Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
CMU School of Drama
Monday, October 13, 2025
Talented High School Students Interpret 'Hamilton' Songs Into American Sign Language
laughingsquid.com: The talented high school students at ASL Theater in Florida impressively interpreted select songs from the now-iconic Lin-Manuel Miranda play Hamilton into American Sign Language, perfectly synchronizing with the audio of the original soundtrack.
I studied ASL all four years of high school and senior year I did a project that involved interpreting a song into ASL kinda similar to this. However, I picked a much slower song I would not have chosen Hamilton, which is why I think this is so impressive. ASL interpretation for theatre is such an interesting thing. Because ASL is a visual language there are so many ways to interpret the show. This reminds me of other videos of rap concerts being interpreted. From what I understand they are not interpreting every word or phrase but communicating what the topic as a whole is. I wish I knew enough ASL still to understand exactly how much of this is interpreted word for word and how much is summarized.
This is an amazing article! I found it so inspiring how these high school students came together to bring Hamilton to life through sign language. This is extremely impressive, considering the speed at which Hamilton moves. The way that they synchronized their ASL with the Hamilton soundtrack requires lots of dedication and shows who they are as artists. I find this so cool because it is not just about translating the lyrics, but about showing character, rhythm, and emotion visually. This highlights how theatre can be more inclusive, and how it can push the boundaries of storytelling. This is actually building a bridge between audiences, not just languages. This opportunity is not just a performance. It is a way for these students to connect to our art form in a way that they may not have before. This project feels essential. We already have some ASL interpreted performances, but how can we adapt theatre to suit more people with visual impairments?
Reading about students performing Hamilton in ASL was so cool. I love how it mixes theater, music, and language all in one and makes it more inclusive for everyone. The idea of hearing, deaf, and hard of hearing students all performing together feels really special. It’s not just translating the lyrics either, they’re performing with expression and movement that adds a whole new layer to the songs. I think that’s what makes ASL performances so powerful, you can literally feel the emotion through the signing. It makes me want to see more shows done like this because it opens theater up to more people and shows how creative it can be. I also think it’s awesome how it helps students build confidence and connect through art in a way that’s bigger than just putting on a show.
3 comments:
I studied ASL all four years of high school and senior year I did a project that involved interpreting a song into ASL kinda similar to this. However, I picked a much slower song I would not have chosen Hamilton, which is why I think this is so impressive. ASL interpretation for theatre is such an interesting thing. Because ASL is a visual language there are so many ways to interpret the show. This reminds me of other videos of rap concerts being interpreted. From what I understand they are not interpreting every word or phrase but communicating what the topic as a whole is. I wish I knew enough ASL still to understand exactly how much of this is interpreted word for word and how much is summarized.
This is an amazing article! I found it so inspiring how these high school students came together to bring Hamilton to life through sign language. This is extremely impressive, considering the speed at which Hamilton moves. The way that they synchronized their ASL with the Hamilton soundtrack requires lots of dedication and shows who they are as artists. I find this so cool because it is not just about translating the lyrics, but about showing character, rhythm, and emotion visually. This highlights how theatre can be more inclusive, and how it can push the boundaries of storytelling. This is actually building a bridge between audiences, not just languages. This opportunity is not just a performance. It is a way for these students to connect to our art form in a way that they may not have before. This project feels essential. We already have some ASL interpreted performances, but how can we adapt theatre to suit more people with visual impairments?
Reading about students performing Hamilton in ASL was so cool. I love how it mixes theater, music, and language all in one and makes it more inclusive for everyone. The idea of hearing, deaf, and hard of hearing students all performing together feels really special. It’s not just translating the lyrics either, they’re performing with expression and movement that adds a whole new layer to the songs. I think that’s what makes ASL performances so powerful, you can literally feel the emotion through the signing. It makes me want to see more shows done like this because it opens theater up to more people and shows how creative it can be. I also think it’s awesome how it helps students build confidence and connect through art in a way that’s bigger than just putting on a show.
Post a Comment