FOLLOW THE SIGNS – sign language hip hop theatre show
FOLLOW THE SIGNS is a fully BSL-led hip-hop gig theatre show, performed through BSL, rap, spoken English, movement, and creative captioning, to be shared by Deaf and hearing audiences together. Tickets: https://tobaccofactorytheatres.com/shows/follow-the-signs/
Chris is Deaf in a world that hears. Chris is Black on an island that discriminates. There is no secret code. No trace left behind. No easy way out.
Yet, this is not a tale of tragedy. This is a story of hope. It is about embracing who you are.
Once, there was a boy who lived just down the road. At two, he got meningitis. His life had been fine until then, but everything was about to change. He lost his hearing, and his world shifted forever.
“Follow the Signs” is a hip-hop gig theatre show. It is performed entirely in British Sign Language (BSL), along with rap, spoken English, movement, and creative captioning. It brings together Deaf and hearing audiences in celebration. The show follows the journey of Chris Fonseca, a celebrated dancer and choreographer. It begins with his early years, when he became Deaf after meningitis. It moves through a school system that failed to recognize his uniqueness. It continues into his teenage years, where music and dance changed everything. Then, he meets Raffie Julien, a mixed-race Deaf woman. Her life seems so different from his—or is it?
You know the five elements of hip hop: emceeing, deejaying, breakin’, graffiti, and beatboxing. Now, meet the five elements of Raffie: She is half Black, half white. She speaks and signs. And she is a woman.
