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ASL-interpreted performance at the Phoenix
By Adrienne Holierhoek
A husband (Jay Mitchell) tries to convince a sweet young girl (Samantha Richard) to be his mistress in this scene from La Ronde, which was performed at the Phoenix Theatre with sign language interpretation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing on Feb. 28. Photo: David Lowes
For the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, the opportunity to experience live theatre in Victoria is a rare occasion. But it’s an experience that has become much more accessible since the Department of Theatre began offering sign language interpretation for performances.
The Phoenix Theatre’s Feb. 28 matinee performance of La Ronde, the turn-of-the-century play about romantic encounters, was interpreted by a two-person team: Deaf interpreter Nigel Howard and hearing interpreter Mary Warner. The duo worked closely together to express the play’s action and the actors’ lines, intent and emotion to the audience in American Sign Language (ASL). From her seat among spectators in the theatre, Warner translated the play to Howard, who stood on stage signing, emoting and literally performing the ASL for the audience. The resulting experience for everyone—whether Deaf or hearing—was an incredibly rich visual presentation of the play.
La Ronde was Larry George’s first time ever to see a play with interpretation even though he grew up with theatre in his family; his mother is an actor. George is Deaf and the president of the Deaf Club in Victoria. He’s never seen his mother in a play with an interpreter. “I’ve only just watched her. It’s not possible for me to really experience plays. Having access through an interpreter is so much better!”
“I am so happy to be here,” says George through an interpreter. “I really enjoyed today and I wish there were more theatre companies that offered this.”
Phoenix Theatre subscriber Mary Beardsmore just happened to be here for the sign language interpretation. “I found it fascinating to see how the interpretation works between the two people.”
“I think it’s a great idea for UVic to be more inclusive,” says Beardsmore. “It’s wonderful to see so many people from the Deaf community here —the wider the audience to attend arts and culture, the better!”
“I really enjoyed watching his expressions and movements,” commented UVic student Marisa Cafik who also didn’t realize this performance would have interpretation.
It wasn’t just the audience who was watching. Actor Natasha Salway, who played the prostitute in La Ronde, was only able to watch Howard’s interpretation when she was back stage. “It was awesome to watch his expressions and see how he interpreted our characters. We weren’t the only ones acting.”
Fourth-year UVic engineering student Tim Lane is Deaf and has attended interpreted theatre in Vancouver and in the United States, but this was his first time at the Phoenix Theatre. “I was really impressed; it was excellent,” says Lane. “It was obviously very popular as the tickets were sold out and I was thrilled to get a last-minute ticket. It was fabulous. I will definitely come again.”
Lane has been involved with Deaf advocacy on campus and assisted with UVic’s Deaf Awareness Week last September. He applauds the university for supporting the interpretation. “I am very impressed that the university is providing these opportunities for the Deaf community. It’s very exciting for Victoria.”
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