Tim Bray Theatre Company: NZSL interpreted performances
 sm.jpg "NZSL interpreter Kelly Hodgins interpreting the play Greedy Cat")
Tim Bray Theatre Company provided NZSL interpreted performances from 2004 until 2024. These shows were well-attended by students from Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education (formerly Kelston school for the Deaf).
The company experimented with moving the interpreter to the centre of the stage, or even right on stage in some instances, to make sure the Deaf children could be fully immersed in the story of the show.
Tim Bray Theatre Company created NZSL advertisements for its NZSL shows to share the information to the Deaf community in their preferred language.
In 2021, for the Vivaldi’s "Four Seasons" performance featuring the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra, Tim Bray Theatre Company offered for the first time its Deaf Stage Experience (originally called Deaf Touch Tour).
The Deaf Stage Experience invited Deaf students right on to the stage to explore the set, meet the performances and play instruments with the orchestra. The debut welcomed 111 Deaf and hard of hearing students, teachers and families into the theatre for the NZSL interpreted performance – a record in Aotearoa. The Deaf Stage Experience continued to draw large audiences and were offered for every NZSL interpreted schools' performance until 2024.
Check out a video of the first Deaf Stage Experience below, created by Kelly Hodgins at Platform Interpreting NZ.
Resources
These resources are available to help audiences explore the NZSL interpreted performances. Videos include captions. Open them in a new window to YouTube for full accessibility.
