Makaton signed performance of Hamlet will be first at His Majesty’s Theatre

A powerful and contemporary production of Hamlet will mark a His Majesty’s Theatre first this November as the Aberdeen theatre introduces a Makaton signed performance for the first time.

Teatro La Plaza’s Hamlet will visit His Majesty’s from Thursday, November 6 to Saturday, November 8 as the only Scottish venue on a three date UK tour. The Saturday matinee performance will be supported with Makaton signs, led by Makaton Consultant Sam Stephen, an Ambassador Tutor with The Makaton Charity and owner of the UK’s first MakaTots, based in Aberdeen City & Shire.

This unique production reimagines Shakespeare’s tragedy led by a cast of actors with Down syndrome. Told with playfulness, humour and fighting spirit, Chela De Ferrari‘s critically acclaimed production weaves together the original text with personal reflections from the cast and dynamic choreography, exploring what it’s like to ‘be’ in a world that often excludes you.

Aberdeen Performing Arts Head of Customer Engagement, Grace Arthur said: “After close consultation with the Down syndrome community in Aberdeen, we made the decision to bring in Makaton signs for the matinee performance of Hamlet. The show is performed in Spanish with English subtitles, and the feedback we received was that integrated Makaton signs would really help to allow more people to enjoy it.
“This is a step we have been keen to take for a while, and this world-renowned production of Hamlet, which explores themes of inclusion, seems like the perfect opportunity to introduce it.
“We’re delighted to be expanding our offering in this way.”

The landmark introduction is part of Aberdeen Performing Arts’ commitment to making the arts more accessible for everyone.
The arts charity also offers Audio Described, BSL Interpreted, Captioned and relaxed performances, as well as offering Touch Tours, Essential Companion discounts, and familiarisation visits.

Sam said: “It’s a privilege to collaborate with Aberdeen Performing Arts on this production. The call for Makaton integration in theatre is part of a growing movement to embrace accessibility in creative ways, and it’s encouraging to be part of something innovative, bold, and committed to opening the doors of theatre to more people. I’m excited to showcase this for audiences in Aberdeen.”

Makaton users include people with learning or communication difficulties and those developing their language and literacy skills as well as the people who share their lives, such as parents and other family members, friends and carers, and education and health professionals.

The Makaton communication programme, developed over 50 years ago, combines speech, signing, and symbols. It is not a complete, natural language like BSL but rather a supplementary communication system. For more information visit makaton.org

Tickets are on sale now, available from www.aberdeenperformingarts.com, phone (01224) 641122 or visit the box office at His Majesty’s Theatre or the Music Hall.