 the friend Adam Hartley. And we're here to welcome you to the final performance of the world premiere production of Visible Language by Mary Reasing and Andy Welter. This has been an extraordinary experience for all of us. It would never have been possible without the collaboration, the co-production between my company Abba and Bard, and the Gallaudet University Theater Dance Program. We want to thank them for being our hosts, for being our collaborators, for all the incredible work that they've done to make this possible. We're very proud and pleased to have been their partner on this production. I wanted to mention that this performance will be followed immediately afterwards by a post-show discussion. This unscripted after chat will start, as I say, about a minute after the show comes back. So please join us for that. I also wanted to mention some of the equipment you see in the house out here is because this performance is being live-streamed broadcast on the web, all across the globe, by HowlRound, the national theater networking site, and a lot of who they call themselves, the theater cons. We're very grateful to them. And we're very grateful to you all for being here to help us do this show right and broadcast it all around the world. So thank you very much to them and to you for being here. I wanted to, again, I wanted to encourage you to turn off your cell phones, please, at this point. And I apologize to the people who are getting inconvenienced in just a moment when I walk across to get to my place for the show, so I can monitor things. But again, thank you so much for coming and enjoy the show. The National College for the Deaf at Kendall Green has grown enormously. In 1857, when I, Edward Minor Gallaudet, became director, we were a school for five desperately poor deaf children. Housed in a shack, I thought that my father's dream that every deaf child receiving education could never come true. To articulate for that visible speech, this hot word to speak features of the deaf and lift our deaf out of their ignorance. The deaf must be educated. They must be young people. Instead, we must enlighten them with reputation. In Washington, lost your touch, distracted by a hydraulic. No small thing, I suppose, but still, you might feel that the field of deaf communication is passing you by. Things are progressing at lightning speed. Well, that's the instructor of articulation around. And wonderful things are put in the deaf college. We're putting a lot of resources into our world program. Students should learn to speak if they can. So never learn to speak. That's her choice. Not mine. Oh, you misunderstand, as always. It's just that articulation in structure is expensive. We must be practical. The college has very few resources. Oh, I think so. My hair. My head aches. I've spoken with General Coswell. Do you know him? A blind man and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. And a strong voice on our board of directors. He thinks that with a little work, the U.S. Congress could be persuaded to increase our subsidy. Not for a donation, of course. We'd rather have you teaching the classics, the old odyssey and a need. Ah, you don't lack for admission. Good luck, lad. This is one of Kendall Green's most promising young men. Ah, yes, it has what it takes to become a great scholar and a teacher. Hey, I have higher hopes for him. It is such a shame that he does not speak. If he did, he could teach at a first class institution. Now I suppose he must resign himself to a post at a deaf school in the Internet. Oh, thank you for starting a teacher's college at Kendall Green. Yes, I think it's time to increase the number of truly skilled teachers of the deaf. It's the most urgent need, as I'm sure your wall paper is. Oh, who would argue? So you will be training your deaf students to become teachers of the deaf? No, no. Deaf students will be admitted to the teacher's college that would kill our oral program. Deaf teachers cannot teach at the duration. Ah, good thought. We'll come to our next Wednesday evening, soiree. Mrs. Bell would be quite trust with me if I neglected to ask you. The little deaf reading those letters of medicine that's published in the newspaper. She's quite the job. Oh, she's really the most wonderful thing. The fellows from the Geographic Society are going to quiz her. There should be very interesting stuff. Such a fascinating case. Well, I will check my schedule, Alec. And it is the most intriguing case, especially for an oralist such as yourself. No deaf-blind child is ever been taught to speak. Without sight or hearing, signs are the only possible method. To use my father's visible speech system to teach Helen Keller to speak. Yes, yes. You are going to teach a deaf child who is blind to speak. Well, that is amusing. You had been away from the field of deaf communication all too long. You don't think I can do it? Honestly. Honestly. Well, no, I do not think it will succeed. You are a good teacher. But no, no. How little you know me. I'm not only that good, I will teach her to speak. By next Wednesday. And not just articulation, but articulation, modulation, I have grids on. In fact, in fact, in fact, I will have her demonstrate her speech to the geographic society. On Wednesday. Yes. Well, that's only nine days away. Well, Miss, I will have to see the great Dr. Bell embarrassed. Please tell Mrs. Bell to add me to the top of the list of attendees. Well, do please bring your lovely wife. We see her so rarely. One would think you weren't married at all. Sorry to disappoint. Mrs. Galladette is tucked away in hospital. She's with the children on our summer home. The Washington heat you're going to meet. And also, I really must be going. And I imagine you need to get busy right away, so much to do. Always. But that's the cost of progress. And we must all do our part to move the world forward. The stapler, the postage stamp, antiseptics, the staking pin, the telegraph, the elevator, the internal composting engine, the machine gun, dynamite, the telephone, the photograph, the fountain pen, toilet, air, paper, after is made strong, the coffee pot, the dishwasher, the sewing machine, the typewriter, radar, contact lenses, electrical, magnetic, ducts are on. Matches, acrobatics, made in formula, potato chips, basketball, Christmas white, the refrigeration made of it. The 9th grade, 18, 19. My father teaches his deaf wife to sign. Fathering, that's the best. 9th grade, 20, 10th grade, 10th grade, 10th grade, 10th grade. Should be a victim. Should be a private victim. Victoria, antiseptic. I feel the gorgeous new captain. It's his child. It should be, it should be a private victim. She would like to feel it, OK? With me, he blinded me. Soon the boys will be lining up outside your door with roses, fighting for the privilege of making you their new wife, Mary, someone as brilliant as you are. It is the duty of gifted women to marry brilliant men and have gifted offspring of eugenics. I want to kind of love as much as you and Focka. Helen, you're signing. It's vastly improved. Oh, and I have truly loved the letters in braille you have sent me. How sweet your thoughts are. It means so much to me to have you communicate. So do you mind that I had your letters to be published in that New York paper? The press loves you so. Now, well, Ms. Dalloway, the time has come to start working together on Helen's articulation. Oh, do you really think I can learn to speak to my sister, to my mother, to my dear little doggie? Of course you can. But why, when Mrs. Bell was about your age, she learned to speak in only a few months. Isn't that right, ma'am? You only want to teach her. Oh, as you mentioned, the press, Helen, hears. A very special journalist has contacted me. She wishes to interview you. Yes, yes. Have you ever heard of Siri? Oh, the press. Yes, to be sure. Well, perhaps you might meet with her tomorrow. Yes. You have loved Helen, I can't say before you. Mrs. Siri makes people say. I don't think it's appropriate that you need to jump right in. But these more say nonsense, Mrs. Bell non-sense. We mustn't charge it. She's a perfectly lovely woman and a very influential journalist. Now, and speaking of Helen's adorable public, I think we should do some sort of demonstration of Helen's speech for the Geographic Society next Wednesday evening. Several journalists will even be attending on a little soiree. And Ms. Sullivan? Well, I think I'm a little hasty. Helen's a smart girl. We adjourned to the bar. To me, the operation on saying this, Bell and her adorables, it involves a special thing that needs to be loved. And it is always a way for new ways to educate the people. Who needs to translate for such a speech? An esteemed colleague and benefactor. A system of visible speech was invented by my father, A. Melville Bell, Professor of Vocal Physiology. It constitutes a new system of phonetic writing, based not upon sounds themselves, but upon the actions of vocal organs in producing them. Visible speech is intended to produce accurate articulation by both the deaf and the hearing of every language known to them. Now, I want to make clear that visible speech takes no part in the contest between articulation on the one hand and signs and manual alphabets on the other. Rather, as my father, Melville Bell, has stated so clearly so many times, he is a means by which one can produce perfect articulation from deaf use. Make use of it as you choose. Now, as you may know, the visible speech system is not necessarily associated with lip reading. But the symbols can materially assist deaf pupils by showing them what to look for in the mouths of hearing persons. Next, another word. Yes. To do this system, every deaf ear can learn to speak. That is our hope. So far, hundreds of deaf youth have learned to speak using the system. Thank you. How long would you say it takes to master this system? Well, it varies. Among the profoundly deaf, most students learn some words almost immediately, but full mastery can and should take several years. Articulation instruction should not be hurry. After all, a hearing child takes several years to learn to speak and many more to speak correctly. Thank you. Would you say articulation is a five-year process? A five years is a good estimate. Five years, eh? That long. And only hearing teachers can teach articulation? That is correct. There's no doubt reduced by now. Sign language is easier to acquire than speech. However, the beauty of this system is that once you put your mouth in the positions indicated by the sounds, you cannot help but make the sound represented. All right, now look at the chart behind me. You will notice the outline of a face turned to the right has been drawn and a representation of the inside of the mouth has been added. Now, as you can see, there are three fundamental positions of the tongue. One involves the back part of the tongue. The second involves the middle part of the tongue. And the third involves the front and back of the tongue, like so. Back, and we combine these tongue positions with three degrees of approach, high, mid, and low, like so. We slightly altering these sounds by rounding the lips. We then are able to make 18 distinguishable noises. With a few slight alterations to these 18 sounds, we can reproduce any sound in any language on the 18 consonants, on the seven consonants. Drainish, weak, Swahili, Dio. And can this system be taught in a large classroom such as this? Well, with most articulation methods, visible speech is best taught one on one. Currently, I am working one on one with Miss Pellin Keller. And who could argue with money? Oh! Thank you, Dr. Bell, that was a very enlightening. Students, progress along the new dormitories. I will exhibit written reports from each of you on Dr. Bell's presentation. Please give them to Mr. Adams on Monday. Speed will connect you to the hearing world. Allow you to teach both deaf and hearing students. To explore new careers, better support your families and become an agent. Change. Very humorous indeed. But we all have things to say and I, for one, believe the world needs to hear it. 13 year old wants to speak. How's he coming along, little Miss Pellin? A minor, actually. Oh, so she's already speaking. Today's Friday. Very interesting. I'm so looking forward to next Wednesday. I hope you've been magnificent. If Enel's here could observe you teaching Pellin Keller, he would learn so much. Your own eyes. Oh, much at all. Enel's. Today, while the closing of the lips and a gentle puffing, the tongue is how the sound should rise from the back to the right so. I'm sorry that we are late. A Trump waste, please read this. Let's give your eyes a break for once. How far, thinking of this newspaper, to hire a Catholic boy who knows sign? Oh, we're in the middle of a century of progress. Perhaps soon every workplace will have employees who speak sign. However, in this case, it's pure coincidence. His father is deaf. Like many deaf men in the nation's capital, he works downstairs with the printing machines. The infernal racket of the machines doesn't bother them, you see. All right, time is fleeting. Let's jump right in. You mind if I type all the top? I've written down some questions for you. Helen, I expect you'll want to feel my face. I'm so worried. You want it to be a teacher of the deaf. Oh, well, wanted to be a teacher. So you don't like teaching? Well, it's not that I don't like teaching. It's a burden to you? It's not a burden. It's easy then. Anyone could do it? Easy? Work from dawn to dusk translating for it are never stealing. It's exhausting. You wish you weren't Helen Keller's teacher. You wish you would never better. No! As you put words in Helen's hands, well, please translate. Helen, now that you can read and write, what are your plans for the future? In the fall, I will attend the printing school for the fly, where it will be my great pleasure to study literature, languages, and history. And after you graduate? Hope to meet the man of my dreams. I wish to return to dearest Alabama. Mary, have many, many children. Cats, dogs, and sweet little goats. There is no such thing as the man of your dreams. You're a writer. I read your letters in the newspaper. They were quite good. Yes, I love to write. It gives me such pleasure to express my thought to the world. Do you like your typewriter? Do you think I could use one? Of course you can learn to use a typewriter. So tell me more about your views of marriage. Does it hurt your fingers to type? Is it terribly difficult to learn how? The dang glass the typewriter. My daughter loves it too. Yes, you can try out the typewriter, but under one condition. Oh! One condition, you must promise not to marry until you have fulfilled your dreams. And, Mrs. Searing, I hardly think that that is appropriate. But, Mrs. Searing, you are married yourself. I'm divorced. Always check your fat child. And to be a divorcee is a bad thing. My husband dragged me all around the country from post to pole. We nearly destroyed my writing career. He has left me and my daughter without any money and in quite a difficult situation. And my husband is a good man. Don't understand. Trust your brains, women, not your emotions. I like boys. I like the way they smell. Yes, that is always the problem. We all like the way men smell. Now, all this is very interesting, but hardly newsworthy. Let's get back to the matter, Pam. Many have said that you are not very smart and that Anselden makes up all of your answers. How do you feel about that? And we really must talk about the future's color. Absolutely! Chairman Randall! How do you see you're looking so well? I feel greatly improved, greatly improved. I don't believe all those rumors you've heard about me and Councilman. They are balderdash. I hear you have ambitious ideas to share with the committee. God's work is always ambitious. True. I'd like this meeting to come to order. The supervisory committee has refused your projected budget for the coming year. We printed in our representatives that they sustained Kendall Green's funding at the current level. It also voted to recommend an increase in your tuition subsidy and to allow another 10 scholarship students to be admitted to the college. And I'll turn the meeting over to President Gallagher. Thank you, Chairman Randall. At this point, I would like to put forth an idea that I think will excite you all. As you know, over the past 35 years, the national cause for deaf youth at Kendall Green has grown enormously. In 1857, we were a school for five desperately poor deaf children, housed in a shack. Today, in 1891, we are an accredited college with a large body of accomplished students. We are an architectural treasure on 96 blended acres with a view of the capital. The band architect, Frederick Law Olmsted himself, designed our campus. But now is the time to create, to embrace another challenge. Now is the time to seize the leadership role in deaf education. Now is the time to create a new generation of American educators, American teachers of the deaf. These energetic and forward-thinking young teachers will lift our deaf out of their ignorance and bring them fully into knowledge of their rights and responsibilities in the modern world. Kendall Green has a destiny. A destiny become a beacon of light for all those unfortunate American children who do not have access to education and also denied access to religion, morality, and God's righteousness. Kendall Green can lead the nation. And yes, the world. You ladies and gentlemen seated at this table are the angels of that destiny. Your strength and your vision. Our money. Your vision, your vision will go down in history. Our teachers college at Kendall Green, dedicated to the latest teaching methods, the best hygiene, and the highest moral standards will change the world for all the unfortunate deaf throughout this great nation of ours. All in the government dollar, I assume. Well, partly at least. Mr. Bachelor, the parent of one of our brightest students has contributed generously to the project. But it is not nearly enough. We're certainly hoping New York's government can chip in its share. More money. We just voted to increase your subsidy. Kendall Green is part of the public trust. The superiority of our college reflects the superiority of this great nation. This has to stop. The US Congress is not a path pocket. Endlessly filled with money to be handed out to whoever asks. I work for the greater good. The education of our youth is vitally important. And God's work is best done by educated minds. I don't have an education. I seem to work just fine. New educators are out of touch with real people. Traves, that's what we need to fund. Traves, a self-sustaining trade school for the deaf in their dependency on handouts. Printing, woodworking, metal smithing, law I see. Teaching, teaching is a trade for the deaf. But teaching is a trade. A teacher's college may not admit deaf students. But no. No. No! The Appropriations Committee has had enough. I do not think that you have it. I think you will be pleased, very, very pleased by a plan for the college, our mission for the nation. You will be pleased, very, very pleased by the goodness of our students, the goodness of our children. Public money. I'll say it with money. Public money. Go on, let's do it together. Let's do it together. But the two of us have to make one point. The two of us have to make one point. And the two of us have to make one point. And the two of us have to make one point. This is such a righteous legacy. I'm here to accept the promise of your love You will be free, I'll be strong Every share is for the other Why is it more than the love you've ever given You're close and fragile Just love is love Why is it more than the love you've ever given I'm here to accept the promise of your love Hope is more than the love you've ever given What's more than the love you've ever given Did you say? I've got to catch up with the rest The same formation as P The main difference is that the nasal passage is open By depression of the soft Is among the most songs of the elements of speech For A, as with E The tongue is high Now the tongue is directed to the front of the mouth But not so close to the gum as E Like so A But a short time that day And I am due with a bowl of puro And three of a pie It sure is womanliness and doneness to sin Gallaudet is a hover As did Thomas Edison Who claimed that he invented the tunnel Deaf students would be admitted to the teacher's college And look green As on the appropriations committee That it is to be a trained school He will destroy deaf education in America if I let him He will look deaf, child learns to speak I believe that I can teach her to speak Oh, is that coming along dear? You seem a little frustrating to Helen Helen will learn to speak But it's only four days left until the due brackets Decide to meet me Helen will learn to speak Let's proceed A letter from President Harrison Oh, these American leaders are such wonderful men So friendly, so democratic He and Mrs. Harrison read Helen's letters in the newspaper And found them very uplifting And in this economy He enclosed a note for you From Mrs. Harrison It looks like an invitation Oh, oh my Oh, Mrs. Harrison wants me to jump into the White House On Wednesday She hopes that I can play To relax, to exercise her imagination She has a child who put too much pressure on her Now they can have a stage Elsie and Daisy feel what delights At the time he spent with Helen They feel what makes that big Our daughters, make that big Oh, fine me Well, I shall go outside right now And tell them how much I love them I hope to join in on whatever Daisy girl hates their playing Elsie, Daisy Helen Elsie, Daisy Helen Oh, stop Oh, I need to pay you my taxes Our limit is the class The funding for teacher training And Kendall Green The teachers of the debt And he told me he would not do that To all schools of the country With the teachers' college President Gallaudet The primary schools of this country For the simple reason that debt teachers cannot Teach articulation Countries who oppose any and all legislation Funding the teachers' college And Kendall Green Sincerely I'll examine Graham Bell Very good Dear Professor Fett Several months back When I read the proposed bill To fund the teachers' college I completely agree with Dr. Gallaudet As to the desirability of the establishment Of a school of education that Kendall Green But when I told Dr. Gallaudet That I objected to the wording of the bill Which implied that only debt students Would attend the teachers' college He refused to change it Therefore I, in all my colleagues Including Gallaudet, Graham Bell Must oppose this bill Very respectfully Zenus Westerville Principal Western New York To avoid debt mutes Preposterous! That's an insult Bell and his rich cronies Are trying to destroy my reputation I must inform the faculty Here at the meeting with the ladies of the room That Gallaudet isn't choosing you Of his honesty He told students and faculty As a public attending That you are spreading untruth About the teachers' college Fuck me! Gallaudet's the one who said one thing And laughing conference for another It's a tragedy I mean, he was a wonderful statesman I won't miss him exactly But that blasted Joseph Penn Is next in line to become Chairman of the committee Who's never been a supporter of Kendall Green Ah, I've been waiting for this It's time to cut the fat From the appropriation bills And I'm afraid President Gallaudet And his cronies will be surprised By the pain they will feel That deaf college is a constant drain Of the national economy I'll give you a squeeze This note is from one of Sarah Kennedy's I'm going to testify Against the School of Education At Kendall Green I have swayed the sector They've bought in committee To table funding for the teachers' college Health, fire, and damnation I can't let Bell win My father's dead son Teach the deaf to speak Mother said, son Honor your mother Good son Can't he leave Spree, shake his face And to her back Understand he'll leave Double the weight of the road It's hardly too small The tongue is low In the back of the mouth And the cavity behind the tongue Is wide That pleases me And your father, Mr. Harden How is he? He's run well He's done his regards Oh, please let me introduce My dear Helen Alive Since we were both children But credit will be Her ears and her voice today Oh, delighted I'm sure And may I introduce Miss Anne Sullivan And Miss Helen Teller My dear Helen I understand that you're a very nice speech Can you say something to her? Oh, would she really know How you feel about her, too? Actually Oh, well This is heritage Do you mind if Helen Feels so nice So she can see you? I would be in song But she did not Never had a kind of heart I built this house And this was so popular And my trust don't go Still, the new sewers That the district commission Has installed Should too help drive In top of it Should help with the rats And the mice too Mrs. Harris In your face I'm President Harris And my son And his father And I am certainly that Well, I trust yesterday The trustee that Johns Hopkins University Came to me to see If I would help raise money Than any man of allowed women To become medical students Women can go to college? I did And I hope that you will I am deaf and blind That's just logistics Just logistics? Come now, ladies Let's have a scary telling We must look to the new generation There is program dust As we leave a century behind We as women Educator See the Johns Hopkins age And any modern woman Needs education Oh, heaven Imagine what a first class Educator could do for you To which degree For me I understand that you love dance Come outside with me To see my little Missy Her popular show The Creation Committee A dear-wide label Covered well Easily passing Because of her adeptness And articulation And lip-reading Of her teacher Pleased for the speaking young men At the National College Who are placed under deaf teachers With deaf companions Their speech will wither away Leaving them trapped in a deaf world Therefore I urge You to kill this bill In committee The citizens of this great nation Should not fund a major step Backwards in deaf education Thank you Honourable Before we move on I would like to recognize that Kerry Harrison, the first lady Of the United States Has just entered the house Welcome, dear lady President Calamette Would you like to make your bubble now? I'm not members of the committee I find I am a good deal agreed It is a pitiful spectacle To see a man of natural generous impulses Such as Dr. Bell Given over to partisan spite Bell's statements to you Are full of garbled statements And misrepresentations She, President Calamette She, come to order Come to order Hear me I firmly believe That every deaf student who can Should learn to speak Like Kendall Green We do teach both sign language And articulation That's not what I hear That's where your parents pass through Furthermore At our teachers college Only hearing students will be admitted We will train only those Who can hear to teach the deaf No No You can't do this I must train as a teacher To my dream Gallaudet clearly told his lab That he could attend the teacher's college Order I say Artification President Gallaudet I'm sure Chairman Randall told me The purpose of the teacher's college Was to supply the deaf with the training Sir, there seems to be a misunderstanding I think not Well, no deaf students will be admitted To the teacher's college No The only misunderstanding Was what I talked to you Are you saying President Gallaudet That your deaf student At the national college for the deaf Will become a teacher of the deaf? Sir, you twist my words I move for a vote on this matter All in favor of putting the bill To fund the teacher's college In front of the whole house Of representatives Vote I The names have it The motion fails Thank you all You misunderstood me back there It's all politics Only politics Nothing against you It's not personal It's hearing men and the great schemes For us to vote My mind What a pickle I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry What a pickle They introduced you To representative Joseph Cannon From Illinois and his lovely wife Mr. Cannon has just become Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee I was so sorry to hear Mr. Reynolds have to be such a Thanks to the chair My wife, maybe, I'm delighted What a pleasure Now I hear you have a beautiful new job Oh I'm sorry President Callagdans I'm from Mayas Pardon? You've got your school of education Fronted after all My understanding is that you Still funding for the teacher's college Right, Mayas? Who was in your request for articulation Funding for what? You misunderstand Now we use that My soul-interpreting teacher About articulation of the college Faculty who will teach At the teacher's college True And also teach all of the other subjects At the teacher's college Yes And here is our brilliant First student Looks like we lost this round Too bad old chap If we could all come to order I would like to begin Our evening's investigation Thank you all For coming tonight I think you know What pleasure it brings me To hold these weekly scientific Meetings for the members Of the Geographic Society And our friends As you will see When you peruse the latest edition Of Science Our little investigations And conversations here Seem to spark the most Fantastic developments But tonight's subject Is Deaf Education Now there are Many methods of Deaf Communication Some taught at the Private institutions Across the nation And some at the subsidized Public college here In the nation's capital Although we advocates Of Deaf education do not Always agree There is no argument That great strides Have been made During this amazing century In the various methods Of Deaf communication One product of these advances Is the subject of today's Investigation As a demonstration Ms. Helen Keller Has kindly agreed To let us quiz her today On the subject of geography I will begin My dear Ms. Keller Did the Greeks believe The earth to be flat Or spherical in shape? Let me say What an honor it is To be here tonight Along the brightest stars Of the District of Columbia Scientific minds How warmly the glow Of your spirits Lights the room How delightful Your questioning souls In the year 240 BC The Greek astronomer Thaustides And Xandria Used a shadow stick To prove that the earth was round He also developed the system Of latitude and altitude Oh yeah! President Gallagher We concede My dear Ms. Keller On which continent Does the Ottoman empire lie? capital, Constantinople, which sits in both Europe and its cousin Asia. The Ottoman Empire stretches from ancient Anatolia to the part of Asia. Miss Keller, what is the genus and species of penguin that inhabits the North Pole? Mr. Cannon, there are no penguins up North Pole. They live at the South Pole. I believe you are thinking of the tufted poppies. What a wonderful surprise for us. I will not ruin it, but simply let her. Shall we say it? Speak for herself. Proceed, Helen. In Montenegro, the bottom empty tree is dead. That's numbers. Congratulations, old man. Wonderful. Helen's speech. Gladden my heart. Yes. Thank you. She's a treasure. She's one child. Intellectual capability is far superior to that of an ordinary child. I've always knew that. I didn't really play fair. I could never teach any other child to speak in ten days. It just can't be done. The game is not always fair and you did it this once. You taught a deafblind girl to speak. Amazing. Communication is such a wonderful thing in all of its ways. All of its ways. Oh, man, I am sorry for our misunderstandings of the last week. I may have been hasty in my judgment of YouTube and my passions may have made me lose my head. Reynolds, I'm glad that you will get trained as a teacher despite what's never about you. To you and our craft, Reynolds, it was mainly so. Yes. Dr. Bell. Yes, my dear. I want to become a great man. I want to lead to a prince on the side of time. You want to be a great man. Why not a great lady? Well, I want future generations to remember me and not just as a deaf and blind girl. I think you can be like a world, even a pirate. Someday it is my destiny, precisely. Back to the park. She wants to communicate. She wants to sing. I, USC, avant-garde, is pretty much the best premiere musical. We feel very privileged to bring it to you with our friends here at Gallaudet University. After chat begins to let you know what else is going on this season. This weekend, we opened a play called There is a Happiness That Morning Is at our residence theater called Theater on the Run in Arlington, Virginia. We had the last year's DC Fringe Festival and we're excited to bring it back to a wider audience. This December, avant-garde turns 25 and we're celebrating our anniversary by bringing you that timeless holiday classic, a Klingon Christmas Carol. The Language of Star Trek. This February, we're teaming up with Lean and Hungry Theater to present Shakespeare's A Fellow and we close our season with a brand new translation of the Mad Woman of Chaillot. It's French. It's down and dirty. It is everything that avant-garde loves about theater. We hope that you'll be able to join us for one of these other productions this year. Now, we're a small nonprofit theater company and we rely on the kindness of strength. As you exit the theater, either before the after chat or if you choose to stick around, there will be two beautiful actors begging at the door. Those of you joining us through our HowlRound livestream, you're also welcome to make a donation through our website at avantgarde.org. That's right, everybody. If you have anything else that you can possibly give. Ladies, if your coin pouches are bursting at the zipper seams, gentlemen, if your money bags are weighing down your pockets, we will accept whatever you can possibly give. We'll take your pocket lint, your paper clips, your pennies, nickels, singles, 20s, personal checks. We're not at this time except credit cards, except for online, but in person, we are working on it. We hope that you will stick around for our after chat today. They've been exceptional discussions. And if you don't, we hope to see you in the future. Please stay warm and have a wonderful holiday season. Thank you. This must have been very distracting. Thank you all so much for a couple of very special guests. First of all, Mary Reesings, playwright and historian. She's the curator of an exhibit here on campus right now. She helped us with some of the historical research and wrote wonderful laws over the history behind this play. I usually turn it over to Mary first in these cultural discussions, but actually I'd like to start with Mary Reesings. And actually, first, let's go around and let's introduce ourselves over here. Starting over here with Ray. Ray? Hi, I play Needle. My actual name is Ray. I play May. My name is Heidi Street. I play Jacob. And my name is Jose. I'm Tom Baldridge. I play Meyer, President Gallaudet, and I'm honored to be here today. It's great to be here. This is incredible. WSC out on Calard and also, I started to ask, Mary Reesings, can you talk to us a little bit about how you got started writing this story? The story is how we struggled to communicate when we were in Armenia and how the Armenians who speak a language not only about 2 million people were struggling to communicate with the outside world. That sort of brings you closer to what you hear on stage and historical character. Can you cite a couple of examples of that? There's quivering. It's actually certainly most of the ideas we're coming from. Meredith, would you like to talk a little bit about how you started out this play and historical background? What you see here is a combined of actually several years as opposed to two weeks of the play of the play. It's the purpose of the audience to understand what's happening in a short time span, but it does so everything. There are some obstacles you need for artistic purposes. For example, the communication style for home colors just has to be designed to use finger spelling and recognition. But the purpose of the audience to have them be able to understand when you use sign, plus when you use the hand to think it's down so that the sign can be more clear to the eye. And the character as well, who's a mix of different people, real people, yes, and what a real person is. He was asked from an American student here, and he's actually the second half of the American student here, but he's fresh. So that character is a mix of several different students who went through that same experience. And so that was all he was looking for. Do you want to talk about the cartoon? Oh yes, one of the people. So maybe when you were watching the play, you noticed that having two characters in the back, you may be wondering why they were different. This actually happened in Washington, D.C. They were the new favor of course, leaders. And they were aware of the debate that was going to happen between Gallaudet and Bell on that level. So they were in a political cartoon, and you'll see Bell on the right and Minor on the left. And that was actually taken from a contemporary cartoon and put into the set. The set was, as you know, the program was designed by Ethan Sennett, who was the chair of the department theater dance program here at Gallaudet. And it was, is he over there? Is he hiding? Is he? There he is. Ethan has been my partner in crime in this whole project. We have worked very closely together. And I can tell him how thankful I am, how grateful I am to this program for this opportunity to make it as possible. And I'll go far. You heard Kerry's speech after the show about how cool we are, how small we are. It's all true. And so it would not have been possible if we hadn't been able to team up and work together on this project. Thank you. You're more than welcome. Thank you to Abba Farr for bringing this idea to us a long time ago. It was a year ago when Farr believed that we could work together for a year, and here it is coming to fruition. So congratulations. I meant to mention that this whole power around live stream broadcast and discussion is being captioned by the National Caption Institute. So it's been streaming and captioning this whole time. And they've asked me when you have questions or comments for me to repeat them so that people can hear it on the camera and so forth. So I'd like to turn it over to you all. We call them unscripted after Jetson. It's exactly what they are. Totally, totally unscripted. So ask whatever you would like. Yes. Yes. I feel very much at a disadvantage because I don't find, but I want to say that this was the most effective production. The blocking was very clever. The music was lovely. And you were all so committed to your parts. It was a joy. Erin, Erin, you are a dancer, my dear. Thank you very much. And if I could respond to that, I did grow up in advance. I've always been involved in music, and that's been part of me for this 14-year course. So now 15 years involved in music. So thanks for those comments. The question was about A.D. Bell's involvement in the conference. Our biggest conference in the live. Was he influential? Erin? He actually closed the conference. There were plenty of orders there. There was only one deaf American man, and it really was, well, about 10 years ago, there were plenty of orders. Yes. My son, who is 15, is starting to take ASL for the first time. And I wondered if there's some sort of a version program or something like that that you all might have for the summer. The question is, is there a charging program for ASL here at Gallaudet University? This can come as part of a jump-start program, and there they offer four weeks of signing and 10th grade ASL courses. They have peer coaches, peer mentors, to help learn, like, how to hit slides, and I'll put two speech, the 18th of American Sign Language. So if that's a good start for you, it's right before the fall semester starts. Get a B.L.S. campus, and then by the mid-semester, there you need writing to go. I have a quick question, though. For the high school student, do you want to know if there's an immersion program for that? For your son? Yeah. Okay, so if you have a learning program like that, I'm not completely sure. I was wondering about the historical accuracy of the scene towards the end, where Helen Keller is giving her presentation to the National Geographic Society. And how that was received, what the historical record says about how that went. Thank you. So the question was about the historical accuracy of the scene towards the end, where Helen Keller is giving her presentation to the National Geographic Society. And how that was received, what the historical record says about how that went. So the question was about the final scene really of the play at the meeting of the National Geographic Society, and whether that actually took place, and how Helen Keller's presentation was received. Let's thank you when I say that this was at the very beginning of Helen Keller's career as a public speaker and inspirational speaker. But she did it all the time. She did it all the time for the rest of her life. At this time she's still, she's just beginning her education. She goes on to become a major leader in politics. She becomes a socialist, a feminist. She does all kinds of huge advocacy for the people that she chose. She chose advocacy for the blind. But at the very beginning, this is where she's learning to become an advocate and learning to present herself to the public. And Alexander Graham Bell was a third generation teacher of elocution, both his father and his grandfather, toward the world, giving thoughts. And he, Alexander Graham Bell certainly had been very young, so he just expected that everyone could get out and speak. In fact, the Gallaudet students of this era often were expected to get out and speak. Helen Keller did well to speak. She did work with Helen Graham Bell on her stage. But it was a long process for her. There's actually a YouTube video. If you actually watch that film online of Helen Keller, she says that her biggest regret in life is that she couldn't speak clearly. She'd be understood by people who knew her privately, but not by the general public. And she did say that that was her biggest regret in life. Mostly for Thomas Miranda because generally for anybody in the cast who played a historical figure, what kind of research did you do to play those roles? To play Gallaudet, to play Helen Keller, and to play, you know, to her play. What kind of research did it take to portray these famous characters? There was a book written about this, debates between Bell and Gallaudet. I read that book and it gave me a great insight into Gallaudet's aspirations that he first wanted to be involved in business. He wanted to become rich. He tried that out, found it was a good fit. His mother was deaf. He'd grown up in a deaf school that his father had founded. And he found that deafness is niche. And as a young man to go to school here and within seven years and managed to make it into college and within a few years after that had the funds for these magnificent buildings. And he's a very self-confident, very ambitious man, but also a firm believer in his philosophy of education and what he wanted to provide to the deaf community. Also that he did support speech among deaf people if they could. But not to the exclusion of learning other things per sign language. There were actually a lot of books that were about Helen Keller, but it was turned later in life. And so I was trying to focus on her childhood before she turned 13. So there wasn't a lot of research out there. People grow so much in those long years, but I want to make sure to keep that in mind. Helen Keller met Anne Golden when she was seven. So I really focused on this time period of seven to 13 and how it was brought. It was still very early, very emotional. She could behave herself in public, but any way that she could still kind of cause that mischief. She wanted to take advantage of the opportunities that were out there. So the typewriter was to do that, stop the speech, knowing that it bothered other people, but everything was normal. So she was trying to keep life, but took advantage of what she did and what she didn't want. So I had to find that happiness and some fun in there, too. So I just sort of made up my own common sense. And I played Annie Silver, which is a great joy for me. I had a lot of people recommend to me when I told them that I was playing this role, and that I watched the miracle worker and he's the know how things. And I did not do that, because I wanted to derive a character from the direct source material, which I consider to be Helen Keller's autobiography, as well as the book, which I think focuses on a very fascinating, fundamental time in Ansel's life, where she does not realize that she is, in fact, going to be a part of Helen Keller's life for the rest of how greatly influential that's going to be. So as far as my research, I talked to Mary quite a bit about this period of Ansel's life, and I read parts of Helen Keller's autobiography, which is beautiful. And the most striking part of the book that I read that really influenced my performance is when a chapter in which Helen describes an incident where after, young and still young and her childhood when Ansel tells her, I love you, she spells out into Helen Keller's head, I love you. And Helen does not understand, she does not comprehend what that phrase means. And it takes more months for her to understand and to view that knowing that Ansel of it loved Helen Keller as a child, as her own child in a way was hugely influential to my understanding of their relationship. Anybody else? Next question. Yes. I was curious how you worked to recreate the old style of sign language and how you made the decision that Mrs. Bell would have a very clear articulation. There was a gentleman, there is a gentleman named Aaron Cooney who served as the director of artistic sign language for this production, meaning, it was his responsibility, I'm sorry he's not here. So it was his job to make sure that the, that the signing kind of, and Marin's words, split the difference between what it would have been authentically in the 1890s, and of course language change and grow and evolve over time. So some of those signs are no longer done the same way, it's not the same language more. I think it was his job to split the difference between then and now, so that the audience could appreciate it and follow along. But at the same time have that sort of slightly antique quality to it at various times. So I'm sorry he's not here for the rest of the question as far as making a bell. So Mabel had speech before illness in her death when she was five years old, and in the research for the play and in conversations with the production team, we discovered that there was no clear evidence that she spoke with what could be considered like a death accent. History says that she has a bit of a weird tone to her voice, but you don't want to interpret that in a way that could particularly be a death accent. So for the purpose of this play and knowing that through the reading she could be understood in society, we chose, we elected to have her speak, I spoke clearly. And it was an artistic choice, and so it could really go in a way that I was thinking that you would like to follow up with. Yeah, I think one of the interesting things was she's from Boston, and so one of the things that we discussed a lot about is that you have a Boston accent. Yeah, and similarly, we discussed whether or not he's Scottish, but then his parents taught, his father taught Elocution. So what was his, and he grew up partly in Canada. So what was his accent? It was... It was his stuff. But whenever you do play this play, or any other play, you really don't want the accent to get in the way of telling this story. So that's, this is where we arrived. And there was, just from speaking as a director, there is a lot going on in this play that has to do with different modes of communication, different styles of communication, to layer onto that too thick an accent for any one character with, you know, kind of muddiest a little bit, I think. And so we, as people were saying, we made the choice, conscious choice, to not go that route, to let the different forms of communication that are already in evidence on the stage speak for themselves. Yeah, one instance of that was lower-registering. That is the single-core-registering where lower-registering actually likes to write back and forth. Do you know what I'm talking about? Or to write. I don't know why, but I think she wrote because she was a journalist and she was interviewing a lot of people who wanted to know. And she was definitely deaf, and all of a sudden when I gave her the information she needed to write on our notes, I think she didn't know. Well, there were perhaps a lot of people who she was interacting with, just to find out. Yeah, probably. Yeah, but anyway, in the scene, we tried it at some point with her just writing back and forth, and it became so complicated to do on stage. Even with the cheating, it resulted in what, to me, is one of the most notable scenes in the play. It kind of capitalizes the struggle to communicate where you have one character over here typing away and then handing off notes, written notes to somebody who voices it and somebody else who's signing. Sorry, so in that one little scene, you have kind of in a nutshell, really improved right now. Let's see, I think I had somebody up here, and I'll go back to you just now. Are you yourself visually impaired? You didn't have a deaf language at all in the play. I thought it was very actually interesting. Actually, Aaron, our coach, Aaron Cee, is also a comfort with one, so he works as a CGI as well. So he's focussed with us in terms of that, figuring out what he's working on in the play, and what would happen back then, how deaf-language people are more able to touch, for example, if I was to use the other sentence. So that's really how I learned to compare in the play. I'm curious why you chose to turn this play into a musical. I was commissioned to write musicals. I was commissioned to write musicals, so I wrote a musical. That's how I did it. Specifically, there was a theatre company called Open Circle Theatre Company Theatre that does generally very large cast plays, and I believe it's still a bit... Susie Richard was here last night, so I was commissioned last night, that she basically said you might be a large cast musical with a lot of roles for deaf actors. Yeah, and I think the thing that I think differently from what they had done in the past is, what they had is, they would double cast. So every role was played by a hearing actor and a deaf actor. And for better or worse, it would just make it comfortable to hear out. I decided to throw that away, to have each character be their own, and each character just be their character, and they spoke, they spoke, and they signed, they signed, and see how that worked on stage. We certainly hope so. I'll tell you, one of the goals, my goals in accepting this project and embracing this project really, and wanting to do it so badly here in the District of Columbia, where I'll give this to place, was partly to prove to producers around the country that this play can, first of all, and should be done. To make it, you know, and this is certainly a howl around, tell it on a live stream broadcast, hopefully we'll spread the word, it will be visual proof that it once was done, and not by a huge theater, but by a theater company that was willing to take chances by a really outstanding theater department that is also willing to take chances. And that working together, we made it happen. And working together, obviously, with an incredible artistic and production team. Including these wonderful actors. So I really, really hope, I do think it should be done in every city in the country. Just to go back for a second to the question about musical, I didn't mean, I mean, that was the literal truth. But the other truth is that I'm a strong believer in heightened moments on stage, moments when productions step away from realism. And I was really, really, the sort of the sign and death equivalent of the musical theater moment. I was, I had seen in other productions moments where deaf actors were able to create wonderful, wonderful, sort of musical moments that were yet silent, but also very, very rhythmic in the same way that musical theater moments are. So that's what I was looking for in this was sort of, I wanted it to be sort of, well, I wanted heightened moments for ASL moments, deaf communication moments, and that's what it was. So yes, it's musical, but it's also, I don't know, I don't know, and I will kind of describe what my collaborators did. Like, fantastic heightened theatricality. We have time for one or two more. Oh, sorry, sorry. Can I actually ask that? Is the play with tour or where it should be held? We do have some members that energy most of what you saw have happened, and not only in Papago, but right here, it will be on campus, Gallaudet University, Bell's lecture, happened in Chapel Hall, which is here on campus. You can go and stand where our finger and bell stood. We'll see if it's there now. So, minor Gallaudet actually lectured there as well, how the colors came to campus. So everything actually happened right here on campus. So it could have happened, this place is looking for it anywhere in the city, but it didn't. What's the collaboration with Gallaudet Theatre and Dance Company meant it happened right here on campus. So that's the people's concept. Thank you. Wait in the back. If you have a visitor in Chapel Hall, where Bell dates his lecture, the exhibit is called Gallaudet at 150 and Long. This year actually marks Gallaudet University's 160th anniversary. So as part of that collaboration, we opened our first permanent museum exhibit, which is here on campus. It's called Gallaudet at 150 and Long. This year actually marks Gallaudet University's first permanent museum exhibit. And it includes everything that is actually taught here at Gallaudet. Plus the 150-year Gallaudet University. Unfortunately, right now, it's only open during the week, Monday through Friday. It's actually closed today. But it will be open 10 to 4 Monday through Friday. So feel free to come and take a look at that and you'll find it. The last one, please. I just wanted to congratulate Sarah and I. Wonderful. Wonderful. My question to you is, do you have any prior knowledge of sign language? Because it's beautiful. I'm a coder. The question was, did I have any prior knowledge of ASL? And the answer to that is no, I did not. I thank you. Thank you so much, Beverly. I learned a lot of sign language for the show. With Eric Hubey. I mentioned Director of Artistic Sign Language. And I've always been very interested in American Sign Language and its expressive capabilities. So this show was really a joyous challenge for me. And I came away with some with new knowledge and friends. Okay, one last one. My question is actually to the deaf cast. How do you feel singing? What does that feel like? I actually love musical. And the opportunity here at Gallaudet, I wanted to make sure that I took this chance the lifetime. In the real world, we're in the real world. It's not possible for us to do something like this. And I think Jordan said that deaf people can do anything but sing. So as my character, Jacob, coming from a hearing family, has no knowledge of sign before coming to campus. And maybe wanting that sense of being able to sing. So I asked if I could actually sing. There was no one forcing me to do that. I was willing to sing myself and wanted to do that. And it all sort of, to come together, sort of this emotional deaf person wanting to do it. And I love music boys and have an opportunity. Yeah, I actually just wanted to add, like I said, things that grew up in music, I come from a musical family. And I do play piano a little bit. And I'm crazy about doing a lot of music videos. You can see me on YouTube.com. You can see all my videos that are present there. Yeah, actually both of us work together on several. Alyssa, who was our head musician, she played piano here. So I worked with her, sat with her a lot, listened to music over and over again. With a song, give me a sign. I didn't sing at all. So we just had to follow the rhythm and be able to get involved with that. So we felt the rhythm. And that was a challenge, of course. Because even though I was able to guide people with a musical aspect, we had to make sure that we weren't offbeat. And really that whole Iowa communication, I was also sort of going to be doing that as well. And with Hella Heller too, just taking the opportunity to find, without singing, but still being involved in that music process. It took a lot of practice, but I felt like we were able to combine the music aspect that we needed to go to create. I wanted to add to, I didn't sing, of course, but I did speak the poem. And I had never learned to speak it all. I've never been involved in speech therapy. This was the first time that I approached it. And Aaron, who was the director of artistic ASL, also knows how to speak. So he taught me a few lessons. And it was really tough. Because, of course, I didn't know how to use the tonality. I didn't know how to use my breath. I throat occurred when I was trying to practice as a deaf person. I didn't really want to learn to sing because I was deaf. So that was what I needed. So how could I? People expect us to speak. How could they expect us to speak if we can't do that? So it's something that I found to be pretty good. And I feel like a deaf person at my identity, I need to be aware of that. But I also had to understand where it comes from, and what history told us that she could speak. And that kind of fitting mind, I didn't need it first. I didn't need it first. I'd like to add one thing. There's a song that Helen signs and they're two female singers. And she's perfectly insane with the words that she can't hear because of the lighting cues that she memorized to keep parallel with the song voices. I thought that was very impressive. And I will add to that that I think all of us remember the rehearsal where the first time we actually ran through that National Geographic Society we needed to see and where Randy took the plunge. And it was an amazing act of courage for this young actress to go ahead and to give it her all and it was incredibly moving in performance but it was certainly very, very moving and one of the most remarkable accomplishments I've ever had in the privilege of being involved. So, and really I think that goes for this entire cast. It is a really remarkable accomplishment from my point of view to work together to learn not only to communicate here on stage but also backstage when they're sitting in the theater waiting for their turn to rehearse when we're building the lighting cues cue after cue so that people could know where we wrote the song and so forth it has been a remarkable journey for all of us. So, thank you very much for sharing it. I want to say happy birthday Gallaudet University 150 years old this year happy birthday happy birthday to you I'm going to see you on bar here here at 25 so thank you all very much for telling me this. Thank you.