Jenny Sealey MBE has been Graeae’s Artistic Director since 1997; Graeae produces world class theatre and training from D/deaf and disabled people. Jenny has pioneered a new theatrical language and aesthetics of artistic access experimenting with bilingual BSL and English, pre-recorded BSL, creative captioning, in ear/ live audio description methods. Two, The Fall of the House of Usher, peeling, Bent, Blasted, Diary of an Action Man, Blood Wedding (Japan) Romeo and Juliet (Japan and Bangladesh) are particular examples but this ‘aesthetic’ now influences all Graeae’s independent and co -produced work.

The aim is to share and develop the accessible ethos within performance and use this to form a global cohort of Deaf and disabled artists to challenge and change the perception of possibility and push for a cultural shift and an equal playing field.

Jenny is also a highly experienced trainer and workshop creator/facilitator; her training work uses drama-based activities to unlock creativity within teams.The process of authentic communication and artistic aesthetics within the workplace transforms the work ethos and productivity.  She has delivered training for senior leaders at EY, UBS, Clore and others and hundreds of workshops for a wide range of voluntary, private and public sector organisations.

In 2022, she was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Honours list.

Jenny co-directed the London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony alongside Bradley Hemmings (GDIF). She won the Liberty Human Rights Arts Award in 2013.

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