Play Group B: Deaf Spotlight (6 plays) and New York Deaf Theater(1 play) Saturday, JuLY 17 6 PM EST

DSL: BOY SCOUT written by Rob Roth and directed by Joshua Castille

PLAY DESCRIPTION:

Robert, a Deaf adult, looks back on his oral childhood and how his first experience away from home affected his relationship with his older brother.

ABOUT PLAYWRIGHT:

Rob Roth has a long history in Deaf theatre, beginning in 1971 with the Chicago Theatre of the Deaf. He produced several plays in ASL in Los Angeles and Seattle and has acted in a grand total of one play – as an heir to a pickle fortune. Writing for theatre is a new and very enjoyable experience for him.

ABOUT DIRECTOR:

Joshua Castille is a Deaf performance artist based out of Los Angeles, California. Josh strives to form meaningful collaborations that explore the boundaries of art. He has worked on various projects in different roles including ASL master, director, actor, set designer, and more. His charming ability to communicate and deliver performance art to both hearing and Deaf audiences allows him to connect to people in a way that is unique and entertaining.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

The video plays/transcripts are the intellectual property of the playwrights.

No copying, saving, sharing of these documents is permitted.

Please respect the creative work of our Deaf Playwrights.

Always contact them for permission first.

DSL: "Oh Sh*t "written by Jevon Whetter & Directed by Dickie Hearts

PLAY DESCRIPTION:

Howard scrambles his way into a second floor bathroom during a Deaf party. He finds himself in a dilemma when a surprise visitor joins him and puts everyone in a compromising situation.

ABOUT PLAYWRIGHT:

Jevon Whetter earned his MFA degree in Producing from American Film Institute Conservatory. At AFI, Jevon worked and produced over fifteen short narrative films and coordinated several fight sequences as Fight Director. Jevon also has a MA degree in Theatre Arts from San Diego State University, graduating with honors.

Jevon’s professional stage experience includes performing and touring with the National Theatre of the Deaf. Jevon performed in several productions at the Deaf West Theatre and made his first professional debut as a director. For ten years, Jevon taught high school drama at California School for the Deaf – Riverside and currently teaches ASL & Deaf Theatre courses at California State University – Northridge, where he wrote and directed several theatrical productions for the stage.

Jevon currently works as a producer, writer, and director for numerous stage and film projects in Los Angeles, where he resides with his wife, Kimberly, and son, Robert.

ABOUT DIRECTOR:

Dickie Hearts (he/him) is a Deaf Gay BIPOC Actor and 3x national film contest winner, based in New York City. His TV credits include Netflix’s Tales of the City (2019) and HBO’s High Maintenance (2020), and stage credits include New York Deaf Theater’s Maple & Vine and IRT’s Stepchild and Please Untranslate Me.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

The video plays/transcripts are the intellectual property of the playwrights.

No copying, saving, sharing of these documents is permitted.

Please respect the creative work of our Deaf Playwrights.

Always contact them for permission first.

DSL: Other -written & directed by Alexandria Wailes

PLAY DESCRIPTION:

A brief glimpse into intimate and complex conversations between mother, her daughter and her two aunts around societal expectations of women, colorism and audism woven through a tapestry of music, body positivity and the claiming of one's space. These conversations take place within two bathrooms.

ABOUT PLAYWRIGHT AND DIRECTOR:

Alexandria Wailes received a 2020 Obie for Sustained Excellence as an Artist and Advocate. She received a Lucille Lortel nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play For Colored Girls.. at The Public. Her career involves Broadway, Off Broadway, TV and film as an actor, director, choreographer and a director of ASL. 

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

The video plays/transcripts are the intellectual property of the playwrights.

No copying, saving, sharing of these documents is permitted.

Please respect the creative work of our Deaf Playwrights.

Always contact them for permission first.

DSL: Plumb Crazy Pipe Dream written by Aimee Chou and directed by Aarron Loggins

PLAY DESCRIPTION:

When an airborne pandemic hits water-afflicted Flint, Michigan, a long-suffering couple must reckon with what it means to move on from the past and build a future.

ABOUT PLAYWRIGHT:

Aimee received a production for HUMANLY POSSIBLE in the inaugural Short Play Festival. Her puppetry screenplay (MOTHERCLUCKER!) debuted amid pandemic-postponed acting roles at American Players Theater, Sound Theatre Company, and Hope Summer Repertory Theatre. She is developing a one-act script to be staged at California State University Northridge.

ABOUT DIRECTOR:

An Illinois native, Aarron Loggins, didn't allow being hard of hearing to limit him from learning American Sign Language by the age of three. His ability to tell stories with his hands and body led Aarron to join and perform with several groups such as, Wild Zappers, National Deaf Dance, Gallaudet Dance and Theater Company, and become the founder of a deaf step team called, Da Jump Back. He has also blossomed as an actor and has been featured across theater, television, and film.

He is a premier entertainer and advocate/activist for the deaf and hard of hearing community. In 2019, he performed the National Anthem during Super Bowl LIII with Grammy-Award Winner, Gladys Knight, along with rising star duo, Chloe X Halle.

​In 2014, Aarron won Mister Deaf United States and went on to become the first African- American to win Mister Deaf International. He has two nicknames called as "Deaf King" and "Mr. International".  

​He's now working to form a future foundation called Believe In YOURSELF to encourage people around the world.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

The video plays/transcripts are the intellectual property of the playwrights.

No copying, saving, sharing of these documents is permitted.

Please respect the creative work of our Deaf Playwrights.

Always contact them for permission first.

DSL: Surprise Guest written by Joey Caverly and directed by Seth Gore

PLAY DESCRIPTION:

An ancient woman named Martha gets ready for her nighttime routine, unaware that someone--or something--is in the same room with her.

ABOUT PLAYWRIGHT:James Caverly has performed at National Theatre of the Deaf, Huntington Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Kitchen Theatre Company, SpeakEasy Theatre Company, and the Broadway revival of Children of a Lesser God. His short play, “Civil Engagement”, has been performed at Deaf Spotlight and Deaf Austin Theatre. His full length play “See No Beast, Hear No Beast, Speak No Beast” was produced at Kent State University at Trumbull.

ABOUT DIRECTOR:

Seth Gore is a Deaf New Yorker. He lives to tell stories, teaching insight on thinking in sign language. Has acted (I Was Most Alive With You, Off-Broadway), and written (anthologies and short stories). Currently designing software for advancement in sign language. 

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

The video plays/transcripts are the intellectual property of the playwrights.

No copying, saving, sharing of these documents is permitted.

Please respect the creative work of our Deaf Playwrights.

Always contact them for permission first.

DSL: Whacked ! written by Kalen Feeney and directed by Michelle Banks

PLAY DESCRIPTION:

Ben, a hitman for hire, executes his hits—but not in the way his employers intended.

ABOUT PLAYWRIGHT:

Kalen Feeney is a writer/actor and studied in England for a Masters in Screenwriting. She taught screenwriting & playwriting workshops to Deaf filmmakers, playwrights, and students in the USA, England, and Canada.  Kalen trained with the American Conservatory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Deaf West Theatre, and toured with National Theatre of the Deaf.

ABOUT DIRECTOR:

Michelle A. Banks is the Artistic Director of Visionaries of the Creative Arts (VOCA).   Her directing credits include VOCA’s short film, A RAISIN IN THE SUN, LOOK THROUGH MY EYES, SILENT SCREAM, Z: A CHRISTMAS STORY, WHAT IT’S LIKE? (One Man Show) and IN SIGHT AND SOUND: DE(A)F POETRY I, II, & III.   

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

The video plays/transcripts are the intellectual property of the playwrights.

No copying, saving, sharing of these documents is permitted.

Please respect the creative work of our Deaf Playwrights.

Always contact them for permission first.

NYDT: #DeafinNYC written by Julia Silvestri, and directed by JW Guido

PLAY DESCRIPTION:

#DeafInNYC is a snapshot of a social, cultural, educational, and political experience of a deaf adult in the city. The story begins with a train ride into the city, and ends with a train ride departing from the city. Through the use of ASL poetry, repetition and symbolism, the content portrays elements of Deaf cultural music making, the hustle and bustle of New York City, and the vibrant and challenging experience of deaf people navigating the city. The main character is a woman, aged 25-40. She is a deaf teacher of the deaf and ASL teacher. There are three additional ensemble characters. The story begins with the teacher on an inbound train into the city, expressing excitement for the day ahead in the city. The day includes four vignettes before returning to the train: a busy street and hectic communication, a signing classroom and complicated dynamics between deaf/hearing ASL/language learners, a deaf town hall meeting, and an ASL Slam poetry event. Although the excursion into a New York City day begins challenges and nuances in deaf communication and education, the strength of NYC Deaf culture is revealed through the elements of community, communication spaces, and ASL performing arts.

ABOUT PLAYWRIGHT:

Julia Silvestri, Ph.D., Ed.S. is an adjunct assistant professor in the Program for Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has worked as an educator and administrator in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. After majoring in creative writing and theatre at Northeastern University, Julia worked as an actress in the Boston-based Show of Hands Theatre Company, studying the craft of ASL playwriting, later applied to developing ASL drama and film programs at a variety of deaf schools, public schools, and university programs. Additional community projects include producing a live ASL TV show in Boston; expanding the ASL Slam poetry society in NYC, collaborating with the NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities on a series of film and civic

ABOUT DIRECTOR:

JW Guido is the Artistic Director for New York Deaf Theatre (NYDT). Since joining NYDT as the Artistic Director in 2012, JW has been focused on creating opportunities for Deaf artists through theatre. He uses these experiences, along with what he will gained from his Ed.D. in theatre education at NYU and to work with TDF as a teaching artist, and as an actor . Acting credits included: Twelfth Nights (Shakespeare at the Park), Train Gone Sorry (Amazon), Soot and Spit (James Castle; Ohio Theatre)

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

The video plays/transcripts are the intellectual property of the playwrights.

No copying, saving, sharing of these documents is permitted.

Please respect the creative work of our Deaf Playwrights.

Always contact them for permission first.