For Immediate Release
October 27, 2002

SAINT JOHN THEATRE COMPANY TO OFFER SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETATION
First-ever Signing for a Public Performance at Imperial Theatre

When the curtain rises on the Saint John Theatre Company’s production of The Miracle Worker next month, audience members who are deaf or hard of hearing won’t have to miss a word.

For the first time in its eleven-year history, the Company will feature sign language interpretation as part of a theatrical production. This will also mark a first for the Imperial Theatre: No other performance open to the general public in the Imperial has offered signing.

“I think that this play, which celebrates the life of Helen Keller, would certainly be one that would be of interest to people who are hearing impaired, says Robert Doherty, the director of the production. “To make it accessible to the deaf, the decision was made to have interpreters for two of the performances.”

William Gibson’s The Miracle Worker is the true story of a troubled deaf-blind girl and the extraordinary teacher who changed her life.

Thanks to grants from the City of Saint John and Saint John Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, the SJTC will be able to hire two local sign language interpreters for the open dress rehearsal and the Saturday matinee.

And the community support doesn’t stop there. Eleven years after its inception, the Company is enjoying an unprecedented level of collaboration with organizations in Saint John.

The Greater Saint John Community Foundation, for example, has given the SJTC a $3,000 grant, part of which will be used to give complimentary performance tickets to people who are deaf or blind.

The SJTC has also established a partnership with the local office of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). Blind and visually-impaired Saint Johners, together with members of The Miracle Worker cast, are visiting schools to talk with students about what it’s like to live without sight. The CNIB will also set up an information desk in the Imperial Theatre lobby for the duration of the production.

Melissa Colwell, a CNIB rehabilitation teacher for the blind, says the best thing about the partnership is the opportunity to increase community awareness.

“All of the staff at CNIB hope that anyone attending the production of The Miracle Worker will leave with a better understanding of deaf-blindness,” Colwell says. “CNIB also anticipates that if members of the community see the production and then realize that someone they know is experiencing difficulty with their vision, they will tell this person about CNIB and our services.”

The partnership between the Saint John Theatre Company and the CNIB could also enhance the performances of the actors in The Miracle Worker. The CNIB arranged for a deaf-blind girl and her mother to spend two hours with the cast.

"We have, of course, acquired information about blindness and being blind that has been useful to our actors,” Doherty explains. “More than that, though, is our discovery that among those who live with this disability and those who work with or live with them, there are many ‘miracle workers’.”

The Miracle Worker will be presented at the Imperial Theatre at 8 pm on November 15 and 16. Sign language interpretation will be featured at the matinee at 2 pm on the 16th, as well as the dress rehearsal at 8 pm on the 14th. For the performances with signing, the first three rows of the orchestra level will be reserved for members of the deaf and hard of hearing community.

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