Under the shaded surroundings of Maynardville’s historic open-air theatre, something truly inspiring unfolded this year.

For the first time in its illustrious history, the festival embraced full accessibility, ensuring that deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences could experience the magic of live performance without barriers.

Through the collaborative efforts of SASLi, JazzHands, SocioGo, and VR Theatrical, the Maynardville Festival introduced professional South African Sign Language (SASL) interpreters, Deaf interpreters, and a loop system for hearing aid users - setting a powerful precedent for inclusive theatre in South Africa.

This initiative comes at a crucial time, as hearing impairment affects a significant portion of South Africa’s population.

In 2022, Statistics South Africa reported that approximately 3.6% of individuals aged five years and older experience hearing difficulties, equating to around 3.3 million people in a population of 62 million.

A 2021 study estimated that 5.5 per 1,000 live births in South Africa are affected by hearing impairment, a rate significantly higher than in high-income countries.

Maynardville has long been a staple of the country’s theatre calendar, famed for its Shakespearean productions and unique outdoor setting.

However, this year’s all-access programme has redefined its legacy, proving that accessibility should not be an afterthought but an integral part of the theatrical experience.

Audiences and artists alike have celebrated the initiative, with award-winning actress Antoinette Kellerman describing the evening as “a very vocally generous audience [that] made it an extremely special occasion. And definitely for the actors as well.”

deaf awareness

Inclusive theatre revolution: Maynardville Festival leads the way for deaf audiences