Archived: Follow The Signs

Chris is Deaf in a hearing world. Chris is Black on a racist island.
No code. No imprint. No escape.
But this is not a tragedy. This is a story of hope. This is a story about owning your identity.

Once upon a time there was a boy from down the road
He contracted meningitis at the age of two years old
His life had been ok but now little did he know
His hearing was to leave him and was due to change his world 

A fully BSL-led hip-hop gig theatre show, Follow the Signs is performed through BSL, rap, spoken English, movement, and creative captioning, to be shared and celebrated by Deaf and hearing audiences together. It tells the story of acclaimed dancer and choreographer Chris Fonseca: from infanthood when he became Deaf after contracting meningitis, through a school system unable to value his differences, into teenage years where music and dance entered his life, to meeting Raffie Julien, a mixed-race Deaf woman who’s lived experience couldn’t be more different…or is it?

You’ve heard of the 5 elements of hip hop right? Emceeing, deejaying, breakin’, graffiti and beatboxing. Well now it’s time to introduce you to the 5 elements of Raffie. I’m half black, half white. I’m oral and I sign. On top of that, I’m a woman. 

“You will be hard pressed to find a show as moving as this one, with blazing performances across the board. It is definitive proof that we need many more stories exploring the themes that Fonseca so charismatically raises.” – Arifa Akbar, The Guardian

“This production is poetic and vibrant, marrying hearing and sign language in a beautiful collision that should be encouraged. It embodies language in every possible sense of the word. This beautiful, challenging, uplifting show is absolutely worth seeing.” – Everything Theatre

“Fonseca’s manipulation of music is masterful. Narratively and lyrically, it is equally impressive” – Liam O’Dell

“We have to cross everything to hope that this show has a fruitful future life beyond this run. Completely unmissable” – West End Best Friend

Credits 

Co-Writers Chris Fonseca and Harry Jardine 

Director Harry Jardine 

Choreographer Chris Fonseca 

Creative Producer Sian Weeding 

Composer Yacoub Didi 

Sound Designer Gareth Tucker 

Lighting Designer Simeon Miller 

Video and Caption Designer Rachel Sampley 

Dramaturg Kirsty Housley 

Production Manager Ed Borgnis 

Instagram: @fusetheatre 

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