Deaf and hearing worlds come together in the Pennington Players’ production of “Big River,” a musical adaptation of Mark Twain’s 1884 novel, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Written by Roger Miller and William Hauptman, the musical opens at Kelsey Theater on Friday, October 4. A reception with the cast and crew follows the opening night performance.
The story is about Huckleberry Finn (Huck), a young man who takes a long journey to accompany an escaped slave named Jim on the latter’s quest for freedom. In the process he learns a great deal about himself and about the developing country around him. J.W. Guido, a New York-based deaf actor who is also the artistic director of the 30-year-old New York Deaf Theater, plays the role of Huck.
This production, based on the 2003 Broadway staging by the Roundabout Theater Company and the American Deaf West Theater, will blend American Sign Language (ASL) with traditional choreography and staging, affording a unique opportunity for deaf and hearing actors to work in collaboration and providing accessibility to a wide range of audiences. Every line and every lyric is simultaneously performed in spoken (or sung) English and ASL. The languages are interwoven with music, dance, and storytelling techniques from both hearing and deaf cultures to create a “third language” and a unique theatrical event.
In some cases, single characters are played jointly and simultaneously by one speaking and one signing actor. In other cases hearing actors both sign and speak, or characters interpret for each other. These techniques are combined with traditional interpreting methods to create a varied presentation.
Assembling this production was a unique challenge for the Pennington Players, a community theater company with more than 50 years of experience. Stage directions were modified throughout (as actors required to perform in ASL could make only minimal or carefully choreographed use of props). To alert both hearing and deaf actors to spoken, sung, or signed cues a system of nudges, gestures, and offstage cues was incorporated into the action. Since every line is performed in three different languages (English, ASL, and music), each has its own grammatical constructions, conventions, and nuances.
Frank Ferrara of West Windsor is the director, and his wife, Shannon Ferrara, a music teacher at Village School, is the musical director. Their daughter, E.J. Ferrara, is a cast member.
The production is aided by Lynn Baskin, the associate director as well as the actor playing the escaped slave Jim who becomes Huck’s unlikely friend. Baskin is a professional ASL interpreter and responsible for working with deaf actors to choose (and when necessary, “choreograph”) appropriate signs that both communicate the necessary information and reflect the style of Huck Finn’s place and time. Assistant director Alison McMullen, an itinerant teacher of the deaf, is responsible for assisting the hearing actors in learning and developing their ASL skills and helping to ensure that the production communicates effectively with deaf audiences.
One of the deaf actors is May Lynn of West Windsor. “Big River” is her theatrical debut.
Born and raised in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma), she lost her hearing when she was six months old. Her family, including a brother and sister, are all hearing — but have all learned sign language.
“I got German Measles, was very ill, and almost died of severe pneumonia,” says Lynn, who also had a hole in her heart and did not begin to walk until she was four years old.
Lynn moved to the United States in 1985 when she was seven years-old. Schools in the area did not have a deaf education program so she went to school in New York and New Jersey. “I didn’t start to learn sign language until I was 10 years old,” she says. She graduated from Neptune High School.
“After watching deaf actors perform in theater and on the big screen, it gave me the courage and inspiration to pursue my passion for the performing arts as a deaf individual,” she says. Lynn took drama classes at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., and later studied computers at Camden County College in Blackwood. She has lived in West Windsor for 13 years and works at Target.
Lynn took acting classes in Brooklyn, New York last year. She met Alexandria Wailies (“Law and Order”) at Triskelion Arts in Brooklyn, where she taught ASL and acting workshops. “I didn’t know she is a deaf actress,” she says. “When I told her I dreamed about being an actor since I was young she encouraged me to audition for stage, theatre, and more.”
“It is really pleasant working with hearing actors,” says Lynn. “A few hearing know some sign language and some hearing do not know sign language. The hearing girl will voice when I sign language in the show.”
For hearing audiences “Big River” offers an American blend of country, bluegrass, folk, and gospel styles that features songs such as “Muddy Water,” “River in the Rain,” “Waiting for the Light to Shine,” and “Free at Last.” According to the production staff, “every moment of Big River is accessible to both hearing and deaf patrons.”
Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Kelsey Theater, Mercer Community College, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor. Weekends, Friday, October 4, to Sunday, October 13. $20. 609-570-3333. www.kelseytheater.net.
