Listen…Can You Hear Me Now?
nytheatre.com q&a preview by Gloria Rosen
September 13, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Playwright; sole performer.
When did you know you wanted to work in the theater, and why?
Way back before caption tv, there was myself sitting in front of the little black and white set mouthing every word that was said so my deaf parents could could follow the stories. And one day I took a puppet to school and created a whole act for us and finally got to be the one on stage talking out loud and laughing and crying and I thought that was just great. I still do.
Complete this sentence: My show is the only one opening in NYC this fall that...?
...is about a hearing child growing up with and being the sole translator for two deaf parents.
In your own words, what do you think this show is about? What will audiences take away with them after seeing it?
The show raises the question of how a hearing child whose job it is to translate for her deaf parents finds her own voice. And it's about growing up as an observer, an outsider in the world of her family, and the journey toward being a full participant in her own life. The audience will see the importance of communication, how crucial it is to have a common and fluent language with their children if there is to be a real "family." And maybe they will take off their headphones and put down the cell and celebrate the blessing of being to hear their
children's voices.
Which cartoon character would you identify your show with: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Mickey Mouse, Marge Simpson?
I begin my solo show encased in the spirit of
Charlie Brown and by the end I have transformed
into Calvin.
Who are your heroes?
Peter Flint, my acting coach and mentor - who suggested and pushed and was relentless in getting me to tell my story. This show exists because of him, it changed the core of my life, and he is my spiritual father.
