Unspeakable
This year sees a brand new kind of show at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. Catering for both deaf and hearing audiences, “Unspeakable” is coming to the festival for one night only. Featuring the talents of Adam Hills and Sammy J & Heath McIvor along with widely renowned deaf circus performer Asphyxia and New Zealand’s Sam Wills (The Boy With Tape on his Face), “Unspeakable” promises to be a show like no other. Annette Slattery caught up with the show’s producer Erin Davidson and asked her about this new venture.
This seems like a completely new kind of show to bring to the Comedy Festival. How did you come up with the idea?
There isn’t a lot of comedy out there that is accessible for Deaf people and their entertainment options are limited, so I decided to do something about it, then the show evolved from there. It seemed like the perfect way for me to combine two of my passions – comedy and the Deaf community.
You’ve had widespread involvement with the comedy industry since you won the Funny Tonne in 2006. What’s the draw of comedy?
Who doesn’t love to laugh? The Funny Tonne is the ultimate comedy festival experience and it made me realise just how much comedy is out there and that the quality of the ‘unknowns’ is, sadly, unknown by the majority. Ever since the Funny Tonne it’s been an ongoing mission of mine to let people know what’s out there and also to try and make it accessible to as many people as possible.
I notice that all proceeds from this show go to VicDeaf. Tell us about your experience with the deaf community.
I find a lot of similarities between the Deaf community and the comedy community, in terms of how close-knit and supportive they both can be. My experiences of studying, volunteering and socialising within the Deaf community have been eye opening, humbling but most of all enjoyable. I suppose the most valuable thing I can say about the Deaf community is that it is a very proud one. The majority of Deaf people do not identify themselves as being disabled, but rather as a cultural and linguistic minority. As a student studying Auslan and Deaf culture, I come across stories about people asking if a Deaf person needs a wheelchair, or if they read Braille. As humourous as these misunderstandings can be, it’d be good to put an end to them. That’s why one of my aims is for ‘Unspeakable’ to raise awareness about deafness to the wider hearing community.
It says in the press release that this show is ‘deaf friendly’. Can we expect an entire show in silence? Will it be necessary for hearing punters to be proficient in Auslan?
Not at all. The whole idea of the show is to celebrate the form of comedy that both deaf and hearing people can enjoy equally. Adam Hills is the MC, so he will be speaking and accompanied by an Auslan interpreter. Other than that, each individual performance will be purely visual, although some may feature background music.
This is your first run at being a producer. So far has the challenge been more or less than you expect?
So much more! Seeing as the show is a fundraiser and I’m working off a non-existent budget, I’ve had to be creative throughout the entire process, but people around me have been very supportive and encouraging, which has made it easier. It’s all great fun though and I’d love to do it again.
What can punters expect from ‘Unspeakable’?
A variety of good, clean, visual fun! I really believe visual comedy is universally funny – it’s timeless, ageless and crosses all language barriers.
Unspeakable will be held for one night only at Gasworks Arts Park on Monday the 31st March. Check out the Comedy Festival website for full booking details