Movement First, Words Later – Inside Deaf-led Company FUSE Theatre’s Creative Process

As co-directors of FUSE Theatre, Chris Fonseca and Harry Jardine are known for creating bold, visually driven work that celebrates Deaf and disabled perspectives without compromise. Their latest project is part of Every Body Festival – a new, disabled-led season at Camden People’s Theatre that champions access, artistry, and resistance in equal measure. Here, the duo reflect on joy as a political tool, the myths they’re tired of busting, and why their rehearsal room always starts in movement, not words.

Hey guys! What can you tell us about the Every Body Festival?

The Every Body Festival does exactly what it says on the tin - it’s a celebration of and for everybody! Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists are so often overlooked, ignored and/or excluded. This festival is leading the charge - we have the talent, we have the audience and now, we have the festival! 

The festival puts access at the heart of everything – not just in the delivery but the design. What does genuine access look like to you as artists?

For us, genuine access is when as many people are invited and included as possible. This means Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people; but also looks at all the different intersections around these communities - class, race, age, gender, sexual-orientation and so on. Camden People’s Theatre (CPT) offers a genuinely safe space for everyone and that is something that is rare and absolutely vital. We need more theatres to share the same ethos as CPT and we need more festivals like this. 

How do you stay energised and hopeful, especially when making work in response to government policy or systemic injustice?

Our ‘thing’ is turning trauma into joy and that guides us whenever we are making our work. Of course we get political and of course we have a lot to say. But it’s important to us that we also spread joy, fun and magic when we can. We want our audiences to leave our shows with a lot to think about, a lot to discuss, but also a lot to feel joyful about. We don’t want to avoid talking about political issues - we want to be part of the solution. 

How do you know when a piece is ready – or do you ever really know?

It’s a great question. I guess ‘ready’ is different to ‘finished’ - I’m not sure if art is ever finished.. I think it’s ready when you reach the point in the process where you are craving an audience’s reaction. That’s what is so special about what we do, that immediate response from a room full of people is the best feeling in the world. A moment where you can really discover what works and what doesn’t. And then, you can continue to fine tune things as much as you like. The work doesn’t have to stop. Art is fluid and that’s the thing I find most exciting. 

When working on FUSE projects, what does your creative process look like as a duo? Is it chaotic, calm, or somewhere in between?

To be honest, it’s quite calm. We balance each other very well and we’re pretty much always on the same page. We also have identical work ethics, which is vital. This means we work extra hard when we need to but we also know when to have a break and clear our minds. We always start visually - we create all our work in sign language and movement first. This allows us to tangibly see and feel how the piece will work. We add as much detail as we can - it’s so important to us that we both fully understand the entire story and that every moment is clear in our bodies. Then, we write down everything in bullet-point form. Again, this allows us to add anything we feel is missing. And finally, we write the dialogue out in written English. It’s a process we’ve honed over 6 years of working together and it’s almost become second nature now. 

If there was one myth or misconception about disabled or deaf artists and creatives you could obliterate forever, what would it be?For us, the main barrier facing Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists is a lack of opportunity. There is a whole wealth of talent out there that most of the industry hasn’t tapped into yet. We want to change this - we want to be given a chance. Once we’re given that chance, we can show you what we can do and slowly get rid of all the assumptions many people have about us. 

The ’Every Body’ Festival – a bold, disabled-led celebration of performance, protest and connection will run at the Camden People’s Theatre from 29th June to 13th July. For tickets and more information, visit: www.cptheatre.co.uk/festivals/EveryBody