Hello again!
Here I draw on previous experiences on attending musicals (whether it be a community production or the lavish Broadway spectacular) and would like to share some tips with you guys.
Before the show:
Check with the theater to see what accessibility they offer (this varies from theater to theater. Some offer only ALDs (assistive listening devices), some offer sign language interpreted performances, some offer captioning).
Many recent Broadway shows have a show companion book (this is especially helpful for interpreters too!) What is a show companion book? For example, Wicked has the Grimmerie which contains a interview approach with the cast and crew regarding the show, how/why they wrote it, analysises of characters/plots, between-the-lines analysis of songs, and a partial script.) This is helpful for the audience memeber to get better acquantined with the show (names of characters, locations, song titles, song lyrics and the plot development) and may lessen the confusion with trying to follow the onstage action. A bonus: production pictures!
The following musicals have a show companion book (many contain a full script):
Rent (full libretto)
Wicked (partial script)
Mary Poppins (no script)
Avenue Q
South Pacific (the revival cast)
Spring Awakening (full script)
The Phantom of the Opera (out of print but can still find at local libraries or the shady used book stores)(full libretto)
Jersey Boys
Those are from the top of my head - will research more and update this list).
Find the CD (or tape) or watch a movie-adaptation of the show to grow familiar with the sound/lyrics and story. (Some musicals have a DVD recording - like Rent is coming out on DVD/Blu-ray on Feb 3 with the 'final performance' filming - some older ones like Sweeney Todd have a cast DVD reording. Many have "in-concert" DVDs that are captioned like Les Miserables.
The general rule: the more familiar you are with the musical, the less frustrating the actual show will be (and more enjoyable).
During the show:
Make sure you can see from your seat (if you rely on lipreading/facial expressions, then sit closer to the stage and avoid profile views as much as possible). If the sightlines aren't adequate, then ask an usher if it is possible to move up closer (sometimes there are seats available, sometimes not). If you have a small child, ask for a booster seat (usually a seat cushion) to elevate the child.
Some ASL-interpreted performances come with ASL programs (listing the interpreters and their biographies, a list of the characters with their corresponding name signs). Any questions? Feel free to ask the interpreters - it is best to ask before, not during the performances (Would you stop a cast member and ask them an question mid-song? No - the same is said for interpreters.)
Intermission:
Grab one of those glossy show programs (the 32 page full of production photos). This is a great visual reminder of the show and opens up discussion afterwards, for children of all approaches. The children can turn this in a storytelling "Remember this scene? What happened? Who is that?, etc). This is a great way to reinforce images/ideas and build new vocabulary. (useful for the hearing child as well!). I collect those programs for my own personal collection and I'm 22 years old!
If the child shows great interest in the music - make a note to grab the CD (cast recording) - DO NOT buy it at the theater - they charge outrageous prices. It can be found for less at your local bookstore or Target or Amazon.com (but if it is a MUST-HAVE-IT-NOW, then go ahead and buy it.)
After the show:
SAVE your Playbill/program! They contain useful information and serve as great mementos!
Go out for dinner and talk about the show (what did you like? what did you not like? Make note of troublesome spots and remember to draw attention to them in the future (inadequate interpreters? ALDs not working with CI or HA? Troublesome seats?) Geniune complaints should be made to the theater so they are aware of the problems. (But also, if it was a wonderful experience, be sure to tell them! They appreciate this kind of feedback.)
Use the newly-bought souvenir program to talk about the show. (The kids will never know that you're turning this into a language/vocabulary/listening activity!)
Share your experiences at the message forum (and other tips/suggestions you have!)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Attention: 'Terps, Artists, Audiences...
Welcome to "Show of Hands"!
I recently established a message forum for the ASL-performing arts community (but non-ASL users are certainly welcome to check out the resources and schedules of interpreted/captioned performances!)
Click on the link to your right to access the forum.
The different features on the forum include the following:
Deaf artists network (a place for Deaf artists to link up their websites, discuss art projects, or meet up with each other.
Access to the Arts (information regarding the ADA and the arts, links to arts advocacy sites such as VSA Arts, etc).
Performing Arts Interpreting (schedules, a registry of theatrical interpreters by regional area, a "help!" category for translations, indigenous signs ("Hakuna Matata?") and the best part, a 'Chicken Soup for the 'Terp's Soul').
Theater information (What's going on Broadway right now? Information regarding the National Theatre of the Deaf, Deaf West, and local/regional theatres).
Why a message forum? Why not a ‘real’ website? As the theater community knows, we all work together to ensure the show goes on - thus the community involvement in supplying each other with information and tips. (As of right now, most of the posts have been made by myself, but it is my goal to see this site grow into a lively community of people who are passionate about the performing arts.)
It started with me looking in the ‘black market’ for schedules of interpreted performances. Some areas like Minneapolis-St. Paul have EVERYTHING on one calendar. Others have three or four calendars. I wanted an ‘universal’ calendar so that if I wanted to go to Broadway to see the latest show, I would find the information under “New York” schedules - and if I wanted to fly to Chicago, I would find the information I needed - only a few clicks away instead of ten Googled pages.
Another thing that prompted me to create this website - to provide theater interpreters a resource to create a network of communication and mentorship. After all, it takes a village to create the ideal environment - and interpreters are responsible for creating that kind of environment. Or in other words, it’s fun to compare/contrast the different translations of “Defying Gravity” !
Feel free to check it out! This forum is a work in progress, so bear with the moderators and I as we add more things (or if you have any information, please post away!) See anything that needs to be added? Let us know and we'll put it in!
Here is the link if one doesn’t want to scroll all the way up to reach the message forum:
http://z8.invisionfree.com/Show_of_Hands
Come one, come all!
I recently established a message forum for the ASL-performing arts community (but non-ASL users are certainly welcome to check out the resources and schedules of interpreted/captioned performances!)
Click on the link to your right to access the forum.
The different features on the forum include the following:
Deaf artists network (a place for Deaf artists to link up their websites, discuss art projects, or meet up with each other.
Access to the Arts (information regarding the ADA and the arts, links to arts advocacy sites such as VSA Arts, etc).
Performing Arts Interpreting (schedules, a registry of theatrical interpreters by regional area, a "help!" category for translations, indigenous signs ("Hakuna Matata?") and the best part, a 'Chicken Soup for the 'Terp's Soul').
Theater information (What's going on Broadway right now? Information regarding the National Theatre of the Deaf, Deaf West, and local/regional theatres).
Why a message forum? Why not a ‘real’ website? As the theater community knows, we all work together to ensure the show goes on - thus the community involvement in supplying each other with information and tips. (As of right now, most of the posts have been made by myself, but it is my goal to see this site grow into a lively community of people who are passionate about the performing arts.)
It started with me looking in the ‘black market’ for schedules of interpreted performances. Some areas like Minneapolis-St. Paul have EVERYTHING on one calendar. Others have three or four calendars. I wanted an ‘universal’ calendar so that if I wanted to go to Broadway to see the latest show, I would find the information under “New York” schedules - and if I wanted to fly to Chicago, I would find the information I needed - only a few clicks away instead of ten Googled pages.
Another thing that prompted me to create this website - to provide theater interpreters a resource to create a network of communication and mentorship. After all, it takes a village to create the ideal environment - and interpreters are responsible for creating that kind of environment. Or in other words, it’s fun to compare/contrast the different translations of “Defying Gravity” !
Feel free to check it out! This forum is a work in progress, so bear with the moderators and I as we add more things (or if you have any information, please post away!) See anything that needs to be added? Let us know and we'll put it in!
Here is the link if one doesn’t want to scroll all the way up to reach the message forum:
http://z8.invisionfree.com/Show_of_Hands
Come one, come all!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Deaf + Musicals = Sure, why not?
Hello,
Welcome to the first post of the ASL-Performing Arts community blog. I hope everyone finds this site welcoming, and to please check out the message forum attached to this blog. Everyone is welcome, regardless or not they use ASL or speech to communicate, whether or not they have hearing aids or cochlear implants or none. Especially welcome are those who share a passion for the performing arts and here’s a shout out to the performing arts interpreters that make it possible for us to experience the latest musical!
So why a blog? I have plenty of stories – both heartwarming and heart-wrenching ones, from my history (some would call it a track record) of theatergoing and participating in theater over the course of my life. Many have asked about it, and I have told them many times – yet I know there are others out there that have not heard my stories yet. I established a message forum for people to come in to share news about theaters, for artists to network with each other and a resource area for performing arts interpreters – yet I felt it wasn’t enough. So I created a blog to enhance the information found on the message forum (including a registry of theater interpreters and schedules of interpreted performances – they all are being updated, but viewable now).
First, about me. I’m Deaf and I sport bilateral cochlear implants - yet, like I stated, ASL is my preferred mode of communication. My first exposure to the world of theater was through The Sound of Music when I was 5 years old. I have participated in quite a few plays and musicals – both with Deaf casts, and hearing casts (when there were no Deaf/ASL theaters nearby). I did not see my first professionally interpreted Broadway touring show until 2007 at The Lion King. Yet, before 2007 I had seen nearly a hundred shows – without access other than the occasional script lent to me by an actor. To get an idea of my ‘track record’, here is a timeline of my participation in the performing arts.
1991 – First cochlear implant surgery
1991 – Exposure to the performing arts through The Sound of Music – video, then went to see the show.
1992 – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Chicago Theatre (with Donny Osmond as Joseph).
1992 – saw Bye Bye Birdie in sign language at CFT/ICODA.
1994 – Performed in a Centerlight Family Theatre production of Alice in Wonderland as a caterpillar – caught the acting bug.
1996 – moved away from Chicago, cutting me off from the Deaf/ASL theater community at the International Center on Deafness and the Arts.
1996-2003 – Limited access to theater – no services. Saw many shows (oftentimes repeats of the ones I’m familiar with, including Peter Pan, Bye Bye Birdie, Annie, Grease, The Sound of Music, etc)
1997 – Participated in a Missoula Children’s Theatre production of The Pied Piper. Only Deaf actor in a cast of hearing actors – mother interpreted for me as the ADA doesn’t cover interpreters for nonprofits.
2001 – re-surgery to replace the malfunctioning inner components of my cochlear implant.
2003 – Saw my first Broadway touring production – The Sound of Music – no services (they were not provided by the hosting theater, other than the amplification systems. Those do not benefit me as the problem is that I cannot hear – rather, the problem is that I can’t always decipher what I hear.)
2003-2005 – patronized a certain theater in Idaho where I knew several of the cast members and knew I could get a script off them when I saw their productions. Once, they invited me up onstage to join them in a group-sing of “Seasons of Love” from Rent where they surprised me by signing the last verse with me.) Story can be viewed at the message forum under 'Chicken Soup for the Interpreter's Soul'.
2004-2007 – attempts on seeing Wicked the musical. (Succeeded in seeing the Chicago cast in November, 2007).
2005 – Participated in the school musical – FAME – with an inadequate interpreter (plenty of stories from this experience).
2005 – First fully open-captioned film for me at the movie theater – Rent. (And I didn’t even notice that they forgot to turn the captions on as I was so used to hearing “Seasons of Love”…)
2006 – Participated in Stone Deaf at California Sate University, Northridge.
2007 – Moved to the Twin Cities area (when I heard they HAD interpreted performances, which made my decision to move with the family). First interpreted show The Lion King at the Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, MN in November.
2007 – Wicked in Chicago – was not pleased with the level of quality of the interpreters.
2007-2008 – Saw many Broadway tours that came through town to make up for the lost years – My Fair Lady, Jersey Boys, High School Musical (interpreter screw-up with this one) Rent (not satisfied with the interpreters for this one), Wicked (again – much better interpreting this time! More shows are scheduled - Rent (again), Spring Awakening, Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, A Chorus Line, Legally Blonde, etc).
2008 – Cochlear implant surgery on left ear – now a bilateral CIer. Done the early morning after seeing a regional production of Cabaret.
2008 – Met Idina Menzel – interpreted “Defying Gravity” for the interpreter – after she struggled with understanding the lyrics herself. (I had a gut feeling about this one – so I made a ‘script’ with the lyrics of the songs I knew she would sing and used it frequently when the interpreter failed to provide a quality translation).
2008 – Started mentoring interpreters (and evaluating them as well – hence that 15 page interpreter evaluation for Wicked).
Shows I’ve seen without services of any kind (including interpreters, captioning, scripts, etc)
Beauty and the Beast, The Sound of Music, Peter Pan, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Annie Get Your Gun, Cinderella, Annie…
Shows I’ve seen done in Sign Language:
Bye Bye Birdie, Fiddler on the Roof, Carousel, Hello Dolly!
Shows with Script provided:
Bye Bye Birdie, Grease, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Annie, Aida (tour), Oklahoma, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, West Side Story, Thoroughly Modern Millie…
Non-Broadway touring shows with inadequate interpreters:
Beauty and the Beast, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Non-Broadway touring shows with excellent interpreters:
Man of La Mancha, The Fantasticks, White Christmas (one of the two interpreters wasn’t good), Cabaret,
Broadway touring shows with excellent interpreters:
The Lion King, My Fair Lady, Jersey Boys, Spring Awakening, Wicked (the second time)
Broadway touring shows with inadequate interpreters:
Wicked-Chicago, Rent…
Movie Musicals – I’ve seen every single one that has closed captioning provided!
Best Interpreting Award goes to: It’s a tie between The Lion King and My Fair Lady (both presented at the Orpheum Theatre)
Now that you’ve got some background information, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and jump into the stories! From time to time, I will be posting up information/resources for the theater interpreters, information for Deaf audience patrons, my opinions, feedback, what I think should have happened, etc etc. So, keep posted! Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post them and I’ll be happy to answer them! Please take a few moment to check out the message forum (and hopefully register and post something! Your own stories? Experiences?
Welcome to the first post of the ASL-Performing Arts community blog. I hope everyone finds this site welcoming, and to please check out the message forum attached to this blog. Everyone is welcome, regardless or not they use ASL or speech to communicate, whether or not they have hearing aids or cochlear implants or none. Especially welcome are those who share a passion for the performing arts and here’s a shout out to the performing arts interpreters that make it possible for us to experience the latest musical!
So why a blog? I have plenty of stories – both heartwarming and heart-wrenching ones, from my history (some would call it a track record) of theatergoing and participating in theater over the course of my life. Many have asked about it, and I have told them many times – yet I know there are others out there that have not heard my stories yet. I established a message forum for people to come in to share news about theaters, for artists to network with each other and a resource area for performing arts interpreters – yet I felt it wasn’t enough. So I created a blog to enhance the information found on the message forum (including a registry of theater interpreters and schedules of interpreted performances – they all are being updated, but viewable now).
First, about me. I’m Deaf and I sport bilateral cochlear implants - yet, like I stated, ASL is my preferred mode of communication. My first exposure to the world of theater was through The Sound of Music when I was 5 years old. I have participated in quite a few plays and musicals – both with Deaf casts, and hearing casts (when there were no Deaf/ASL theaters nearby). I did not see my first professionally interpreted Broadway touring show until 2007 at The Lion King. Yet, before 2007 I had seen nearly a hundred shows – without access other than the occasional script lent to me by an actor. To get an idea of my ‘track record’, here is a timeline of my participation in the performing arts.
1991 – First cochlear implant surgery
1991 – Exposure to the performing arts through The Sound of Music – video, then went to see the show.
1992 – Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Chicago Theatre (with Donny Osmond as Joseph).
1992 – saw Bye Bye Birdie in sign language at CFT/ICODA.
1994 – Performed in a Centerlight Family Theatre production of Alice in Wonderland as a caterpillar – caught the acting bug.
1996 – moved away from Chicago, cutting me off from the Deaf/ASL theater community at the International Center on Deafness and the Arts.
1996-2003 – Limited access to theater – no services. Saw many shows (oftentimes repeats of the ones I’m familiar with, including Peter Pan, Bye Bye Birdie, Annie, Grease, The Sound of Music, etc)
1997 – Participated in a Missoula Children’s Theatre production of The Pied Piper. Only Deaf actor in a cast of hearing actors – mother interpreted for me as the ADA doesn’t cover interpreters for nonprofits.
2001 – re-surgery to replace the malfunctioning inner components of my cochlear implant.
2003 – Saw my first Broadway touring production – The Sound of Music – no services (they were not provided by the hosting theater, other than the amplification systems. Those do not benefit me as the problem is that I cannot hear – rather, the problem is that I can’t always decipher what I hear.)
2003-2005 – patronized a certain theater in Idaho where I knew several of the cast members and knew I could get a script off them when I saw their productions. Once, they invited me up onstage to join them in a group-sing of “Seasons of Love” from Rent where they surprised me by signing the last verse with me.) Story can be viewed at the message forum under 'Chicken Soup for the Interpreter's Soul'.
2004-2007 – attempts on seeing Wicked the musical. (Succeeded in seeing the Chicago cast in November, 2007).
2005 – Participated in the school musical – FAME – with an inadequate interpreter (plenty of stories from this experience).
2005 – First fully open-captioned film for me at the movie theater – Rent. (And I didn’t even notice that they forgot to turn the captions on as I was so used to hearing “Seasons of Love”…)
2006 – Participated in Stone Deaf at California Sate University, Northridge.
2007 – Moved to the Twin Cities area (when I heard they HAD interpreted performances, which made my decision to move with the family). First interpreted show The Lion King at the Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, MN in November.
2007 – Wicked in Chicago – was not pleased with the level of quality of the interpreters.
2007-2008 – Saw many Broadway tours that came through town to make up for the lost years – My Fair Lady, Jersey Boys, High School Musical (interpreter screw-up with this one) Rent (not satisfied with the interpreters for this one), Wicked (again – much better interpreting this time! More shows are scheduled - Rent (again), Spring Awakening, Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, A Chorus Line, Legally Blonde, etc).
2008 – Cochlear implant surgery on left ear – now a bilateral CIer. Done the early morning after seeing a regional production of Cabaret.
2008 – Met Idina Menzel – interpreted “Defying Gravity” for the interpreter – after she struggled with understanding the lyrics herself. (I had a gut feeling about this one – so I made a ‘script’ with the lyrics of the songs I knew she would sing and used it frequently when the interpreter failed to provide a quality translation).
2008 – Started mentoring interpreters (and evaluating them as well – hence that 15 page interpreter evaluation for Wicked).
Shows I’ve seen without services of any kind (including interpreters, captioning, scripts, etc)
Beauty and the Beast, The Sound of Music, Peter Pan, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Annie Get Your Gun, Cinderella, Annie…
Shows I’ve seen done in Sign Language:
Bye Bye Birdie, Fiddler on the Roof, Carousel, Hello Dolly!
Shows with Script provided:
Bye Bye Birdie, Grease, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Annie, Aida (tour), Oklahoma, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, West Side Story, Thoroughly Modern Millie…
Non-Broadway touring shows with inadequate interpreters:
Beauty and the Beast, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Non-Broadway touring shows with excellent interpreters:
Man of La Mancha, The Fantasticks, White Christmas (one of the two interpreters wasn’t good), Cabaret,
Broadway touring shows with excellent interpreters:
The Lion King, My Fair Lady, Jersey Boys, Spring Awakening, Wicked (the second time)
Broadway touring shows with inadequate interpreters:
Wicked-Chicago, Rent…
Movie Musicals – I’ve seen every single one that has closed captioning provided!
Best Interpreting Award goes to: It’s a tie between The Lion King and My Fair Lady (both presented at the Orpheum Theatre)
Now that you’ve got some background information, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and jump into the stories! From time to time, I will be posting up information/resources for the theater interpreters, information for Deaf audience patrons, my opinions, feedback, what I think should have happened, etc etc. So, keep posted! Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post them and I’ll be happy to answer them! Please take a few moment to check out the message forum (and hopefully register and post something! Your own stories? Experiences?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)