Solar Bear is proud to support The Gaiety Theatre on their 2024 pantomime Mother Goose, breaking new ground as the first hearing-led mainstage pantomime in Scotland to feature two deaf performers. 

Bea Webster and Benedetta Zanetti, will deliver performances using BSL, Sign Supported English, and Visual Vernacular, alongside spoken English from the wider cast. From casting to rehearsal, Solar Bear worked closely with The Gaiety to ensure an inclusive and accessible creative process. Central to this was the guidance of BSL consultants Claire Canton and Jamie Rea.

This exciting step forward highlights Solar Bear’s mission to celebrate deaf talent, stories, and culture while advocating for accessibility in theatre.

To book your tickets CLICK HERE

Accessible performance dates:

BSL & Audio Described Performances: Thursday 19th and Friday 27th December

Relaxed Performances: Tuesday 3rd, Tuesday 10th, and Sunday 29th December

Captioned Performances (fully accessible to deaf BSL users): Saturday 14th December and Friday 3rd January

‘Supporting Ayr Gaiety’s Panto, Mother Goose, is something that I am so very proud of. For such a long time, there has been a notable absence of deaf actors on our main stages at Christmas. Now, there is not one deaf actor employed but two, and I know that both Bea and Benny will be brilliant – I’ve had a sneak peek during the read-through! Solar Bear have been working with the team at Ayr as they relish the creative challenge of working in a bilingual room: playing with the richness and complexity that can be explored when working with BSL and visual communication. All the while making sure best practice, equality, access, and inclusivity is at the heart of the process. We cannot wait to see the final production this winter – my tickets are booked!’ Jennifer Bates, Solar Bear Creative Director/CEO