During the blog renovation, I moved the cluttered list of scheduled sign language interpreted and captioned performances to the tab bar on top to make it look more streamlined. In doing so, I updated the schedules with the venerable favorites but added several new schedule links, especially for our folks across the pond. I also removed some inactive listings and updated the links (as some organizations such as VSA Arts MN updated their websites as well).
I now have comprehensive and semi-comprehensive listings for the following cities:
US: New York/tristate area, North Carolina, Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Detroit, Seattle, Portland and Washington, D.C. (I removed Philadelphia as Creative Arts' website was no longer functional).
UK: London, Edinburgh (added Edinburgh through a lucky Google search)
Australia and New Zealand are the newest additions to the list.
c2 (USA) and Stagetext (UK) are both captioning / subtitling organizations that also provide listings for other cities not mentioned on the list, so be sure to check them out as well!
But the list is far from complete. While many theaters and arts organizations do provide a list of accessible shows, they are usually venue by venue, necessitating the patron to check them all to see what was available. Comprehensive listings like HandsOn and VSA Arts MN help make the search quicker by having them in one area rather than spread over twenty websites. Until then, we will continue to keep our eyes open for hidden listings out there.
If don't see a particular city's listing, please do give us a shout-out and we will add it to the listings for other patrons to peruse!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
In the Spotlight: International Center on Deafness and the Arts
Here's the first entry in the new series of postings In the Spotlight where an organization or event will be reflected upon. First up is Centerlight Theatre, a project under the International Center on Deafness and the Arts banner. The organization based in the northwest suburb of Chicago in Northbrook, Illinois is where I got my start in the theatre arts - and as I mentioned in an earlier posting, the Academy-Award winning actress (and former Dancing with the Stars contender) Marlee Matlin did as well. There must be something in the water in Chicagoland to produce such a rich crop of Deaf artists!
The organization consists of several programs including the renowed Centerlight Theatre where shows are put on simultaneously in sign and voice (namely musicals); Story-N-Sign, Traveling Hands Troupe, Icodance, International Creative Arts Camp and the traveling Museum on Deafness. For more information regarding a particular program, please visit the website at www.icodaarts.org .
The following video showcases the programs and success of the organization:
Watch on YouTube
To see what Marlee Matlin has to share about her experiences at ICODA as a youth, please watch the following video:
Watch on YouTube
My start with this amazing organization came at age six when my grandmother mentioned it to my mother. We trooped out to see a production of Bye Bye Birdie put on by the teenagers and adults. I still remember sitting on the floor (adults sat in chairs but us kids sat up front on the floor for the best view) and gawking up at the actors who I couldn't believe were Deaf and Hard of Hearing. There was a misconception amongst deaf youngsters back then that when they turned 18 and 'grew up' they would become hearing - or die. This debunked the 'myth' since the original belief formed when we really didn't have much exposure to Deaf adults - and successful ones at that. So seeing Deaf teenagers and adults put on a show - let alone a musical - was mind-boggling. I wanted to be part of it.
(Flashback: as I saw the latest ASL Films production of Versa Effect, I recongized the principal as the actor who played Mr. McAfee all those years back in Bye Bye Birdie! Dug out my box of old Playbills and programmes to make sure : )
Enter Youth Fine Arts Day where I participated in a full day of arts and crafts amongst other Deaf and Hard of Hearing youngsters. What I remember most vividly about this day was the talent showcase where I performed "Do-Re-Mi" from the musical The Sound of Music. Here is a picture of me signing 'name' as in "Mi (me), a name I call myself":
(Please disregard the horrible "stylish" fashion that was all the rage in the mid-1990s. A time capsule portrait, indeed.)
Soon after, the center put on a production of Alice in Wonderland and I auditioned for the show. I knew I didn't want to be Alice (after all, she was blonde... and a bit lost. : ) The character of the Caterpillar seemed a better match - I was quite the bookworm back then and the prospect of reading onstage while in character was appealing. I got the character I wanted - but imagine my disappointment when the stage prop serving as the 'book' wouldn't open! There went my chance of secret-reading on stage while ignoring Alice's pleas for help navigating Wonderland. Here's a picture of myself with some of my fellow castmates:
(An appropriate caption for my facial expression would be: "Dude, what's up with the book that wouldn't open? What's the point of having a book that nobody could read?")
My mother made my lovely costume and I still have the leftover scraps of the fabric used to tuck away in my memory box. I wonder if the original costume is still in the costume archives at ICODA? Perhaps I should ask...
What has ICODA done for myself? I stand by what I mentioned in this article, Champion for Deaf Children: "Alumni include Kaitlyn Mielke, 25, who credits her stage experience for transforming her from 'a shy child who simply nodded yes or no to everything, to a full-emerged drama queen.'
'I became more confident in myself, in school, in life, at work - everywhere,' says Mielke, a student at the University of Minnesota and Miss Deaf Minnesota."
In short, ICODA and the folks involved helped pave a path in many disciplines, not only the theatre and the arts, but in self esteem, in confidence, communication as well. Echoing Marlee Matlin's words, "if it weren't for ICODA, I wouldn't be where I am today."
If you're in the area, be sure to stop by and catch a performance of Into the Woods, playing Dec. 2nd-18th at the beloved Black Box Theatre at the center! To the actors and crew involved - break a finger : )
The organization consists of several programs including the renowed Centerlight Theatre where shows are put on simultaneously in sign and voice (namely musicals); Story-N-Sign, Traveling Hands Troupe, Icodance, International Creative Arts Camp and the traveling Museum on Deafness. For more information regarding a particular program, please visit the website at www.icodaarts.org .
The following video showcases the programs and success of the organization:
Watch on YouTube
To see what Marlee Matlin has to share about her experiences at ICODA as a youth, please watch the following video:
Watch on YouTube
My start with this amazing organization came at age six when my grandmother mentioned it to my mother. We trooped out to see a production of Bye Bye Birdie put on by the teenagers and adults. I still remember sitting on the floor (adults sat in chairs but us kids sat up front on the floor for the best view) and gawking up at the actors who I couldn't believe were Deaf and Hard of Hearing. There was a misconception amongst deaf youngsters back then that when they turned 18 and 'grew up' they would become hearing - or die. This debunked the 'myth' since the original belief formed when we really didn't have much exposure to Deaf adults - and successful ones at that. So seeing Deaf teenagers and adults put on a show - let alone a musical - was mind-boggling. I wanted to be part of it.
(Flashback: as I saw the latest ASL Films production of Versa Effect, I recongized the principal as the actor who played Mr. McAfee all those years back in Bye Bye Birdie! Dug out my box of old Playbills and programmes to make sure : )
Enter Youth Fine Arts Day where I participated in a full day of arts and crafts amongst other Deaf and Hard of Hearing youngsters. What I remember most vividly about this day was the talent showcase where I performed "Do-Re-Mi" from the musical The Sound of Music. Here is a picture of me signing 'name' as in "Mi (me), a name I call myself":
(Please disregard the horrible "stylish" fashion that was all the rage in the mid-1990s. A time capsule portrait, indeed.)
Soon after, the center put on a production of Alice in Wonderland and I auditioned for the show. I knew I didn't want to be Alice (after all, she was blonde... and a bit lost. : ) The character of the Caterpillar seemed a better match - I was quite the bookworm back then and the prospect of reading onstage while in character was appealing. I got the character I wanted - but imagine my disappointment when the stage prop serving as the 'book' wouldn't open! There went my chance of secret-reading on stage while ignoring Alice's pleas for help navigating Wonderland. Here's a picture of myself with some of my fellow castmates:
My mother made my lovely costume and I still have the leftover scraps of the fabric used to tuck away in my memory box. I wonder if the original costume is still in the costume archives at ICODA? Perhaps I should ask...
What has ICODA done for myself? I stand by what I mentioned in this article, Champion for Deaf Children: "Alumni include Kaitlyn Mielke, 25, who credits her stage experience for transforming her from 'a shy child who simply nodded yes or no to everything, to a full-emerged drama queen.'
'I became more confident in myself, in school, in life, at work - everywhere,' says Mielke, a student at the University of Minnesota and Miss Deaf Minnesota."
In short, ICODA and the folks involved helped pave a path in many disciplines, not only the theatre and the arts, but in self esteem, in confidence, communication as well. Echoing Marlee Matlin's words, "if it weren't for ICODA, I wouldn't be where I am today."
If you're in the area, be sure to stop by and catch a performance of Into the Woods, playing Dec. 2nd-18th at the beloved Black Box Theatre at the center! To the actors and crew involved - break a finger : )
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Alan Champion Memorial Fund
In an earlier posting, I wrote about giving back to the community. There are many organizations and events that one could donate/contribute to (whether it is by monetary means, or volunteering oneself, the choices are endless). The Alan Champion Memorial Fund for Interpreted Theatre presented by the HandsOn organization based in New York City may be one for readers to consider.
For those who may recall my earlier posting on the late Alan Champion (alter ego: Mr. Broadway Interpreter), the fund continues in his name to encourage more sign language interpreted events.
"At his request and in his honor we have established the Alan Champion Memorial Fund, where your support will go to help us continue the sign interpreted theater he so dearly loved. We hope that Alan’s legacy will be that interpreted theater continues to thrive and flourish for the benefit of the Deaf community." (HandsOn)
As a longtime patron of the arts, I decided to donate to this organization this holiday season. I try to pick different arts organization every year to donate to. This year's contribution was made in memory of my late grandmother who also had a passion for the theatre and shared my love of musical theatre. She was the one that told my mother about the arts program at the Center on Deafness (now the International Center on Deafness and the Arts) and spurred my theatre days as a spectator and as an artist. Fond memories of signing "Do-Re-Mi" from The Sound of Music during its Youth Fine Arts Day as well as performing onstage as the lovable Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland come to mind.
(Fun Fact: the Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin also got her start at the same organization performing as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.)
If my contribution enables that a child or adult has the opportunity to experience something I love and hold dear - the magic of live theatre - then it is defintely more than its worth.
Please consider making a contribution to an arts organization, either locally or nationally or even internationally to promote access to the arts for all. If you have made a donation, please share the name of the organization/event in the comments section to inspire others to follow suit!
*Photo Credit: BroadwayWorld
For those who may recall my earlier posting on the late Alan Champion (alter ego: Mr. Broadway Interpreter), the fund continues in his name to encourage more sign language interpreted events.
"At his request and in his honor we have established the Alan Champion Memorial Fund, where your support will go to help us continue the sign interpreted theater he so dearly loved. We hope that Alan’s legacy will be that interpreted theater continues to thrive and flourish for the benefit of the Deaf community." (HandsOn)
(Fun Fact: the Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin also got her start at the same organization performing as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.)
If my contribution enables that a child or adult has the opportunity to experience something I love and hold dear - the magic of live theatre - then it is defintely more than its worth.
Please consider making a contribution to an arts organization, either locally or nationally or even internationally to promote access to the arts for all. If you have made a donation, please share the name of the organization/event in the comments section to inspire others to follow suit!
*Photo Credit: BroadwayWorld
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