Silent and Accessible Theatre

Author(s)

Nicole LineFollow

Abstract

Silent and Deaf accessible theatre challenges the stereotypes many people have of theatre and introduces audiences to new perceptions of the artform. When it comes to theatre, one often thinks of long, multi-act plays with lots of spoken dialogue. While this is the most common style of theatrical performance, there is more to theatre than staged language. When deciding my project’s concept this past year, I brainstormed many different ways to include all areas of my studies here at BGSU including theatre, dance, and American Sign Language (ASL). I am very passionate about these aspects and wanted my project to reflect that. After doing some broad research and conversing with honors theatre alumni, I came up with the idea to direct a silent play. I define silent plays as plays without spoken or unspoken (i.e. signed) dialogue, music, or any sound at all. By directing a completely silent play, my project would be theatrical and movement based (reflecting elements of dance) while also being accessible to Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. I took this idea of silent theatre and let that propel my research.

Department

Theatre and Film

Major

Theatre: Acting/Directing

First Advisor

Heidi L. Nees

First Advisor Department

Theatre and Film

Second Advisor

Rebecca Sidders

Second Advisor Department

Education

Publication Date

Fall 12-13-2021

Repository Citation

Line, Nicole, "Silent and Accessible Theatre" (2021). Honors Projects. 634.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects/634