Ben David Papworth

I touched upon this topic in my introduction but I’d like to highlight the cabaret scene and smaller theatre productions in my industry. Pantomimes and big touring productions (sometimes West End) have the option of using a signer to make their shows a lot more accessible, however on the flip side, the cabaret world and fringe theatre don’t have the resources to always make certain shows, concerts and events as accessible. I’d like to be the bridge between the smaller side of my industry and accessibility, bringing a wider and diverse audience to our doors. Selfishly, I’m learning BSL in lockdown to give me something else to do and to also add another string to my bow to push me further ahead in my career.

Hi all, My name is Ben Papworth. I work in Musical Theatre as a Musical Director and Pianist. Currently have a lot of free time, as I’m sure we all do in the current climate, so I decided to learn a new skill and I enjoy languages (already proficient at Spanish), therefore BSL seemed like a great option to broaden my language knowledge and become more accessible in my industry. I live in Central London and have done for just under 3 years working in my field. I’ve worked with the likes of Divina De Campo, Rachel Tucker, Hannah Waddingham, Duncan James and more. I’d love to be able to meet other people in my industry who use BSL as a form of communication and start to bring theatre and the Deaf/deaf community together more.