The Past and the Present of Deaf Theatres Around the World

THE PAST AND THE PRESENT OF DEAF THEATRES AROUND THE WORLD BERNARD BRAGG (Based on a presentation at the first deaf theatre companies in the world. annual conference of National and We were impressed by each other's An accomplished actor, director, Worldwide DeafTheatres, Connecticut, high performance standards, distinct playwright and lecturer, Bernard August 2-12, 1995) styles, and by our respective innova Brag was born deaf into a deaffam tive adaptations of sign language for iJy_ He grew up in the world of the Thirty years ago, in 1966, at the time the stage. We began to envision the atre and has performed aU his life for deaf and hearing audiences David Hays and I were discussing the possibility ofestablishing an exchange around the globe. He attended the possibility of a National Theatre of the program for the actors. Many Deaf New York School for the Deaf; is a Deaf (NTD), he brought up the idea of people from different parts of the world Gallaudet graduate and holds a taking our yet-to-be-founded theatre to attending that conference were master's degree in special educa Europe to partIcIpate in the inspired by the Russian and American tion with a minor in drama from International Theatre Festival to be groups to establish their own theatre San Francisco State University. He held in Warsaw in 1967. This took companies when they returned home taught at the California School for place many months before the National to their respective countries. The 1969 the Deaf in Berkeley for a number Theatre of the Deaf was established, CISS-sponsored games in Belgrade of years. even before we knew whether or not proved to be a catalyst for the estab After studying with world we would be successful in obtaining a lishment of deaf theatres around the renowned mime, Marcel Marceau, grant from the U.S. government. "Why world. in Paris, Bragg went on to help es Europe?" I asked. David replied, "We tablish the National Theatre of the can get reviews and some renown to Today, three decades later, we can say Deaf (NTD), and then for ten years bring back here." But that idea was put with pride that the NTD has undoubt was their leading actor, administra aside the moment we received an offer edly played a vital role in inspiring a tor and sign master. He was an Artist-in-Residence at the Moscow from NBC around the same time to number of Deaf people to establish Theatre of Sign and Mime and at tape an hour-long TV show, which we Deaf theatre companies in their own Gallaudet University. hoped would be a more immediate way countries, including a number of the to gain some recognition with the atre companies in the United States. Bragg co-wrote and directed the American public. That was in early Some of them have turned professional play, ''Tales from a Clubroom." He holds an honorary doctorate in hu March, 1966, two months before we and some semi-professional, although mane letters (LHD) from Gallaudet were awarded the grant from the U.S. there are still a number of Deaf the University. Among the highest hon government. atres around the world that maintain a ors ever awarded to Bragg was the non-professional status. Most of them International Medal Award pre Later, in 1969, we were able to make survive, in spite of lack of financial sented by the World Federation of our European debut in Belgrade, support and training or inadequate the Deaf in 1975. Yugoslavia, at the World Games for the public interest. His autobiography, Lessons in Deaf (WGD) with our, by now, solidly Laughter, was published in 1989 funded NTD company. The Moscow Let me now take you on a tour to a and his newest book, Meeting Theatre of Mimicry and Gesture number of countries to see a bit of his Halfway in American Sign Lan appeared there, too, with its colorful tory behind some ofthe Deaf theatres. I guage, co-authored with Jack R. repertoire. Their company was four will mention only the ones I am most Olson, was published in 1993. years older than ours, and both of us familiar with, having worked with them were the first and only professional over the years as a guest actor, teacher, A Deaf American Monograph, 1996 17 workshop leader, or consultant. In addition to those men Sweden Thanks to government and public support, as tioned, numerous other active theatre groups exist. well as interest on the part of Deaf people, the touring the atre company, "Tyst Teater" (Silent Theatre), initially Moscow The Soviet Deaf Theatre Company, both resident launched under the strong leadership of Gunilla and touring, was subsidized by the government for many Wagstrom-Lindquist, has thrived over twenty-five years years beginning in 1964 and it had its own school, theatre, with a cast of four actors. In 1993, I was invited to teach designers, stagehands and carpenters. It employed and four deaf Swedish student actors at the Stockholm trained over fifty professional actors on a full-time basis. Academy of Dramatic Arts while we were doing a script Most of the plays they produced were adaptations of clas reading of Strindberg's Miss Julie. After three and a half sics, contemporary dramas and comedies. So what hap years of study and internship, two of those students are pened to this theatre after the fall of communism? Sadly, now performing in hearing theatre companies. Gunilla the theatre has been reduced to a smaller one and has had Wagstrom-Lindquist now produces a monthly TV show, to become self-supporting, which is a constant struggle. currently in its fifth year which is still very popular not The commitment of the Deaf Russian actors is commend only with Deaf viewers but also with hearing people all able. The leader of this group, Michael Slipchenko, was over the country. This goes to prove that public interest once invited to the NTD as an exchange actor assuming plays an indispensable role in helping to keep any theatre, my role as the father in Dybbuk. The best thing about the hearing or deaf, alive and strong. exchange program co-sponsored by both the Russian and American theatres was that it brought theatre people Australia The NTD toured twice in Australia. The first together even in the days of Cold War. Art conquers! time was in 1975. On that tour, we conducted a number of drama workshops and met several inspired Deaf Great Britain This country once had its own profes- , Australians who expressed interest in turning their theatre sional theatre company called the British Theatre of the club into a professional theatre company. Happily, they Deaf, thanks to its founder, Pat Keysell, who had previ succeeded in doing so after intermittently attending the ously observed the NTD summer school and toured one NTD's professional theatre school. The Australian whole season with the company. Inspired by what she had Theatre of the Deaf (ATOD) is now thriving, thanks to the learned from her association with NTD, Pat moved on to financial backing of their government and to the strong secure financial support from her government and emu leadership of the native American, Mike Canfield. He lated NTD's performance style of integrating speaking attended the NTD's professional summer school in 1986 actors with signing actors on stage. Although she is and then joined the ATOD as an actor in 1989 and after hearing, she has a deep understanding of the theatrical use ward became the present artistic director of the company. of British Sign Language. Unfortunately, her theatre One ofthe former NTD actors, Carol-lee Aquiline, was the lasted only three years and folded when she left. She was first Deaf artistic director of the ATOD from 1988 to 1992. simply exhausted. Shortly afterwards, another theatre Worthy of note is that the Board of the World Federation company was established by a Deaf actor who studied of the Deaf has recently appointed Ms. Aquiline as under our NTD professional school, but again his com General Secretary of the Federation. pany was disbanded after a couple of years, due to insuf ficient public interest and a lack ofDeaf actors who would France Three DeafAmerican actors, former members of be willing to commit themselves to full-time involvement the NTD (Alfredo Corrado, Julianna Fjeld and Joe in theatre. It is obvious that professional theatre compa Castronovo) were involved in establishing what they nies cannot survive without dedicated leaders. However, hoped would become an international theatre, but it ended in 1992, a unique project called DeafForum Theatre was up as a solely French theatre retaining the misnomer which established by John Wilson, profoundly Deaf from birth, reflected the original concept-International Visual who has been active in the dramatic arts, with a number of Theatre (IVT). This theatre has enjoyed nearly two credits both as actor and director. This theatre is unusual decades of existence under the stewardship of Alfredo in that it encourages audiences to participate in the evolu Corrado and has been continuously subsidized by the tion of the drama presented to them, by helping to resolve French government. The IVT has produced a number of the problems faced by characters in the performance. Itis original works related to Deaf culture and is quite creative interesting to note that the late Dorothy Miles, a former and ambitious. Most recently, several Deaf members of NTD member, was involved in teaching a series of creative the IVT appeared in a full-length movie called In the Land signing workshops which focused on the art of using BSL ofthe Deaf, which has been widely acclaimed both in this in performance.

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