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Thursday, February 14, 2019
If Shakespeare knew sign-language: In this take on Hamlet, the story is literally in Horatio's hands
CBC Radio: Prince Hamlet is a new adaptation of Shakespeare's famous play that puts sign language at the centre of the story. Actor Dawn Jani Birley plays Horatio, who narrates the entire tale in American Sign Language. While some actors have speaking roles, no one interprets the sign language for the audience.
6 comments:
Elizabeth P
said...
While reading about this play, it kind of shocked me the commitment that went into telling the story of Hamlet in a very, very specific way. Horatio is not only deaf, played by a deaf actress, but he acts as the narrator. This is a hefty performing task not only for hearing-able actors, but Birley is telling a story that is not being interpreted back to the hearing audience, and also having to respond in a situation where she can't hear lines being delivered. I am so impressed hearing about Birley and how she had to memorize the whole show. English is already a difficult language, and Shakespearean English more so than that. I have such a short attention span, and memorizing an entire show would absolutely make my mind explode. Birley has such dedication, and I feel that even if the show didn't work out, that would still need to be greatly acknowledged. Horatio is a significant character in the original play, and I think having him serve as the explicit narrator is probably the best way to share Hamlet's story, but not from Hamlet's perspective.
I am so glad that shows with deaf actors are getting so much more coverage these days. Shows like Prince Hamlet are so important for the deaf community. Companies like Deaf West have been producing shows with deaf actors and ASL for nearly 30 years, but I think these kinds of shows are getting more publicity lately because of Deaf West’s production of Spring Awakening that went on Broadway a couple years ago. I found the part where Dawn Jani Birley was talking about the process her, the director, and the other actors went through to make sure Birley could understand where they were in the show was a really interesting process, and I am glad this interview exists to give the world a little view of what it is like to be a deaf performer in a show with only hearing actors. I am also very glad that Birley pointed out that being deaf is not a disability, and that most deaf people identify as a linguistic minority. I think this is something that needs to be taught to many more people. ASL is just a different language, which is also why I appreciated that she brought up that English is a second language for many deaf people.
There are three different sign based languages used in the United States, with ASL being the most common, and also the most artistic. While other signing languages are grammatically and structurally like a word-for-word translation of english into signs, ASL is incredibly expressive, and translations tend to leave out little words or turn the exact words into a more interpretive phrases. Watching a translation for a song is like watching a performance of its own. I can only imagine how beautiful Shakespeare’s imagery is in sign. I would love to see a performance like this. I also like how this company’s inclusion of ASL does not automatically accommodate for hearing people. Birley is able to perform her way without catering to the majority that, for the most part, probably does not give enough space to her and her language and her communication needs, and that feels, to me, very inclusive to the deaf and hard of hearing community. It forces the audience to interact with the language, which is also a plus.
I thought this article was fascinating and made me really happy that shows like this are getting more attention and getting produced more often. I was drawn to the comment that, for the most part, when deaf actors are cast in productions, they are cast as characters where their deafness is their defining characteristic. There are very few productions that I know of where deaf characters have more to offer than just their deafness but I am glad that this production of Hamlet is being done in this way. I think, often, when people produce shows with deaf actors, they do so in a way that showcases their deafness so that the audience can see just how inclusive they are but, as Birley says, in this production, Horatio is given the authority and the autonomy to tell the story and it doesn’t matter that the actor is deaf. I hope to see more of these kinds of productions in the future, hopefully where deaf actors get cast just as much as hearing ones do, in roles that are more diverse and interesting.
I’m very interested in incorporating sign language into performance, not only because for accessibility reasons, but there is something artistically interesting about the audience not being able to hear or comprehend the narration aurally. ASL is a very expressive form of communication and I would be interested in seeing how much an audience member who does not know ASL would actually be able to understand through the actress’s gesture and emotion. I really appreciate that they have cast an actress who is actually deaf and am very impressed by the challenge she has been able to meet, narrating and entire production by signing in Shakespearean English, all while not being able to hear the actors around her. That’s incredible. Like Mira, I am also happy to see that the actress wasn’t cast as a deaf character for her deafness. For example, in a quiet place, the young girl had to be deaf, and they cast a deaf actress, which is wonderful. But Horatio does not have to be deaf, traditionally he isn’t. So I think this is a very interesting interpretation of the character as well as a wonderful way to create more diverse opportunities for deaf actors.
I think it was a really interesting decision to alter the story of Hamlet in this way. Horatio isn’t written as deaf, but I think this adaptation of his character makes for a unique way of telling the story. The motions of American Sign Language itself is a lot like choreography, and I wonder how much the hearing audience that doesn’t know ASL would be able to understand just from the movements and emotions. I also like how they cast Dawn as a character without making the deafness their defining characteristic. While sometimes I understand it’s needed to achieve certain projected idea, it does get tiring to have someone’s only reason for being cast is a defining feature out of their control. It normalizes these people and makes them seem more like an average person, not just whatever their characteristic says they are. I think it’d be cool to see more inclusion and diversity like this in theatre, and I bet as time progresses, we will be seeing more of it.
6 comments:
While reading about this play, it kind of shocked me the commitment that went into telling the story of Hamlet in a very, very specific way. Horatio is not only deaf, played by a deaf actress, but he acts as the narrator. This is a hefty performing task not only for hearing-able actors, but Birley is telling a story that is not being interpreted back to the hearing audience, and also having to respond in a situation where she can't hear lines being delivered. I am so impressed hearing about Birley and how she had to memorize the whole show. English is already a difficult language, and Shakespearean English more so than that. I have such a short attention span, and memorizing an entire show would absolutely make my mind explode. Birley has such dedication, and I feel that even if the show didn't work out, that would still need to be greatly acknowledged. Horatio is a significant character in the original play, and I think having him serve as the explicit narrator is probably the best way to share Hamlet's story, but not from Hamlet's perspective.
I am so glad that shows with deaf actors are getting so much more coverage these days. Shows like Prince Hamlet are so important for the deaf community. Companies like Deaf West have been producing shows with deaf actors and ASL for nearly 30 years, but I think these kinds of shows are getting more publicity lately because of Deaf West’s production of Spring Awakening that went on Broadway a couple years ago. I found the part where Dawn Jani Birley was talking about the process her, the director, and the other actors went through to make sure Birley could understand where they were in the show was a really interesting process, and I am glad this interview exists to give the world a little view of what it is like to be a deaf performer in a show with only hearing actors. I am also very glad that Birley pointed out that being deaf is not a disability, and that most deaf people identify as a linguistic minority. I think this is something that needs to be taught to many more people. ASL is just a different language, which is also why I appreciated that she brought up that English is a second language for many deaf people.
There are three different sign based languages used in the United States, with ASL being the most common, and also the most artistic. While other signing languages are grammatically and structurally like a word-for-word translation of english into signs, ASL is incredibly expressive, and translations tend to leave out little words or turn the exact words into a more interpretive phrases. Watching a translation for a song is like watching a performance of its own. I can only imagine how beautiful Shakespeare’s imagery is in sign. I would love to see a performance like this. I also like how this company’s inclusion of ASL does not automatically accommodate for hearing people. Birley is able to perform her way without catering to the majority that, for the most part, probably does not give enough space to her and her language and her communication needs, and that feels, to me, very inclusive to the deaf and hard of hearing community. It forces the audience to interact with the language, which is also a plus.
I thought this article was fascinating and made me really happy that shows like this are getting more attention and getting produced more often. I was drawn to the comment that, for the most part, when deaf actors are cast in productions, they are cast as characters where their deafness is their defining characteristic. There are very few productions that I know of where deaf characters have more to offer than just their deafness but I am glad that this production of Hamlet is being done in this way. I think, often, when people produce shows with deaf actors, they do so in a way that showcases their deafness so that the audience can see just how inclusive they are but, as Birley says, in this production, Horatio is given the authority and the autonomy to tell the story and it doesn’t matter that the actor is deaf. I hope to see more of these kinds of productions in the future, hopefully where deaf actors get cast just as much as hearing ones do, in roles that are more diverse and interesting.
I’m very interested in incorporating sign language into performance, not only because for accessibility reasons, but there is something artistically interesting about the audience not being able to hear or comprehend the narration aurally. ASL is a very expressive form of communication and I would be interested in seeing how much an audience member who does not know ASL would actually be able to understand through the actress’s gesture and emotion.
I really appreciate that they have cast an actress who is actually deaf and am very impressed by the challenge she has been able to meet, narrating and entire production by signing in Shakespearean English, all while not being able to hear the actors around her. That’s incredible. Like Mira, I am also happy to see that the actress wasn’t cast as a deaf character for her deafness. For example, in a quiet place, the young girl had to be deaf, and they cast a deaf actress, which is wonderful. But Horatio does not have to be deaf, traditionally he isn’t. So I think this is a very interesting interpretation of the character as well as a wonderful way to create more diverse opportunities for deaf actors.
I think it was a really interesting decision to alter the story of Hamlet in this way. Horatio isn’t written as deaf, but I think this adaptation of his character makes for a unique way of telling the story. The motions of American Sign Language itself is a lot like choreography, and I wonder how much the hearing audience that doesn’t know ASL would be able to understand just from the movements and emotions. I also like how they cast Dawn as a character without making the deafness their defining characteristic. While sometimes I understand it’s needed to achieve certain projected idea, it does get tiring to have someone’s only reason for being cast is a defining feature out of their control. It normalizes these people and makes them seem more like an average person, not just whatever their characteristic says they are. I think it’d be cool to see more inclusion and diversity like this in theatre, and I bet as time progresses, we will be seeing more of it.
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