Performing Arts 273
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Performing arts 273 PERFORMING ARTS Broadway play was so successful that several other professional companies were formed to take it to The pride of the deafCOIn ~ theaters outside New York City In of and language, or actress played the leading significant. When .' The national touring persons their deaf counterparts ci j ies throughout the on stage, the movies, it serves i('atured Linda Bove; the remove the "stereotype" of deafness, had Freda Norman They discover and develop greater (England) company confidence attitude toward groups have since played and and society, It also encourages them to seek other South Africa, and repeat performances continued role models in the performing arts, to captivate audiences in regional theaters through out the United States. Altogether, scores of deaf PERFORMING ARTISTS persons have been employed in leading or sup In many ways, deaf persons as individuals have porting roles or as understudies and substitutes. blazed new pathways in the performing arts for The film rights to the play were purchased by others to follow. One of these individuals is Ber a Hollywood production company in 1984. See nard Bragg. He studied mime with Marcel Marceau FRELICH, PHYLLIS. in Paris United States with people who had acquired one-man the best night clubs had already made an theaters. television appearances frdich and Bove. Among clude his The Quiet Man in Fabray and Johnnie Ray, appearances on unusual distinction ofbeing guest spots on television RA,y,JOHNNIE. States. Bragg also helped Theatre ofthe Deaf (NTD) TELEVISION and was one ofits brightest stars for over 10 years. One of the first profoundly deaf persons to appear The publication of his biography, Si,1!)IS of Silence on prime-time television was Audree (Bennett) (1974), by Helen Powers, is an inspiration for all Norton, who had toured nationally with the NTD. deafyouth. See BRAGG, BERNARD. Norton had a featured role in Mannix (1968), a Another performer who often appeared on tele detective series starring Mike Connors. It was a vision was Linda Bove. A member of NTD since drama in which Norton not only was the heroine 1968, she played a leading role in productions of but also exposed audiences to deaf awareness and the Little Thefltre of the Deaf. Moreover, she was deaf culture (it was probably the first time in a the first scen in the daytime tclc show that a flashing used TOlllOTTOW (1973); she attention to a ringing also member of the popular chil a deafcharacter on the Streets She had the lead Francisco (1971). during the years when November 15, 1971 ,Jane and the national company performed in vVechsberg, both former NTD, United Statc;; and she also had a first television program prot(Jundly in a full-length Sesame Street movie, Follow That deaf newscasters. This was NewSiSn Four, a daily Bird (1984). By communicating with "hands that news program integrated with the Today Show in talk," Linda Bove has helped develop deaf aware the early morning for deafpersons in the San Fran ness and shown how deaf individuals can contrib cisco Bay area. Wilk and Wechsberg used sign lan ute to the world ofentertainment. See BOVE, LINDA. guage and fingerspelling to communicate the news For deaf people, the biggest breakthrough in the of the world, as well as "what was happening and theater world occurred in June 1980, when deaf where" in the local deafcommunity. NewSign Four Phyllis Frelich, a former member of NTD, won the proved so successful that it was honored with an Antoinette Award for best actrcss Award. in the plav Lesser God. The original ;;econd Emmy Award went in production two other deaf persons his documentary television supporting Merkin andJulianna Gold. i\·J,v Ears, which featured Frelich's only proved that a people who contributed to educa ented deaf person could succeed on Broadway if tional, and economic growth ofCalifornia. In 1975 given the opportunity, but also opened the door to Wechsberg established Sign-Scope, a motion picture other deaf performing artists. The long-running production company in Portland, Oregon. This led 274 Performing arts to the production of a full-length movie in Tech people and their culture. Featuring his one-man nicolor, Deafula-a deaf-culture parody ofthe clas Gee Jay Show (named for his initials), Johnston's sic horror film Dracula. It proved that oe3f per repertory ofdeafjokes :mo skits, his improvisations be inventive and pantomime and slap~tick and his catchy wrote the script but and dance numbers success. and played the leading Mary Beth Miller had berself as a with another comedy, popular comedian and with the a Iso featured deaf NrD Company before and then and deaf culture. helping to found the the focus ofanother latter, she wrote and perfrl!'mances of venture into television programming for deaf and Travelling Road Show and A Play of 1,000 Words, hearing viewers in 1975 when D.E.A.F. Media, Inc., also performing in both as the major character. produced Silent Perspectives, which acquainted the Her talents for mimicry and dramatic monologue, public with deaf people and their culture; it won comedy sketches, and slapstick earned her nation an Emmy Award. wide acclaim whenever she went on tours of the This led to the creation of an original and ima United States and Canada. ginative program for deaf children, Rainbow's End (1980), featuring a magical television studio where CHILD STARS most of them deaL was inevitable that increasing star attraction of number ofstage , screen, productions should feature deaf child performers. first of these to role on the lIJ'(ladway stage was the v"ho portrayed "Hubbell) the musical Runawal's alliO approaches to teaching and eloquent sign ' stage with visually to deaf children. It was the first program Hlibok was his interpreter, who provided voice-over of its kind, winning an Emmy Award in 1980 and as well as signs for those scenes when he was off the hope of deaf people everywhere that it would stage. It marked the first time in New York theater have continued production as a deaf version ofSe historv that deaf audiences could follow and fully same Street. undeistand an interpreted musical, thereby serving Los Angeles took pride in displaying its own tele as a model or prototype for the New York Theatre vision celebrity in the person ofHerb Larsen, called Access Project ofsign-interpreted performances for "the deafJohnny Carson." As host ofQ/J-Hand, ce deaf people, which began in 1980. Runaways cap Larsen captivated deaf tured five Tony Award rnaster of ceremonies In 1979 10-year-old the half-hour show deaf parents, had the on the Silent Network And Your Name Is JOlloh. and interpreter was ilcted the all-too-common deaf parents, who helped diagnosed as mentally Theatre of the Deafand ered to be deaf. Bravin's a long libt of television and film credits as an actor. the movie and television celebrity; the By the end of 1984, OjJ:Hand had a string of 200 tured other deaf persons, including its consultant, performances, produced by Silent Network. Created Bernard Bragg, all of whom provided realistic sit by Sheldon Altfeld, the Los Angeles-based company uations and environments to convey "the deaf ex is dedicated to producing nationwide television perience" in what was probably the best-made and programming that showcases deaf talent and deaf most honest movie on the subject up to that time. culture. Other teenagers appearing in television dramas were Kevin Van Wieringen as "Scott Phillips" in an COMEDIANS episode of the series James At 1r; (19711). Another deaf culture to use 13-year-old Johnny appeared in were George Johnston episodes ofthe serieo; 'free (1983). Bf'l a gifted impressionisl Km'acs, who is the son also played allY well-known personage, Wild Boy," who ii' and needs hearing, and could sing and dance with perfect to communicate in sign language in an episode of timing to suit the comedy situation. Also, he could the television adventure drama series Little House depict "the deaf Archie Bunker" using the man On the Prairie (1982). nerbms. and folklore peculiar In 1982 lS-year-old appeared Pcdorming 275 in movie theaters throughout the United States in Frances Woods, named Esther Thomas at birth. A Originally l1In),-on-the-Lips, movie premature baby. weighed only pounds and adaptation "hort story, It Was born without drums; the doctors did no! Won the-Eyes," IVlargaret Montague, teacher her to live. However, she grew up of deaf children. The film also featured Nanette to very athletic, and developed a fine sense of Fabray. rhythm for dancing. It was on the dance floor that If anyone ever loomed larger than life on both she met her future husband, Anthony Caliguire, the movie and television screen, it was "the In- who began teaching her to dance by playing the Hulk" of rerrigno. Born raised in getting feel the of the music, developed infection then havillg perform steps to three that a severe loss and the particular rhythm. See Woons,FRANcES. learning to ::;peal'.. quite difficult. Ferrigno was One ofthe first deafdance groups was the Amer called "dumb Louie" by his peers and grew up shy ican Deaf Dance Company (ADDC). With Yacov and withdrawn, and a skinny weakling. However, Sharir, a normal-hearing dancer, as their artistic he took up body-building and developed into a tall, director, the ADDC developed a unique set ofdance man. His movie appcarrmee was in numbers without use of which im c]ilssic film on body-building, Iron, in audiences their visual intuitively he co-starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger. conceived rhythms.