Deafiant

Jenny Sealey has spent her career to date championing the work of Deaf and Disabled artists and the importance of having their stories on our stages and screens. Now, she shares her own experience as a Deaf theatre-maker and advocate in a highly personal book.
In this book, she discusses running disabled-led Graeae theatre company for the past 30 years. She reveals her passionate and long-standing commitment to inclusivity and equality within the arts and how she and Graeae have made strides in the area, including the creative integration of sign language, captioning and audio description in performance.
Irreverent, frank and profound, Sealey is an inspiring spokesperson for disabled artists' rights, the importance of theatre within our cultural ecosystem and the power of performance to find connections and make positive change in the world.
The stories she shares in this book of growing up in a family where she suffered abuse and shame amongst her peers and teachers for her deafness are not easy to read, but they're crucial in understanding the unjust struggles that have accompanied Sealey on her remarkable journey.

Introduction
Chapter 1
What does being an artistic director mean? How the role has changed in 25 years and what I have learnt
Chapter 2
Planning, prep and casting for Romeo and Juliet 2024 co-production with Shakespeare North Playhouse and Theatre by the Lake; rehearsal process and production
Chapter 3
What happens in between productions - the ins and outs of being in a small company with a mission for human rights and equality
Chapter 4
Self-Raising and making autobiographical work
Chapter 5
Workshops and panels, conversations with drama schools and moving the inclusive agenda forwards
Chapter 6
Doing opera, Paradis Files as a Deaf person, working with Errolyn Wallen and BBC Orchestra
Chapter 7
Boards and governance
Chapter 8
Working with disabled veterans on WW1 commission
Chapter 9
Work in development; working with writers; the ever-changing theatre/political landscape.
Chapter 10
What next Graeae and what next for me
Bibliography
Index