NEA ROUNDTABLE: Creating Opportunities for Deaf Theater Artists
NEA ROUNDTABLE: Creating Opportunities for Deaf Theater Artists NEA ROUNDTABLE: Creating Opportunities for Deaf Theater Artists By Martha Wade Steketee A report from the NEA Roundtable held January 20, 2016, at The Lark in New York City Report on NEA Roundtable on Opportunities for Deaf Theater Artists May 2016 Produced by the NEA Beth Bienvenu, Accessibility Director Greg Reiner, Theater and Musical Theater Director Editorial Assistance by Rebecca Sutton Designed by Kelli Rogowski Steering Committee Michelle Banks, Mianba Productions John Clinton Eisner, The Lark, Artistic Director Tyrone Giordano, dog & pony dc and Gallaudet University DJ Kurs, Deaf West Theatre Julia Levy, Roundabout Theatre, Executive Director Bill O’Brien, Senior Advisor for Innovation to the Chairman Written by Martha Wade Steketee and edited by Jamie Gahlon, Senior Creative Producer, HowlRound | www.howlround.com The Roundtable, January 20, 2016, was hosted by National Endowment for the Arts The Lark, New York City A note regarding terminology and the use of Deaf vs. deaf in this report: Regarding the d/Deaf distinction, the rules are ever-evolving. Ideally, you would defer to whatever someone identifies as, and the markers are varied. There are general rules for usage: whenever referring to a person’s identity, community, or culture, especially in connection with sign language, use the capitalized form, “Deaf.” This capitalization has historically been used to emphasize the Deaf identity, a source of pride, and is distinct from the socially constructed pathological diagnosis of “deafness,” which carries stigma. Whenever referring to hearing status, you will use “deaf.” To further complicate things, there is no solid demarcation for where the capitalized marker “Deaf” came to be.
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