[This article written by Hannah Langlie, a student at the University of Washington’s Department of Communication News Laboratory.]
Two brothers, one girlfriend, family drama and a lot of life choices – these reflect the main themes of a play happening this weekend at the UW Ethnic Cultural Center’s theater [at Brooklyn and 40th NE]. But the plot isn’t the only big surprise the audience is in for.
“Broken Spokes” will be the first stage production hosted by Deaf Spotlight, a Seattle-based organization that promotes Deaf artists and producers of all backgrounds. It is the first organization of its kind in the area and has already established a wide following.
In keeping with its mission, Deaf Spotlight chose this play, written by Willie Conley, a Deaf playwright and professor of theater arts at Gallaudet University. The play has an all-Deaf cast and crew and will be presented entirely in American Sign Language (ASL) with voice interpretation provided for hearing viewers. “Broken Spokes” is running four shows this weekend, Nov. 8-10.
Patty Liang, executive director of Deaf Spotlight, said that she hopes to continue having many more Deaf theater productions. “We wanted to pick one of the best for our first productions to show here. I think that this is a good experiment for Seattle,” she said.
With the use of ASL coming into the mainstream, new audiences are often quickly fascinated by an entirely new visual medium. This provides a great opportunity for audiences to learn about Deaf culture. Even if people do not understand exactly what is being signed, they can still enjoy the production and understand many relatable themes of everyday life.
“I think [people will] see a lot of themes within the story. You’ll see people trying to make a choice between a dream and a future. You will see emotions like love and loss and grief. It’s really a range. The range of human emotion, you’ll see it all,” said actor Katie Roberts, who plays Rebecca.
But Roberts added that the play is not just for a hearing audience. “This is a play that happens to have Deaf people in it, it’s not to showcase Deaf people. It’s a story about humans,” she said. Although interpreted, the play was originally written for Deaf audiences. Indeed, for most of the cast and crew, one of the best experiences of this production has been the opportunity to work exclusively with other members of their own community.
“Working with Deaf people, it brings an ease … of communication, because we’re communicating in sign language. And it’s a pleasure. I don’t have to struggle with communication, I don’t have to struggle with language with these people. We all sign. We all share a common language, so it’s nice,” said actor Howie Seago, who plays the role of Jackson in the show.
Ryan Schlecht, the director of this adaptation of “Broken Spokes,” said he shares the playwright’s vision to portray everyday life. “[Conley] always wanted to see a production where a normal Deaf life was portrayed. He didn’t want to keep producing plays and productions where the Deaf character is an exception, or the Deaf character is made to look like they need help, or treated differently, or that they need some type of treatment. He wanted to produce something and write something where the Deaf character was just a character. And so he said 30 years ago he started writing this play, and at that time, there was nothing in this industry that showed that people have normal lives.”
“It’s just real,” said actor Jeremy Quiroga, who plays Weston.
Many of the actors said that they balance other passions in addition to acting, but the theater and other types of performance enabled them to stay connected to the Deaf community.
Much of the cast agrees that “Broken Spokes” is a great way for people to step out of their comfort zones.
“Go. I would just say go,” Schlecht said.“This is an amazing story. There are moments in this story that will be touching, and it’s an opportunity to see the way another culture does a theater production. There’s a lot to learn. This is the perfect time for some exposure to increase your knowledge and learn more about what’s out there.”
For more information about “Broken Spokes,” or to get tickets, please visit www.deafspotlight.com