Good news!
Another Broadway musical has joined in captioning videos on their YouTube channel, following in the footsteps set by Rent and Disney on Broadway's Mary Poppins and The Lion King. So, which one is it?
Godspell.
That's right - Godspell, a modern-day retelling of the Gospel according to St. Matthew - has started captioning their videos taken from the new Broadway production and welcomes Deaf and Hard of Hearing fans to watch these videos!
Here's the first one captioned: Hunter Parrish ("Weeds", Spring Awakening) sings "Beautiful City" in the recording studio.
Link: http://youtu.be/EXezjFLTl-c
(Don't forget to toggle the 'CC' button on the bottom right).
Be sure to visit the video and leave them a message of thanks to show your appreciation - and come back later for more captioned videos!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
In the Spotlight: Hennepin Theatre Trust
With the upcoming touring production of Disney's The Lion King making a return to the city where it started all those years ago - and to the very same theatre even, I have decided to honor the theatre orgranization who also made it possible for me to see my first interpreted Broadway touring show.
Flashback to the year 2007. My family and I had just moved from Idaho to the Twin Cities area (that's Minneapolis-St.Paul for those not familiar with geography). It was a year of big changes for me - transferring to my third school, a new job for my father, the I-35 bridge collapse - and what spurred a renaissance of theatregoing for me. One of the reasons I agreed to move to the Twin Cities was the lure of sign language interpreted performances. I had grown up with limited access to the theatre (see earlier postings for additional information).
So I had no expectations whatsover when my family and I reserved tickets to see The Lion King at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis in November of 2007. From the moment the curtain opened to the standing ovation at the end, I was hooked. I couldn't have been more fortunate as the two sign language interpreters did a stellar job of translating the music and lyrics of the show. I loved how they translated "Hakuna Matata!" Loved the opening scene with "Circle of Life". Loved every moment of it.
I have not had an less-than-stellar experience with this particular theatre organization. The box office folks, the ushers, and the house manager have gone out of their way to make not only myself, but the Deaf community feel welcome. Even with the occasional odd request from a certain theatre afficionado, they still maintain the magic of live theatre.
What requests? Well, there was the time where I saw Rent four times in a single weekend - and they made it possible for me to acquire student rush tickets and still have optimal sightlines for lipreading on the non-interpreted days. Or when I needed to bring in a script and flashlight for The Phantom of the Opera the second time I saw it - days after I saw the interpreted performance. (Folks out there may remember the ill-fated performance of Aida at another venue where the script was nearly consficated in a misunderstanding between the Box Office folks and the ushers). Or the time I needed to exchange tickets for a performance of Mary Poppins to a later date so my mother could see it once she flew back home (not to mention that I had already seen it thrice thus far). Or when I needed a copy of the script (or two) so I could mentally prepare for the show - and to work with the interpreters as a coach. Or that they listened to the requests made by Deaf patrons to bring captioned performances to add to their repertoire.
I have had theatre highs and theatre lows, but no organization has had far more highs than low (I can only think of one - with the scheduling mishap of High School Musical where half of the Deaf patrons showed up at an earlier show to find no interpreter present - but that worked out in our favor with compenstation given. That pales to the number of highlights.) Not only that, they consistenly bring out top-ranking sign language interpreters who clearly know their craft. I've loved the shows I have seen at the Orpheum and the State theatres (yes, even Cats - while I hated the show as a whole, the performance was worth it just to see the interpreters - and the occasional flirting cat). The Lion King. My Fair Lady. Jersey Boys. High School Musical (what parts I understood without interpreters, that is). Wicked. Spring Awakening. Rent. The Phantom of the Opera. Cats. Grease. Mary Poppins. A Chorus Line. In the Heights. Billy Elliot.
Thank you.
For those in the area, please check out their website at www.hennepintheatretrust.org
Flashback to the year 2007. My family and I had just moved from Idaho to the Twin Cities area (that's Minneapolis-St.Paul for those not familiar with geography). It was a year of big changes for me - transferring to my third school, a new job for my father, the I-35 bridge collapse - and what spurred a renaissance of theatregoing for me. One of the reasons I agreed to move to the Twin Cities was the lure of sign language interpreted performances. I had grown up with limited access to the theatre (see earlier postings for additional information).
So I had no expectations whatsover when my family and I reserved tickets to see The Lion King at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis in November of 2007. From the moment the curtain opened to the standing ovation at the end, I was hooked. I couldn't have been more fortunate as the two sign language interpreters did a stellar job of translating the music and lyrics of the show. I loved how they translated "Hakuna Matata!" Loved the opening scene with "Circle of Life". Loved every moment of it.
I have not had an less-than-stellar experience with this particular theatre organization. The box office folks, the ushers, and the house manager have gone out of their way to make not only myself, but the Deaf community feel welcome. Even with the occasional odd request from a certain theatre afficionado, they still maintain the magic of live theatre.
What requests? Well, there was the time where I saw Rent four times in a single weekend - and they made it possible for me to acquire student rush tickets and still have optimal sightlines for lipreading on the non-interpreted days. Or when I needed to bring in a script and flashlight for The Phantom of the Opera the second time I saw it - days after I saw the interpreted performance. (Folks out there may remember the ill-fated performance of Aida at another venue where the script was nearly consficated in a misunderstanding between the Box Office folks and the ushers). Or the time I needed to exchange tickets for a performance of Mary Poppins to a later date so my mother could see it once she flew back home (not to mention that I had already seen it thrice thus far). Or when I needed a copy of the script (or two) so I could mentally prepare for the show - and to work with the interpreters as a coach. Or that they listened to the requests made by Deaf patrons to bring captioned performances to add to their repertoire.
I have had theatre highs and theatre lows, but no organization has had far more highs than low (I can only think of one - with the scheduling mishap of High School Musical where half of the Deaf patrons showed up at an earlier show to find no interpreter present - but that worked out in our favor with compenstation given. That pales to the number of highlights.) Not only that, they consistenly bring out top-ranking sign language interpreters who clearly know their craft. I've loved the shows I have seen at the Orpheum and the State theatres (yes, even Cats - while I hated the show as a whole, the performance was worth it just to see the interpreters - and the occasional flirting cat). The Lion King. My Fair Lady. Jersey Boys. High School Musical (what parts I understood without interpreters, that is). Wicked. Spring Awakening. Rent. The Phantom of the Opera. Cats. Grease. Mary Poppins. A Chorus Line. In the Heights. Billy Elliot.
Thank you.
 |
| In front of the Orpheum Theatre on Hennepin Ave. |
For those in the area, please check out their website at www.hennepintheatretrust.org
Sunday, January 1, 2012
New Blog to Visit
Hello all, and a very happy new year to all!
I would like to start off the new year with a bang - and start another blog. The new blog will keep up with the Harry Potter 365 and one-quarter days challenge of writing about the beloved wizard for three hundred sixty-five and one-quarter consecutive days.
Now, why did I mention this on this particular blog? One, I am the author, and two, some of my postings will relate to the artistic world and/or the Deaf world including memories and cultural comparisons. Any posts I do relate to the artistic world or the Deaf world will be mentioned here - so fear not about missing revelant entries.
Please come and visit us at www.harrypotter365challenge.blogspot.com (Feel free to join in the challenge - or keep up via commenting).
I would like to start off the new year with a bang - and start another blog. The new blog will keep up with the Harry Potter 365 and one-quarter days challenge of writing about the beloved wizard for three hundred sixty-five and one-quarter consecutive days.
Now, why did I mention this on this particular blog? One, I am the author, and two, some of my postings will relate to the artistic world and/or the Deaf world including memories and cultural comparisons. Any posts I do relate to the artistic world or the Deaf world will be mentioned here - so fear not about missing revelant entries.
Please come and visit us at www.harrypotter365challenge.blogspot.com (Feel free to join in the challenge - or keep up via commenting).
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