On Friday March 17, the theater department will take to the stage for the opening night of their annual spring musical, performing a rendition of Matilda. As usual, the actors will be joined by a team of interpreters who provide an inclusive experience for members of the audience who are hard of hearing or deaf. However, on March 23, they’re running the show in a new way.
During the final dress rehearsal, actors will be accompanied on stage by students enrolled in American Sign Language (ASL) year three. These students are interpreting the show but because none of them are certified interpreters the showcase will be called an immersive experience. Signers will be playing the roles alongside the actors on stage while shadowing the actors but will perform only using ASL.
While this year the event will only be open to the signers’ families and other ASL students, perhaps this immersive experience will continue to grow in the upcoming years and become a staple performance in the community.
ASL teacher Marie Deregnaucourt has been working with directors Jack Phillipson and Matthew Mckay and her students to blend their signing and the actors’ words seamlessly.
“[The students and I] have been working very long and hard on this project,” Deregnaucourt said. “We got the script as soon as we could and we started to work on translating it line by line. After that we started to learn the signs that we haven’t learned previously. Then students started to practice more and more at a slower pace before we started to compare their singing to a video of the actual Matilda performance itself. Then we showed up to [the theater department’s] practices to sign with the actors themselves.”
Deregnaucourt is proud to be able to give her students a unique and educational experience.
“There are several benefits that come with doing an immersive experience like this,” Deregnaucourt said. “For one it gives [students] a chance to learn new vocabulary that would normally not be shown in a curriculum, it’s more real-world application. It also gives them the experience of what it’s like having to keep pace with somebody who is speaking.”
Third year ASL student and senior Evan Arnold will be signing for the lead role, Matilda. Arnold is proud of the fact that she and her classmates will be making Northview history and promoting inclusivity.
“This is something that’s never been done before,” Arnold said. “All of us are making the musical equitable so everyone can enjoy it. We’re just bringing sign language and more emotion to the musical in a way that’s going to be really exciting.”
Arnold is ecstatic about being able to sign alongside junior Libby Cosby, who will be acting as Matilda. Matilda has always been near and dear to Arnold’s heart, making this performance even more special to her.
“I’ve always loved Matilda,” Arnold said. “I’ve learned so much throughout this entire project because I’m learning, not just how to do the signs, but signing with emotion and conveying the meaning behind the words. Overall, being able to combine my love for ASL with my love for Matilda is just really fun.”
Arnold thinks being able to have more accessibility in the arts program is crucial to building an equitable environment for audience members who are deaf or hard of hearing.
“I think it’s incredibly important because we have so many events, especially the arts, and to make sure to try and make it more accessible to everyone is just so important,” Arnold said. “It’s just really awesome for everyone to see that Northview is a really strong ASL community.”
Sophomore Anna Martin is an actor in the musical as well as a second year ASL student. Martin believes the merge of the two is important to provide equal opportunities to all.
“It’s really nice that [the other ASL students] are doing this because it allows everyone to be able to enjoy the musical and not just hearing people,” Martin said. “I’m in sign language as well and I’ve learned a lot about deaf culture so I see both sides and I see how it means a lot for everyone to be able to enjoy the musical.”
Deregnaucourt believes that this is a step in the right direction towards inclusivity for everyone in the community.
“I think that for any event there should be an option for at least one performance to be signed,” Deregnaucourt said. “That way if any hard of hearing students are interested in coming to that performance, or if they’re interested in knowing what it’s about, then they have that signing exposure and access to every opportunity.”
