www.broadwayworld.com: The Play That Goes Wrong will hold its first ever American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted performance on Wednesday February 26 at 2 PM at New World Stages. ASL interpreters will be present for the performance to offer audiences a new way to experience the hit show.
5 comments:
I think it’s awesome that they’re doing an ASL-interpreted performance. It’s such a simple thing, but it makes a huge difference for accessibility. More theaters should do this regularly instead of it being a rare event, I think it's crazy that this isn't normalized by now. It's cool to see a show like this, which is all about physical comedy and chaos, making space for a wider audience. I also had no idea how big this play actually is. I knew it was popular, but I didn’t realize it had been around for so long and played in that many countries. The part about it starting with only four people in the audience is crazy. It makes me wonder what it was like for the cast back then compared to now. The fact that people put so much work into a show that’s literally designed to fall apart is kind of hilarious. And now they’re making sure more people can enjoy the mess. I love that.
I love to see ASL interpreted performances. It’s really great for accessibility. As someone who has learned some ASL and is really interested in sign language gauge and deaf culture, I’ve really enjoyed the interpreted performances I’ve been able to see. Back home there was a small deaf culture around, so there were some performances at my high school that had interpreters. When I was a board op, I loved getting to see the interpreters alongside the show going on. There is also a deaf woman at my church back home, so many of the church services were interpreted. I’ve held an interest in ASL since kindergarten, when one of my teachers was hard of hearing and she taught us all some signs. I’ve had exposure since then and always wanted to become fluent in ASL. I was hoping to learn more in college but unfortunately CMU does not have any ASL classes.
I love the Play That Goes Wrong and I love that they are starting ASL interpreted performances! Knowing the show, I wonder if the ASL interpreters will be incorporated into the going wrong shenanigans. I think it would be so cool if they managed to have the interpreters be affected by what goes wrong without compromising the effectiveness of the interpretation for the ASL audience members. I remember going to a Ren Faire near where I live and all the performances had ASL interpreters. The interpreters’ ability to convey the stories of the performances were phenomenal, and it added so much! I hope that the interpreters for the Play That Goes Wrong do the same because I think there is so much that it could add. At a baseline, however, I am so glad that this show is doing work towards increasing its inclusivity by adding ASL interpreted performances. This is one of my favorite shows, and this makes me like this production of it even more.
I really like how ASL interpreters are becoming more and more common in larger theatres. I think this specifically hits home for me because both my mom and my sister are hard of hearing and one of the biggest issues they both have when they go to see a production is understanding the performers. Now that's just an issue in general when it comes to how an actor articulates but it's something that only makes it more difficult to enjoy theatre for individuals that are hard of hearing. Its genuinely something that can make or break how much my family enjoys a production is how well they can understand it and by providing an ASL interpreter it immediately makes the experience better. With an interpreter there’s no projection issues or poor mic leveling that can ruin the experience. I really hope that it becomes a standard to provide an ASL interpreter just for the sake of accessibility because everyone should get to enjoy the wonderful world that is live theatre.
The Play That Goes Wrong has been a play that I’ve been thinking about since the first time I watched it. I watched it when I went to New York with my middle school theater troupe, and I fell in love instantly. I think it’s fantastic that they’re doing an ASL-interpreted performance. I do find it weird that it is kind of this big thing because it should be normalized, and it should be that more shows have this option for people who need ASL interpreters to understand what’s happening in the show. I think that with everything that’s going on in the world, there have been so many things that have been taken away from people and I believe that ASL interpretation is something that just makes more people able to experience theater and something that we have so much passion for. I don’t understand why this isn’t more normalized in the theatrical world.
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