Theatre of the Deaf

Insightful look at the work of the then-young British Theatre of the Deaf and its founder, Pat Keysell.

This upbeat film features performers from the then newly-formed British Theatre of the Deaf in rehearsal, as well as extracts from the company's production of Homer's The Odyssey. The company's innovative combination of drama, dance and mime was driven by its founder Pat Keysell, known to many as co-presenter (with Tony Hart) of the BBC's pioneering children's TV programme Vision On. Keysell is also seen bringing her characteristic energy and zeal to a class of young deaf people. A qualified mime teacher, Keysell was inspired by the Connecticut-based National Theatre of the Deaf, with whom she studied in the late 1960s. Her work helped establish deaf theatre as a distinctive art form in the UK. Despite some slightly clumsy questioning by the interviewer and presenter, this Central Office of Information-commissioned film offers useful insights into the nature of modern mime and its particular value for deaf people.

This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.