Celebrating Deaf Youth Theatre at Positive Stories for Negative Times

A huge thank you to Wonder Fools for delivering such an inspiring and inclusive youth theatre festival—Positive Stories for Negative Times.

Positive Stories for Negative Times is a large-scale participatory theatre project that invites young people to create and perform new plays. Developed to support connection and creativity during challenging times, the project brings together youth groups to explore powerful themes through workshops, rehearsals and live performance.

Our Deaf Youth Theatre group took part in the festival at the Tron, following a period of weekly workshops where they developed their performance. This process gave young people the time and space to build their ideas, grow in confidence and shape their work collaboratively.

Across the weekend, participants engaged in a full programme of activity—taking part in workshops and seminars, watching performances from other groups and proudly performing their own piece on stage. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with other young people and be part of a wider national celebration of youth theatre.

Alongside this, Solar Bear delivered Deaf Awareness training to the Wonder Fools team as part of the festival, helping to create a more inclusive environment for everyone involved and ensuring deaf access and understanding were embedded throughout the experience.

The outcomes — greater confidence, stronger communication, and a real sense of pride and achievement among the group. Most importantly, deaf young people were able to fully participate, share their stories and have their voices seen and heard on a national stage.

Projects like this highlight the importance of inclusive practice in the arts and the power of creating spaces where every young person can thrive.