the spoken words also gives extra information about sounds and music. In this adaptation of The Seagull, the brackets are not optional, but a reminder: there are people who look in a different way.

FSL in Toneelhuis

In preparation for the opening night of [meeuw], Serge Vlerick, actor and teacher of FSL, is initiating the Toneelhuis staff in sign language. The entire house is taking a crash course on how to welcome a deaf audience and the deaf participants in [meeuw] in a proper manner.

In collaboration with the Flemish Sign language Centre and Deaf Flanders, Toneelhuis is also organizing a master class in Flemish Sign Language for the public.

Throughout the entire season, Toneelhuis will be putting extra effort into accessibility: for every show on the programme, a FSL interpreter will be present on one evening. Invitations and descriptive articles about the shows will be translated into FSL, and when a show with FSL is playing in the Bourla, a FSL interpreter will also be at the ticket desk to welcome you and answer any questions you may have.

You can read more about the broad approach that Toneelhuis takes to accessibility here.

The production of [meeuw] has been realized in collaboration with Silence Radio, Deaf Flanders, Deaf & Events, Flemish Sign Language Centre (VGTC), the University of Leuven, Faculty of Arts – Antwerp, and the Flemish Sign Language Group of the Applied Linguistics Programme.

This project has been made possible thanks to the financial support of the National Lottery and its players, the University of Leuven, the King Baudouin Foundation, Flanders Literature, the Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government and LOOK@LEO