Echoes on the Screen: The Media That Still Lives in My Mind #1

As a Creative, I often revisit works by others that have stayed with me, to find guidance and understanding of what works, and what stands the test of time. Here is seven pieces that live in my mind rent-free in 2026 (in no particular ranking order.)

Deaf Film Campers at CM7

My younger self certainly wished there was something like this in England!

I saw this when it first came out in 2016. It was one of the first examples I ever saw of Deaf youth like me, finding connection and creativity with their passion for film, within a beautiful Summer Camp.

It is an incredibly polished example of how two worlds can stunningly collide with Deaf culture and music; Phillip phillips’ song is perfectly chosen for this, the lyrics perfectly encompasses the idea of looking out for each other, and this group use the song to further illustrate how important it is to connect and encourage our Deaf Youth.

Today it continues to help me see how there was space for Deaf creatives in the world - be it directors, actors, editors, translators, performers, and so much more, (as seen in the description of the youtube video).

Bo Burnham - Inside

Bo Burnham, a performer discovered by the public through the early days of YouTube, further cemented his fame after many comedy show hits such as; "Words Words Words" (2010), "what." (2013), "Make Happy" (2016) - had suddenly disappeared from public performing life and social media.

He unexpectedly came back with this short film - written, performed and directed by him. It followed how he created work inside an apartment before the 2019 lockdowns, and how he continued during the lockdowns; capturing how his physical and emotional state changed during these two very different periods. Released during the last of the lockdowns to a very captive audience, it served as a satirical and introspective diary that forced all of us to creatively grapple and portray what the world now is.

This piece of media stays with me because I am always learning things from the music and visuals that thrive in his work, despite the confines of his small apartment. Every time I watch it, something new from his work stands out to me, summing up in an incredibly clever and indirect way a huge amount of political, social, and emotional issues that still affect us today - and it isn’t afraid to make the audience uncomfortable, as what else do you have to explore when you’ve been stuck inside too long?

It is widely thought that this is his last work, and it is an incredibly good one to end with.

Joshua Castille’s Cover of Satisfied from Hamilton

An incredible one-man adaptation by Joshua Castille, depicting this scene & the complexities of emotion, time and space for multiple characters. The commitment to getting the translation, timing and expression to match this performance is incredible.

(Also its based in an epic Deaf perfomance space, the ASL Cabaret space was founded by Mona Jean Cedar and Jo-Ann Dean in 2014, a really good place if you want to see new and emerging ASL talent.)

CDK - Somebody that I used to know by Goya

A performing company based in the Netherlands, came out with this stunning movement translation of “Somebody that I used to know” By Goya - which was also successfully adapted for a live audience in the World of Dance Eindhoven showcase in 2024.

The clean crisp and meaningful movements are so useful for me as a Deaf performer, as it translates the music into clear beats and emotions, capturing interesting possibilities of a character emerging from the group, only to disappear as the group constantly re-forms, reflecting on the song’s lyrics of losing sense of who someone was, as they disappear into the rhythms of a strangers again.

I wish I saw more of this kind of inventive and deeply layered dance in mainstream media.

John Mc Ginty & Jordan Fisher’s adaptation of “Listen”

An incredibly hard hitting, impactful performance by John McGinty, Jordan Fisher, Daniel Marmion and Morgana Shaw, written and directed by Broadway Backwards creator Robert Bartley.

The irony of a Deaf person accusing their hearing family of not listening to them in the struggle to embrace them as who they are, is one that hits hard for many Deaf people globally.

It is a rare example of a rich balance of roles using different levels of ASL; and having efficient understanding throughout the performance for both hearing and Deaf people in the audience. The chemistry, choreography and timing for the whole scene comes together beautifully for the Dreamgirl’s song “Listen” - which holds a completely different strength in this scene.

Childish Gambino - This is America

This is a masterclass in using visual metaphors. This song from Childish Gambino (with backing vocals from Slim Jxmmi of Rae Sremmurd, BlocBoy JB, Quavo of Migos, and 21 Savage) came out in May 6, 2018, it quickly became viral for the incredible amount of detail included in the music video, citing how historical and current events strongly intertwine together in today’s racial climate.

This piece of media stays with me because it’s sadly still relevant today about America. It has consistent long shots where there is incredible detail in the background, in the costumes, and in the Childish Gambino’s journey through the scene - people have rewatched this piece time and time again to see what they have missed - sparking much-needed reflection about what we don’t always notice in history and today’s current climate.

(here is a good breakdown of some of the different layers and motifs used in this video, though there are a lot more than just these)

Sanjeev Baskar’s Reading of Spike Milligan’s Wartime Letter

Letter’s Live is such a fascinating concept, making the often unnoticed way of communicating grievances, stories, excitement, exclamations of love (and so much more!) into a public space of performance.

This is my favorite letter, written by Spike Milligan, under the pressures of war, finds the comedy within the restraints of wartime censorship.