Theatre Development Fund – TDF: It's a moment that would be complicated in any musical: In the current Broadway revival of Spring Awakening, at the start of a song in the second act, a group of actors faces upstage, backs to the audience. They represent a forest of trees, and eventually they begin to sway in unison as the show transitions into a searing number about loss. For their choreography to have its intended impact, everyone needs to move at the same time, as though the woods have suddenly sprung to life.
11 comments:
I had first heard about Deaf West’s production of Spring Awakening last year, and was very excited to find out they were coming to a Broadway Stage. This is an incredible moment for the deaf community, as theatre is an art often inaccessible to those with hearing problems. A show like this is extremely important in raising awareness of deaf culture and encouraging more dynamic, accessible theatre. The timing and choreography problems were issues I hadn’t even considered within the production, which I suppose shows the privilege of a hearing person. It is so interesting; the ways in which they went about solving these problems. From using vibrations to tiny gestures, the deaf actors have to be paying attention to many things at once. I especially admire that the choreographer watched the show with earplugs to get an understanding of the struggles deaf cast members faced. Overall, from the brief clips I’ve seen of the production, I’m think the show will be a huge success. I can only hope I’ll be able to find tickets.
I think one of the most interesting parts of this article is where the author talks about watching the show with earplugs. I wonder how many shows of mine that you could watch and be unable to tell when we transition to song without hearing. This to me points out an essential flaw in the way we approach the music if we are relying so much on one sense to tell the message with the choreography, lighting, and other elements simply following along. I would be interested to explore how by looking at our current shows from this perspective how we could help support the cast and the story more in this way. In a competitive world where audiences are more demanding than ever of the technical team I think this could be an interesting addition to our checklist of items not to forget, not only for our deaf audience but for every member of the audience.
This article really amazed me. I heard about a sign-language production of Spring Awakening being put on a while back, but I never stopped to think about all of the individual intricacies and difficulties this would involve. It never crossed my mind to consider how the actors would take a cue from dialogue to music, or how they would communicate things visually or physically versus with noise. I think the whole idea of using the signing to highlight the generational divide in this show is so genius, not to mention the integration of the signing into the choreography and rhythm of the music. The photos shown in the article look beautiful, and I love the idea of the intense combination of sign language and dancing along with the angsty, emotional music and stark visuals. I can’t even begin to picture how strenuous the rehearsal and tech process must be for this, but I’m so grateful that there are theater artists who are working so hard to push boundaries, not just to create new and interesting productions, but to provide actors and other artistic professionals with opportunities they wouldn’t ordinarily have.
I am incredibly happy to see Deaf artists being portrayed in mainstream media. Like Sasha, I also love the use of ASL to symbolize the gap between the teens and adults. This also brings forth the sensitive subject of the gigantic divide between the Deaf and hearing communities. Deaf students are neglected in schools since many teachers fail to bridge the gap between ASL and English. These two languages barely even relate to each other. ASL bares no resemblance to English grammar. For example, the sentence "I didn't go to the shoe store yesterday" would be signed "yesterday store shoe I go not". (If you are interested in talking about the specific differences in grammar, track me down). Due to these differences deaf students typically have a hard time learning to read, let alone speak, English. This language barrier continues outside of academia and into social and professional lives. Deaf and hard of hearing people often cannot communicate in loud/crowded areas or in group settings. Due to a lack of exposure, hearing people are not always facing a deaf person while speaking or may be unwilling to communicate through writing or an interpreter. These factors force many Deaf adults to socialize almost exclusively with each other.
I hope that this musical will draw attention to the previously mentioned (ranted about) issues and more hearing men and women will become interested in learning methods of accommodating members of the Deaf community.
First, I am so excited to see this eventually, because I absolutely love spring awakening and I can't wait to see how this production differs from this original. Second, in the past five years I have noticed that theater (and other artistic mediums) have really started to make an effort to be all inclusive. I think that Deaf West has done a wonderful thing by taking a very popular main stream sshow, and not not only making it their own, but using it to bring inclusivity issues to the table. The curious incident of the dog in the night time does a similar thing with autism, although that issue is more given because it is written in the show. Regardless, as a community we have been working to ensure that as many people as possible get to enjoy theater, no matter their physical challenges. I hope that more theater companies, big and small, will follow in their footsteps. I am so excited to see this.
I've heard about this show going up for quite some time now, and I am very excited to see how it comes together. I think it is great that theater, especially Broadway is trying to extent past the normal and include something such as deaf actors to tell this story. Od course there are challenges that come with that, like trying to have everyone do choreography together when they can not use an audible cue. I think that Deaf West is really getting around any blocks they come across when using deaf actors, and it really is a beautiful thing they are trying to do. Keeping to the theme of the show and having the generation gap in the way that the actors are signing really is a clever idea as well. However, I worry that this is not the right stage for a production like this. I think they will have an audience that falls in love with the show, but I feel that most of common theater goers who just want to be entertained are not going to really appriecent its value, and as much as I hope it stays up and keeps theater moving in such a positive direction, that may not be the case.
I am so excited about this production! I wasn’t really invested in the first production of Spring Awakening but I have always been interested in musicals that incorporate American Sign Language. There was a production of Big River many years ago that got me interested in the idea. It is great how they have very inclusive casting and deaf actors are involved in the production. I think that the idea of making the choreography a pumped up version of the signs is so visceral and exciting. The choreography is elevated beyond just movement. It is movement with purpose and meaning. I love that the choreographer watched the show with earplugs and recognized the parts that were less accessible to their deaf audience members. I also love how they have distinguished between the teens and the adults using formal and informal ASL. It’s a very clever way of carrying the idea of the script into the sign language.
When I first heard that there was going to be a revival of Spring Awakening I was skeptical, as the original Broadway production only closed a few years ago. However, as soon as I heard the director's concept I was completely invested in the show. The concept of using ASL to represent the communication issues within the world of the play is genius, and from the clips that I've seen of the show the choreography is beautiful. Although this show has a lot of artistic value, I think that the most important thing about this production is how inclusive it is. Broadway is turning a new leaf as far as representation is concerned, and Deaf West's production is a great example of that. I loved how the director watched the show wearing earplugs to try and get the perspective of a hearing impaired person, because it really shows just how much they care. Using ASL isn't just a gimmick, but a beautiful way to make an artistic statement and include everyone. I really hope that this trend of inclusiveness continues, and that I get a chance to see this show before it closes.
In my high school days, I was a part of a dance team that had 3 deaf performers, and one of them wore a hearing aid. During dance practices, whenever they were feeling confused about getting the moves on the correct count, sometimes they would take a knee and feel the bass vibrate through the floor with a hand. When they were coordinating flip stunts within the routine, they would sign to each other and to us to coordinate the timing of the stunt, as well as how they were going to catch each other once the stunt was completed. When we would perform, they would keep a hand on the shoulder of the hearing-abled person next to them who would shrug their shoulder when the music was about to start so they knew it was time to go onstage. When the performance was over, they would sign to each other about how great we did or about how excited they were about the applause. Working with these individuals was an incredible experience because it reminded us all that the love for performance art is universal and can be felt by everyone, regardless of whether or not you can hear it.
Deaf West is doing work that is beautifully inclusive of people with a particular disability which, I would imagine, would have a hugely impressive back log of dramaturgical research on how sign language has developed since the early 1900's to today, what sign language was like in 1900's Germany, and how the experiences of the characters in this time period would be the same or different if they were written as deaf characters in the first place. Hearing-abled or not, the story is still relatable because there is a lack of communication between the young people and the adults in the show about what really happens when your body begins to change, which could be mirrored by the communication barrier between people who do and do not understand sign language. Ultimately, youth and deafness are not cages in which the characters or the actors live, but rather, a particular way that they experience and understand the world around them, and its a story that needs to be heard.
I think the whole concept behind a deaf production of Spring Awakening is brilliant. Though theatre seems very inclusive, it often is not to people with disabilities. It is not because people exclude people with disabilities on purpose, it is because there are certain roles and tasks that need to be achieved and it is often difficult for people with certain disabilities. Many people would never imagine having deaf people performing in a musical because it is all about the sound and music. I love that they are trying something completely different and including a whole new community of people into the world of musical theatre. It was probably extremely difficult in the beginning to figure out the best way for everyone to communicate and create one cohesive piece. Speaking and vocal communication is something people take for granted. It is very interesting all of the different methods of cueing people they found in body movement. If everyone is looking for the same hand signals or body movements, then everyone is able to work together and be on the same beat even if they cannot hear. I would love to see this production when I am home on break.
I think this is an incredible idea. Even though Spring Awakening closed recently on Broadway, this is a completely different show: not only because it opens theatre to people with disabilities, but also because it provides a unique and challenging interpretation of the musical. The article talks about how the ASL signs are used for dialogue in new ways, but also translate the songs and are incorporated into the choreography. Sign language is fascinating to me because in some ways it is incredibly intuitive and the motions can be very gestural and fluid, though not all signs are this way. The show can, with its incorporation of sign language into the choreography, communicate to both a hearing and deaf audience in an additional way. The actors are not only communicating verbally but also physically to the audience through sign language. It is another level of depth in the choreography that I have never seen considered before.
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