Published: Tuesday, March 1, 2011 9:28 AM PST
To view original source in the Lynnwood Journal, click here
Amber Winkle and Liz Hood in
The Boy Friend. Photo by Michael Bury.
As dozens of young actors at a theater rehearsal warmed up their voices by singing scales, a small group of them stretched their arms, first low then higher and higher. As the singers did rapid tongue-twisters, this group moved their hands faster and faster. And when the actors began to sing, they moved their hands expressively in American Sign Language to the beat.
Madrona Children’s Theatre’s (MCT) 2011 production, The Boy Friend, is a big Broadway musical with show-stopping songs, hilarious comedy bits and plenty of dancing. Among the cast of fourth- through eighth-graders are seven deaf or hard of hearing kids.
“We’ve always had a few deaf and hard of hearing students in our shows. We’ve tried different ways to integrate them with the hearing students, some more successful than others,” said Director Ted Jaquith, who has directed six of the annual shows at MCT, as well as productions at Driftwood Players and Renton Civic Theatre.
Jaquith got involved with MCT when his children were enrolled in the theater program’s home, Madrona K-8 School in the Edmonds School District. The school has over 650 students enrolled, including students from the North Puget Sound Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program.
In planning this year’s annual production, an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter put together a workshop for the MCT creative team. The workshop was lead by local deaf actor Howie Seago, who has appeared on numerous TV shows including “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “The Equalizer,” as well as on stage at theaters around the world, from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to the Berliner Festspiele in Germany.
“He came and worked with us for an evening, and spouted out idea after idea. It was very inspiring,” said Jaquith.
Inspired by Seago as well as their experiences with previous productions, the MCT creative team decided to try something new this year.
“We tried to have our deaf actors play deaf characters, rather than trying to hide them in the chorus,” said Jaquith. Instead of having someone offstage read the lines for the deaf and hard of hearing kids, as in previous productions, “The [hearing] kids are learning signs — just enough to ‘say’ their lines,” he explained.
The 84 students in the play are split into two casts. One cast includes the deaf and hard of hearing kids along with hearing kids, the other has only hearing kids.
“For the most part, they’re the same [show]. We’re using the same script. Some of the blocking is different so the signs can be seen,” said Jaquith.
One of the young actors in this year’s production is eighth grader Amber Winkle, who has been participating in the MCT program for four years.
“I like doing dramatic productions and so I brought an interpreter to an audition,” she explained through an ASL interpreter. “[Ted] is doing really well working with the deaf actors, incorporating them into the production. ... There are a lot of deaf actors in the show. It’s interesting that the hearing actors are learning to sign their lines. They’re getting better.”
Instrumental in this learning process was MCT alumnus Casey Johnson Pasqua. Now in high school, Pasqua undertook the task of translating the script into ASL, then teaching the signs to the hearing students.
“I think I was in fourth or fifth grade, and my dad was a light manager. One day, I came and watched a performance. I wondered, ‘What are they doing?’” Pasqua recalled through an ASL interpreter. “For the next performance, I decided to try out. It was The Music Man.” Pasqua got the part of Amaryllis. “I was hooked. I’ve loved theater ever since,” she said.
Pasqua explained that after translating The Boy Friend into ASL, she simplified the signs a bit to make them easier for the hearing students. “They try to copy what I do. I fix whatever errors they might have. It’s a lot of repetition,” she said.
Jaquith has high hopes for the integration of sign language into the play. In last year’s production of Oliver!, he staged a scene in which all of the young actors signed along to a song. “That was one of the most moving moments of the show. People seemed to be taken with the beauty of the signs,” he said, adding that his first experience with ASL came from his work with MCT. “It’s a beautiful language. Our deaf kids are very expressive, not just with their hands, but with their bodies. ... Your voice is just one tool that you have to use as an actor.”
Nearly 1,400 students have participated in MCT productions since the program’s inception in 1990. Not only do the students act in the play, they work on the stage and make-up crews, are members of the artistic team, and serve as ushers. This year’s production is the culmination of three months of work by the students, as well as school, parent and community volunteers.
“I think it will be good for people who don’t know much about the deaf community to learn more about us and our culture,” said Winkle.
“I hope the community will see that deaf people can be in a performance with the hearing community. They may not be able to speak or sing, but they can be on the stage and you can see the communication between the hearing and deaf actors,” Pasqua agreed.
The Boy Friend is on stage March 24–27 at Mountlake Terrace High School, located at 21801 44th Ave. W. Tickets are $5–$10.
For more information, visit madronachildrenstheatre.blogspot.com.
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