DOCSLIB.ORG

1 the Ensemblist

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
1 the Ensemblist Transcript Divas www.transcriptdivas.com Phone: (888) 494-8474 The Ensemblist - Ep 60 ASL-10-29-15 11.31AM [Start of recorded material 00:00] Kevin Bianchi: Hey guys, it’s Kevin from The Ensemblist team. Normally, you hear my name at the end of the episode. But I thought I’d pop in at the beginning to let you know that it’s that time of year again, friends. We’re gathering questions for our annual Listener Questions Episode. Do you have a question about how Broadway really works? Tweet us at The Ensemblist and use the hashtag Ensemblist LQ. It can be a question about performing, technique, the business, social media, a specific show, even a specific ensemblist. Just tweet us at The Ensemblist and use the hashtag #Ensemblist LQ. Mo Brady: You’re listening to The Ensemblist, the only podcast that shows you Broadway from the inside out. I’m Mo Brady. Nikka Graff Lanzarone: And I’m Nikka Graff Lanzarone. The idea for this episode started long before the Spring Awakening revival was announced. It started back in 2013 during a performance of The Jungle Book. Many of the larger regional theaters do an ASL-interpreted performance or two, and I find that my favorite day in a limited run is always ASL day. There’s an extra level of communication going on, something that taps into our very core human nature, to be understood, to tell stories, to figure out a way for everyone to get the same theatrical experience. As I watched the incredible interpreter, some work with Andre De Shields’ crazy “King Louie” ad-libs and bring a whole other hilarious side to his performance -- I mean, I was paying attention to everything I was supposed to be doing on stage. What are you talking about? Mo: Of course you were, Nikka, yeah uh-huh. Nikka: I was struck by how cool it was, and how I wanted to explore it further. Mo: And then thankfully, the Spring Awakening revival did happen, and we got to see it. And we loved it, because Spring Awakening, you guys. Nikka: Spring Awakening, you guys. Mo: But also, this production of Spring Awakening transferred to Broadway from Los Angeles, where it was originally produced by the Deaf West Theatre Company. Deaf West is a professional resident sign language theatre, where productions are presented in American Sign Language with simultaneous translation in English, providing for all an enhanced theatrical experience. 1 Transcript Divas www.transcriptdivas.com Phone: (888) 494-8474 Nikka: And you’ll hear people mention Gallaudet University a bunch in this episode, so we thought we’d tell you a little bit more about it for context. Gallaudet University is a federally charted private university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing, located in Washington D.C, founded in 1864. Gallaudet University is officially bilingual, with American Sign Language, commonly abbreviated ASL, and English used for instruction and by the college community. Mo: On this episode, we speak to three people with vastly different experiences, performing American Sign Language on Broadway, a hearing actor, a hard of hearing actor, and a sign language interpreter. We asked them about how speaking in ASL is different when you’re performing in front of 1,000 audience members, what interpreters do to prepare, and the extra layer of metaphor that comes with adding ASL to theatrical text. Stay with us. Josh Castille: Hello, I’m Josh Castille and I live in Hell’s Kitchen. Nikka: Josh grew up in Louisiana, but as a hard of hearing actor, he found himself at Gallaudet University, studying theater. Josh: I was studying deaf theater, and theater education. So I basically teach deaf people how to act. Going there, I had already done some training in high school, and at a professional theater company outside of high school. And so, I had all this training. And when I got to college, I kind of thought okay, so I’m ahead of the game. And then I realized I wasn’t, because I was ahead of the game in the hearing acting game, but not in the deaf acting game. And the deaf acting game is so different, and has got these components of signing and visual expressions, and mouth morphemes that are entirely expressing your feelings and storyline through just that medium. So having come from the hearing world, where we use our voices to like crack and cry, and then walking into a classroom full of deaf people, and trying to use those techniques, it doesn’t work because they don’t hear me. Cathy Markland: My name is Cathy Markland, and I live on the upper, Upper West Side. I live at 158th and Riverside Drive West. Mo: Cathy is an American Sign Language interpreter, who like Josh, studied at Gallaudet. While she isn’t deaf or hard of hearing herself, Cathy believed that the school was the right place to get her career in interpretation started. Cathy: Well, if I really want to do this right, you go to where the people speak the language. So I thought the only place I really know, where there’s a big group of people, using the language that I need to learn was Gallaudet. So I got in. It was very hard. My degree is sign communication. 2 Transcript Divas www.transcriptdivas.com Phone: (888) 494-8474 Nikka: Our third guest is a hearing actor, and veteran of such shows as A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Tarzan, and Memphis, but he made his Broadway debut in a production that employed American Sign Language. Kevin Massey: My name is Kevin Massey, and I just moved to Washington Heights, which is now called Hudson Heights in Manhattan. I was in a Deaf West production of Big River, and it incorporated sign language. Half the cast was deaf and half were hearing. And so, as a hearing actor, I signed and spoke at the same time. And the deaf actor would sign and we would voice for him or her. Mo: In the last couple of decades, two Deaf West productions have crossed the country to hit Broadway. In 2003, the revival of the musical, Big River, that employed American Sign Language landed in NYC, after starting out on the West Coast, although Kevin hadn’t part of the show’s original outings. Kevin: They had done it out at Deaf West, and then it did so well, they moved it to the Ahmanson, I believe, in LA. And then, they brought it into New York. And a long story short, I got an audition for it. And ended up booking it, and becoming a swing for the show, and made my Broadway debut, which Jeff Calhoun is awesome about doing. So Big River was my first experience with ASL. And in fact, when I was auditioning, I didn’t really know or understand how ASL was being a part of the show. And then we, instead of a dance call, we had a sign call. And so, we learned [unintelligible 00:06:29 audio skip]. And that was really my first experience ever with sign language, but it was very much like dance. So, they saw how fast you picked it up. And some of it sort of made sense, in terms of words, but some of it didn’t. They were just movement that went along with music. In the beginning when I was first learning the show, I was pretty much only learning sign language, in terms of my lines and the music. Now luckily, a lot of those same words, you can use in conversation as well. However, I came in a week later in the process. And so, not only did everybody else know each other, I literally couldn’t speak to half the cast, because I didn’t know their language. But eventually, I was starting to be slightly conversational with sign language. Nikka: Josh has been a part of the Spring Awakening revival company from its very first staging, moving to LA from Gallaudet to do so. Josh Castille: I got involved with the production because I moved to D.C. for college at Gallaudet University. And they sent a mass email to actors at Gallaudet, and asked them to go ahead and audition for Spring Awakening online, because they needed deaf actors. But yes, I dropped out of school and moved to LA to do a show for $100 a week. 3 Transcript Divas www.transcriptdivas.com Phone: (888) 494-8474 Mo: For the many Broadway shows that don’t use ASL on stage, deaf and hard of hearing audiences can still enjoy performances, thanks to the interpreters at a New York organization called Hands On. We asked Cathy, who has worked with the organization for over a decade, to talk about the extended process of preparing to interpret a show. Cathy: So Hands On hires interpreters for mostly Off-Broadway theatre, but they have a nice relationship with three theaters that I work at often: the American Airlines Theatre on 42nd Street, the New Victory Theater for Children’s Theatre, and then also Studio 54. They have a subscription series. So they send out a flyer and say, would you like to sign up? And then, they pay through Hands On. And then, Beth meets them at the door, outside the ticket office, and gives them specific tickets. And they come sit in the deaf section, to see the interpreters in aligned with the theater.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • FY14 Tappin' Study Guide
    Student Matinee Series Maurice Hines is Tappin’ Thru Life Study Guide Created by Miller Grove High School Drama Class of Joyce Scott As part of the Alliance Theatre Institute for Educators and Teaching Artists’ Dramaturgy by Students Under the guidance of Teaching Artist Barry Stewart Mann Maurice Hines is Tappin’ Thru Life was produced at the Arena Theatre in Washington, DC, from Nov. 15 to Dec. 29, 2013 The Alliance Theatre Production runs from April 2 to May 4, 2014 The production will travel to Beverly Hills, California from May 9-24, 2014, and to the Cleveland Playhouse from May 30 to June 29, 2014. Reviews Keith Loria, on theatermania.com, called the show “a tender glimpse into the Hineses’ rise to fame and a touching tribute to a brother.” Benjamin Tomchik wrote in Broadway World, that the show “seems determined not only to love the audience, but to entertain them, and it succeeds at doing just that! While Tappin' Thru Life does have some flaws, it's hard to find anyone who isn't won over by Hines showmanship, humor, timing and above all else, talent.” In The Washington Post, Nelson Pressley wrote, “’Tappin’ is basically a breezy, personable concert. The show doesn’t flinch from hard-core nostalgia; the heart-on-his-sleeve Hines is too sentimental for that. It’s frankly schmaltzy, and it’s barely written — it zips through selected moments of Hines’s life, creating a mood more than telling a story. it’s a pleasure to be in the company of a shameless, ebullient vaudeville heart.” Maurice Hines Is .
    [Show full text]
  • July 14–19, 2019 on the Campus of Belmont University at Austin Peay State University
    July 14–19, 2019 On the Campus of Belmont University at Austin Peay State University OVER 30 years as Tennessee’s only Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts OVER 100 events per year OVER 85 acclaimed guest artists per year Masterclasses Publications Performances Exhibits Lectures Readings Community Classes Professional Learning for Educators School Field Trip Grants Student Scholarships Learn more about us at: Austin Peay State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or any other legally protected class with respect to all employment, programs and activities sponsored by APSU. The Premier Summer Teacher Training Institute for K–12 Arts Education The Tennessee Arts Academy is a project of the Tennessee Department of Education and is funded under a grant contract with the State of Tennessee. Major corporate, organizational, and individual funding support for the Tennessee Arts Academy is generously provided by: Significant sponsorship, scholarship, and event support is generously provided by the Belmont University Department of Art; Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee; Dorothy Gillespie Foundation; Solie Fott; Bobby Jean Frost; KHS America; Sara Savell; Lee Stites; Tennessee Book Company; The Big Payback; Theatrical Rights Worldwide; and Adolph Thornton Jr., aka Young Dolph. Welcome From the Governor of Tennessee Dear Educators, On behalf of the great State of Tennessee, it is my honor to welcome you to the 2019 Tennessee Arts Academy. We are so fortunate as a state to have a nationally recognized program for professional development in arts education.
    [Show full text]
  • <I>Spring Awakening</I>
    The Journal of American Drama and Theatre (JADT) https://jadtjournal.org Silence, Gesture, and Deaf Identity in Deaf West Theatre's Spring Awakening by Stephanie Lim The Journal of American Drama and Theatre Volume 33, Number 1 (Fall 2020) ISNN 2376-4236 ©2020 by Martin E. Segal Theatre Center For a woman to bear a child, she must . in her own personal way, she must . love her husband. Love him, as she can love only him. Only him . she must love—with her whole . heart. There. Now, you know everything.[1] Frau Bergman, Spring Awakening In the opening scene of Spring Awakening, Wendla begs her mother to explain where babies come from, to which her mother bemoans, “Wendla, child, you cannot imagine—.” In Deaf West Theatre’s version of the show, Frau Bergman speaks this line while bringing her pinky finger up to her head, palm outward, but Wendla quickly corrects the gesture, indicating that her mother has actually inverted the American Sign Language (ASL) for “imagine,” a word signed with palm facing inward.[2] As part of a larger dialogue that closes with the epigraph above, Bergman’s struggle to communicate about sexual intercourse in both ASL and English is one of many exchanges in which adults find themselves unable to communicate effectively with teenagers. The theme of (mis)communication is also evoked through characters’ refusal to communicate with each other at all, as in the musical number “Totally Fucked.” When Melchior’s teachers demand he confess to having authored the obscene 10-page document, “The Art of Sleeping With” (which they claim hastened the suicide of his best friend Moritz), they reject his attempts to explain.
    [Show full text]
  • Edward Albee's at Home at The
    CAST OF CHARACTERS TROY KOTSUR*............................................................................................................................PETER Paul Crewes Rachel Fine Artistic Director Managing Director RUSSELL HARVARD*, TYRONE GIORDANO..........................................................................................JERRY AND AMBER ZION*.................................................................................................................................ANN JAKE EBERLE*...............................................................................................................VOICE OF PETER JEFF ALAN-LEE*..............................................................................................................VOICE OF JERRY PAIGE LINDSEY WHITE*........................................................................................................VOICE OF ANN *Indicates a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of David J. Kurs Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Artistic Director Production of ACT ONE: HOMELIFE ACT TWO: THE ZOO STORY Peter and Ann’s living room; Central Park, New York City. EDWARD ALBEE’S New York City, East Side, Seventies. Sunday. Later that same day. AT HOME AT THE ZOO ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION STAFF STARRING COSTUME AND PROPERTIES REHEARSAL STAGE Jeff Alan-Lee, Jack Eberle, Tyrone Giordano, Russell Harvard, Troy Kotsur, WARDROBE SUPERVISOR SUPERVISOR INTERPRETER COMBAT Paige Lindsey White, Amber Zion Deborah Hartwell Courtney Dusenberry Alek Lev
    [Show full text]
  • Sprawak Release 12-8-14 V1CLEAN.Docx.Docx
    WALLIS ANNENBERG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, DEAF WEST THEATRE AND CODY LASSEN PRESENT Spring Awakening Book and Lyrics by STEVEN SATER Music by DUNCAN SHEIK Directed by MICHAEL ARDEN 22 Performances Only! May 21 to June 7, 2015 (Press Opening May 28, 2015) (Beverly Hills, CA – January 7, 2015) Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (“The Wallis”), Deaf West Theatre and Cody Lassen present the Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening for a limited 22-performance engagement Thursday, May 21 to Sunday, June 7, 2015 (press opening May 28) in the Bram Goldsmith Theater. Tickets are now on sale. The innovative and acclaimed production, which enjoyed a sold-out engagement at downtown L.A.’s Rosenthal Theatre in fall 2014, is performed simultaneously in American Sign Language and spoken English by a cast of 25. The Los Angeles Times said that Spring Awakening is “an emotional triumph,” and that “Awakening awakens us to the dormant possibilities of this musical, with all the goose-bumps and teardrops to prove it.” Patricia Wolff, Interim Artistic Director of The Wallis says, “We are thrilled to welcome to The Wallis Los Angeles’ own Tony-winning Deaf West Theatre, and to share the creativity and joyousness of this brilliant and utterly original production with a broader audience. In Spring Awakening, American Sign Language is not just incorporated but actually choreographed into this emotionally charged musical, creating an organic and beautifully theatrical metaphor, ultimately expanding the theme of adolescent struggle to one that also celebrates the universal human need for communication and connection." James D’Asaro, Interim Producing Director of The Wallis noted, “Our role as lead producer for the transfer of Spring Awakening to our venue points to two of our presenting tenets – to not only partner with the best and most creative theaters in this country and abroad, but to support in the fullest sense visionary and innovative work created in our own Los Angeles theatre community.
    [Show full text]
  • Picture As Pdf
    1 Cultural Daily Independent Voices, New Perspectives Deaf West’s Rousing Spring Awakening Sylvie Drake · Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015 Arousing all senses. This may be the choice three-word assessment of the stunning Deaf West Theatre production of Spring Awakening that made the leap from a long run at Inner City Arts to the larger Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills. Whatever the terms of this arrangement, one can only celebrate the fact that it happened and that, in so doing, it imaginatively took advantage of the height and breadth of the Bram Goldsmith space at The Wallis. Simultaneously, one can only weep at the brevity of its presence there. Even with the just-announced extension, the show will close Sunday, June 14. First, some background. Theatre of the deaf is not a new phenomenon, but it is neither a common nor a particularly ancient one. The first American company to successfully combine deaf and hearing actors on stage was The National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD), established in New England in the late 1960s by David Hays, a Broadway set and lighting designer and avid sailor. Hays had never imagined he would be doing that sort of thing at all. Yet after the success of the Broadway production of The Miracle Worker, Anne Bancroft and Arthur Penn, who had seen from the inside out the effect of the Helen Keller story on general audiences, enticed Hays to get involved in an experiment to do just that. Once inducted, Hays became so enthralled with the concept that he described theatre of the deaf (correctly) as “a major dimensional form of poetry.” He went on to lead the NTD for the next 30 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Bellamie Bachleda Bellamie Bachleda Is a Creative Talent Who Has Been Writing, Directing and Acting for Over Ten Years
    Bellamie Bachleda Bellamie Bachleda is a creative talent who has been writing, directing and acting for over ten years. She worked in numerous video and film productions and taught drama and storytelling workshops and classes at the schools, camps, and festivals. In 2017, she and a group of splendid #deaftalent co-founded a non-profit theatre company, Deaf Austin Theatre, where she is currently a co-artistic director. Michelle A. Banks Michelle A. Banks, a native of Washington, DC, is an award-winning actress, writer, director, producer, choreographer, motivational speaker, and teacher. After Michelle received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Drama Studies from the State University of New York at Purchase, she founded Onyx Theatre Company in New York City, the first deaf theatre company in the United States for people of color. Her work with Onyx for eleven years earned the Cultural Enrichment Award from Gallaudet University and the Distinguished Service Award from New York Deaf Theatre. Michelle’s most recent producing/directing credits: Gallaudet University’s A Raisin in the Sun, Look Through ​ ​ ​ My Eyes, Silent Scream, Z: A Christmas Story, What It’s Like? (One Man Show) and In ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Sight and Sound: De(A)F Poetry I, II, & III. Her acting appearances include Sole, The ​ ​ ​ ​ C.A. Lyons Project, Soul Food, Girlfriends, and Big River. Received the Laurent Clerc ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Award from Gallaudet University in 2017. Fred Michael Beam Fred Michael Beam is the outreach coordinator for Sunshine 2.0. He is an experienced performer with acting credits that include Nicholas in By the Music of the Spheres at the ​ ​ Goodman Theater, Harry in Harry the Dirty Dog at the Bethesda Academy of ​ ​ Performing Arts; Witness in Miracle Workers and Stranger in Mad Dancer at the Arena ​ ​ ​ ​ Stage in Washington, DC; Fall Out Shelter, The Dirt Maker, and The Underachiever at ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ the Kennedy Center; the title character in Othello at Gallaudet University; and Steve in ​ ​ A Streetcar Named Desire at SignRise Cultural Arts in Washington, DC.
    [Show full text]
  • Merrily We Roll Along BRENT SCHINDELE*
    CAST OF CHARACTERS AARON LAZAR*...................................................................FRANKLIN SHEPARD Paul Crewes Rachel Fine Artistic Director Managing Director DONNA VIVINO*.............................................................................MARY FLYNN AND WAYNE BRADY*.....................................................................CHARLEY KRINGAS Cody Lassen AMIR TALAI*............................................................................JOE JOSEPHSON in association with Robert Laurita, Aaron Sanko, Invisible Wall Productions/ Diego Kolankowsky, Kari Lynn Hearn WHITNEY BASHOR*.....................................................................BETH SPENCER PRODUCTION OF SAYCON SENGBLOH*................................................................GUSSIE CARNEGIE MAXIMUS BRANDON VERSO................................................................FRANK JR. KEVIN PATRICK DOHERTY*.........................................................................TYLER Merrily We Roll Along BRENT SCHINDELE*................................................................................TERRY ERIC B. ANTHONY*................................................................................SCOTTY MUSIC AND LYRICS BOOK BY LAURA DICKINSON*..................................................................................DORY Stephen Sondheim George Furth SANDY BAINUM*..........................................................................................RU JENNIFER FOSTER*........................................................................BARTENDER
    [Show full text]
  • Casting, Stigma, and Difference in Broadway Musicals Since "A Chorus Line" (1975)
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 5-2019 Broadway Bodies: Casting, Stigma, and Difference in Broadway Musicals Since "A Chorus Line" (1975) Ryan Donovan The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3084 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] BROADWAY BODIES: CASTING, STIGMA, AND DIFFERENCE IN BROADWAY MUSICALS SINCE A CHORUS LINE (1975) by RYAN DONOVAN A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Theatre and Performance in partiaL fulfiLLment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of PhiLosophy, The City University of New York 2019 © 2019 RYAN DONOVAN ALL Rights Reserved ii Broadway Bodies: Casting, Stigma, and Difference in Broadway MusicaLs Since A Chorus Line (1975) by Ryan Donovan This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Theatre and Performance in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of PhiLosophy. ________________ ______________________________________ Date David Savran Chair of Examining Committee ________________ ______________________________________ Date Peter EckersaLL Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Jean Graham-Jones ELizabeth WolLman THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT Broadway Bodies: Casting, Stigma, and Difference in Broadway MusicaLs Since A Chorus Line (1975) by Ryan Donovan Advisor: David Savran “You’re not fat enough to be our fat girl.” “Dance like a man.” “Deaf people in a musicaL!?” These three statements expose how the casting process for Broadway musicaLs depends upon making aesthetic disquaLifications.
    [Show full text]
  • Balancing the Theatre-Going Experience for Deaf and Hearing Audiences
    CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE The Aesthetics of Deaf West Theatre: Balancing the Theatre-Going Experience for Deaf and Hearing Audiences A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of the Arts in Theatre By Brandice Rafus-Brenning May 2018 Copyright by Brandice Rafus-Brenning 2018 ii The thesis of Brandice Rafus-Brenning is approved: ____________________________________ ____________________ Kari Hayter, MFA Date ____________________________________ ____________________ Dr. Lissa Stapleton Date ____________________________________ ____________________ Dr. Hillary Miller, Chair Date California State University, Northridge iii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge and thank Deaf West Theatre for their incredible work. You inspired me to write this thesis and I look forward to enjoying your productions for many years to come. I would also like to acknowledge and express my gratitude for Kanta Kochhar-Lindgren’s theories and insightful research. Eboni, my amazing wife- Thank you for being my biggest supporter and sticking with me through the rollercoaster that is graduate school. Lastly, I would like to thank my committee for their support, insights, and assistance during this process. As well, my fellow graduate students – Thank you for the much- needed moments of levity and for being my sounding boards throughout this challenging process. iv Dedication For Eboni Rafus-Brenning My love, my wife, my best friend, and my favorite proof-reader. Thank you for all that
    [Show full text]
  • Gestural Economies and Production Pedagogies in Deaf West's <Italic
    CriticalActs Fantasy on the Clock The Virtual Cruelty of Collected Works’ The Balcony Rebecca Chaleff The first time I saw Collected Works’ produc- both the raw and restored spaces to stage the tion of Jean Genet’s The Balcony (1956) was the polarities of wealth, power, poverty, and despair first time I set foot in San Francisco’s iconic enacted by the characters of The Balcony. Before Old Mint. It was 14 February 2015; wander- the production begins, the audience is allowed ing the halls, I saw traces of history in cubes to roam the smaller rooms of the basement. of glass, maps of memories I did not know, As we wander, we are surrounded by stone and and pictures of a city so demolished by the concrete, ensconced in the secretive chambers 1906 earthquake that I could not recognize it. of Madame Irma’s brothel. In the basement, I discovered deeper remnants Amidst this history, glimpses of the set are of that history in the marks that millions of visible to the audience: white fabric hanging pieces of gold had imprinted against the stone from the ceiling of one room; cords of yarn walls. There, where the stone gave way to the gradual and persistent pressures of coins, I began to imag- ine how Collected Works’ immer- sive production of The Balcony might begin. Today, the Old Mint stands as a massive, stone emblem of history in San Francisco’s Civic Center dis- trict. Although the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society originally planned to convert the landmark into a museum, their plan was terminated before full resto- rations were complete.
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]