★★★★
A celebration of Edinburgh’s rich deaf history. The Ghost of Alexander Blackwood, created and performed by an all-deaf team, charts the life of a pioneering figure who deserves more recognition.
Playing as part of both the Deaf Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the show is told via BSL and is beautifully poetic in its delivery. Two actors take the audience through several decades of Blackwood’s life, via creative multi-roling and imaginative direction. The creation of a horse and carriage was particularly charming and brought a lovely sense of motion to the piece.
I watched the show with a hearing friend and they were able to enjoy the show via captions and an atmospheric soundscape, whilst also experiencing what it felt like to need the aid of an access provision to be able to access the show – a timely reminder when so few Edinburgh Fringe shows are still to have integrated access or BSL or captioned performances.
Connor Bryson played the role of Blackwood with warmth and vulnerability, depicting both the child taking his first tentative steps into the deaf community and the adult growing confident in his identity and purpose.
Amy Murray took on every other character, multi-roling with skill, utilising great physicality and quick costume changes.
This show is a wonderful example that productions of any size can be accessible to both a hearing and a deaf audience, and that we need more support, funding and opportunities for brilliant deaf artists at the Festival and across the industry.
The Ghost of Alexander Blackwood was part of The Edinburgh Deaf Festival
