Transcript
I’m Sophie Stone, and I’ve come to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, RADA, to do an acting degree for three years.
This is my second term, so I’m still in the early stages of my training. Because I’m severely deaf, I tend to need note takers and communicators. We need to have a communicator who is flexible who can write notes for me, and tell me where to be and generally just helping me settle in.
Especially in the initial first two weeks when it was the hardest I suppose, and I had them full time. But as soon as that had finished I was able to pick and choose which lessons I felt I needed the most help in. The most challenging thing has to be the singing I think. I’m sorry.
And I’m so lucky I have and amazing singing teacher, two amazing singing teachers, who have worked with me on my confidence in singing and my ability to sing. To find things that suit me, that suit my voice, that suit my range, that suit my voice, that suit what I can do, rather than trying to push what I can’t do. But at the same time it’s challenging be cause it’s challenging the rhythm. It’s challenging the way that I use my voice. It’s challenging my diction. It’s challenging my vocal range from what I can do.
Jenny my acting teacher, she’s very aware of my needs. Most of the teachers had to attend a talk where a deaf awareness officer would come in and explain the dos and don’ts of teaching a class with a deaf student. And I think Jenny being there and being as open minded as she is was able to accommodate me very well in the class and she always repeats things, makes sure that I’m sitting in the right place, tells people to move their hand away from their face. Always makes sure that if we are doing an exercise that requires us to close out eyes, to make sure that I have my eyes open to tell me and then give me the time to close my eyes and go through it, and then let me know when I need to open my eyes again.
But over time all the teachers are starting to click and think, “Ah you know this is so simple. I only have to turn around. I only have to put my hand down. I only have to step one foot away form the window. I only have to ?” and then it becomes so natural that it’s an unconscious decision to do something, to accommodate me in the lesson.