How a deaf theatre actor from Singapore made himself heard on the big stage

SINGAPORE: On this late Tuesday morning, Ramesh Meyyappan is teetering on the verge of collapse. Or at least his trembling fingers were.

The 43-year-old Singaporean is rehearsing for his latest solo performance called Off-Kilter on the second floor of TheatreWorks’ arts space 72-13. Crouching in front of a table, his right hand mimics a person balancing on the edge of a water-filled glass. It tilts precariously as his imaginary character leans forward – before leaping off and seemingly taking flight.

It’s a simple but captivating scene done in complete silence. And in a way, it echoes Meyyappan’s life as a deaf person who braved the odds and took the plunge to make himself heard on the theatre stage.

SAFE LITTLE HAVEN IN SINGAPORE

The Glasgow-based theatre actor, who was born deaf, may not be a household name. But his innovative style of visual storytelling has earned him plaudits in Singapore and beyond.

He has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Off Broadway, won at The Straits Times’ Life! Theatre Awards, and even graced the stage at the National Day Parade.

All these probably wouldn’t have happened if his parents hadn’t made the brave decision to move from Tamil Nadu in India to Singapore when he was four.  

“My older sister had also become deaf due to an illness, and my parents made the heartbreaking decision to bring us to Singapore in the hopes that we’d have more opportunities in terms of education. It was a tough decision because they were forced to leave my older brother in India,” he revealed to Channel NewsAsia, in an email interview. 

Meyyappan and his sister were enrolled at the Singapore School for the Deaf, which he described as a “safe little haven”.

“It went some ways to help us transition into ‘mainstream’ education. Everything was there – deaf culture, deaf identity, sign language… All the kids were deaf and all teachers knew and used sign language.”

At their home in Toa Payoh, however, things were a little trickier. His parents only spoke Tamil, while his first language was ASL (American Sign Language) and knew little of his mother tongue. It was up to his multilingual sister to bridge the gap.

Nonetheless, it was a very good childhood. His mother, a housewife, and late father, who worked in textiles and later ran a video shop in Little India, would encourage them to pursue their dreams. And for Meyyappan, this eventually meant the world of theatre.

DISCOVERING THE POWER OF THEATRE

While studying at Bishan ITE, he found himself working at Hi! Theatre, a deaf performance group who did mime, at the age of 21. Two years later, he was also invited to join Dramaplus, where he was the only full-time deaf actor-teacher. Both groups were founded by veteran theatre figure Roger Jenkins.

Meyyappan recalled: “I was accustomed to being the ‘minority’ as the only deaf person, and working at Dramaplus was no different – but it was fairly ahead of the game in terms of inclusion. They trained staff to use sign language and ensured I had access to the same opportunities as my colleagues.”

He briefly returned to Hi! Theatre as its artistic director, where he began experimenting, including a “visual theatre” version of Macbeth.

“I became increasingly passionate about theatre after seeing the power of the theatrical language. When I see a piece of theatre, dance or film that’s able to say something to me on the same level as the person next to me – even if their language is different from my own – I wanted to create work that does exactly that,” he said.

But at the same time, he also realised there were limits in Singapore for a deaf theatre actor – there were no performing arts degrees for deaf persons.

Going overseas was the only option, and after bagging a scholarship from the National Arts Council, he went to study at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. He later moved to Glasgow to pursue his career and start a family. (His Glaswegian wife Karen, was a longtime friend from his days in Dramaplus.)

Meyyappan admitted it was daunting having to forge a career overseas, but at the same time, he was also exposed to the thriving art scenes in both cities, in particular their strong physical theatre scenes.

There were still challenges that a deaf theatre maker like him had to face. “I’m aware of the frustration about the way deaf art is pigeonholed – there is a battle for the work to be seen on mainstream stages and by audiences, and I had to ensure that what the audiences saw was absolutely comparable with ‘mainstream’ work,” he acknowledged.

LET’S SKIP THE DEAF LABELS

Using mime, puppetry, aerial acrobatics and other forms of non-verbal performance, Meyyappan would achieve just that. His solo shows, which he would tour, garnered critical acclaim. 

And often, the idea that it was done by a deaf artist wouldn’t even figure until the end. He once revealed that audiences would sometimes be surprised to find out at the end of a performance.

“I’m proud to be deaf. However, I try to avoid having my work being labelled as deaf work. I don’t think we should put any labels on anyone’s work and hope we look at the artistic merits – the creativity rather than the disability.”

Today, his onstage efforts have been rewarded. Aside from rave reviews for shows, he has been nominated three times and won twice for Best Actor at the Life! Theatre Awards, in 2007 and 2011.

In 2013, he was also invited to take part in the National Day Parade. It was a solo performance for the segment Aspire, which even garnered a shout out on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Facebook page.

“I must say these mean a lot to me because these have challenged the opinions and perceptions of practitioners, audiences and critics on deaf artists. It was recognition for my work based on artistic merits and not my deafness,” he revealed.

Beyond his performances, he continues to be an active champion of inclusion in theatre.  

Earlier this year, he took part in a forum on arts and disability in Singapore. And on this particular trip for his Off-Kilter performance, Meyyappan was also involved in a production that looked at deaf and disability, and he also met students at LASALLE College of the Arts.

While progress has been made regarding disability issues, including in the arts, there are still issues to iron out.

“We need to start thinking about the opportunities, or lack of, for disabled artists. We need to ensure they are getting access to the same opportunities, including training and education,” stated Meyyappan, who expressed disappointment at how a Singapore production of Tribes, which featured a deaf person in the main role, did not employ an actual deaf performer.

Other forms of discrimination are also found elsewhere, he added. And often, it’s in situations that non-deaf people take for granted, such as the lack of subtitles for majority of television shows and movies.

Nevertheless, Meyyappan maintains a positive outlook.

“Being deaf can throw up a host of obstacles, but like many other deaf people, I’ve become resilient and got on with things! I’ve also become optimistic – it’s the challenges that help us become who we are. Life would be boring if there weren’t challenges to face.”