In June 2012, Pentacle Theatre, the successful community theatre in Salem’s west hills, will produce The Signal Season of Dummy Hoy, By Allen Meyer and Michael Nowak. It is a play about real-life Deaf major league baseball player William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy. Set predominantly in 1886, this play explores the possibility that Dummy’s first year in professional baseball with a minor league team in Oshkosh may have been the impetus to the creation of the umpire hand signals that are used today. The play was written in 1986 and has been produced only a handful of times around the country. Co-directors Cherie Ulmer and Jeff Brownson hope to completely integrate ASL Interpretation into the production. By using a one-to-one (or, in some scenes, near-one-to-one) ratio of actor-to-interpreter “shadow interpreting” technique, the goal is to make the ASL interpretation as much a part of the show as the spoken lines. If you are not familiar with shadow interpreting, please visit http://terptheatre.com/ for some exciting examples of how shadow interpreting can enrich a performance. Traditionally, interpreters are “Placed” in one area of the theatre. Deaf patrons are seated nearby, affording them a view of the interpreters from a reasonable distance. Many theatres require interpreters to sit on stools in these locations. Interpreters are sometimes located in other areas of the house, near Deaf patrons seated farther away from the stage. What we find are two people – seemingly isolated in their own world – interacting, but not acting. Dressed in black to blend in, but with brightly lit hands and faces bouncing in the dark, their modern dress is a stark contrast to the reality unfolding on stage – They are the show beside the show. Audiences spend their time split between these two shows. More often than not, Deaf audience members must choose between focusing on the interpreter and seeing the on-stage action. Diverting their attention away from the interpreters results in gaps in the dialogue. To complicate matters, two interpreters sign all the actors’ lines, so Deaf patrons have no choice but to look away from the interpreters to see who is talking on stage. Why would anyone pay full price for less than a full experience? The TheatreTerp perspective: “The premise is that it is possible for Deaf and hearing audience members to enjoy the same show simultaneously. The way the piece is experienced – the modality – may be different; but it is possible to enhance everyone’s experience by making the interpreters “part of” the production, rather than “beside of” it. Shadow interpreting brings dialogue back onto the stage for Deaf patrons. Pentacle Theatre is a non-profit, all volunteer organization. Actors, technical crews, musicians, costumers, builders and painters all volunteer their time in the interest of artistic sharing and fulfillment. The Signal Season of Dummy Hoy is the first Pentacle production to incorporate shadow interpreting for the inclusion and enjoyment of deaf and hearing audiences alike. We hope you would like to be part of this ground breaking artistic endeavor. The Signal Season of Dummy Hoy opens at the Pentacle Theatre on June 1 2012, and runs for 18 performances, closing on June 23. Rehearsals will begin the first week in April and run through May until opening night. A commitment of half the performances from interpreters is requested. For more information, please contact either Cherie Ulmer at cherie_ulmer@comcast.net or Jeff Brownson at jefbro@hotmail.com. See us on Facebook at The Signal Season of Dummy Hoy at Pentacle Theatre for news and updates. Interested interpreters should attend a meeting on Saturday, March 31 at 11:00 a.m. at Pentacle Theatre west of Salem. Acting auditions are 1-4 pm on March 31. Interested interpreters are welcome to stay for the auditions. We look forward to seeing you there! |
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