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'Children' unites deaf, hearing communities
Each project an actor undertakes offers new challenges. Learning all the lines is a basic requirement. Learning all the lines in sign language is monumental.
For most of the people involved in the Center Players' upcoming production of the comedy-drama "Children of a Lesser God," performing this play goes beyond entertaining. It has become a labor of love fueled with the passion to spread the awareness that they have received from the powerful script and from working with Camille Lorello, a veteran professional actor and lifelong member of the deaf community.
"Children of a Lesser God," by Mark Medoff, is scheduled to open at March 7 at the Center Playhouse, 35 South St., Freehold.
"I am thrilled to be able to direct this beautiful play with such gifted and devoted actors and crew," said director Charles Fraser of Freehold. "We are so lucky to have Camille working with us. She is very talented and has taught us so much. Through this play we hope to help her spread the message that deaf people don't see themselves as handicapped and people who hear should not see them that way."
"Children of a Lesser God" tells the story of a deaf woman, Sarah Norman (Lorello), who resists the attempts of her new teacher, James Leeds (Christopher Chandonnet of Millstone Township), to teach her to speak and use sign language in order to function in the world of the hearing. Despite the division of the silent and hearing worlds, they fall in love, which leads to a deeper, fuller understanding of the differences that can unite as well as divide. Sign language helps bridge the gap.
The play uses a mixture of English and American Sign Language (ASL). The entire cast learned American Sign Language (ASL) with the help of five interpreters from Ocean County College, Toms River. Heather Blaker of Freehold, Maria Koctopidas of Beachwood, Donna Sanford of Brick, Lyn Kunda of Ship Bottom, and Nicole McManus of Toms River also translated the script into ASL, expanding it from 60 to 150 pages.
Chandonnet said, "I've been doing community theater for 12 years and this is by far the most challenging thing I've done. Any actor has to learn his lines [and] then layer in the emotion; it's all part of acting. This play has the added component of being somewhat proficient in sign language and understanding what my co-star signs and connecting emotionally. Facial expression, hand and body language are important. The signing coaches have been unbelievable in helping me."
Lorello, who is a resident of Freehold Township, explained, "Signing in ASL doesn't translate to English literally; it's a distinct language, with its own grammatical rules, similar to those in French or Spanish. I am sure it's been a challenge for them similar to learning a foreign language for a show, then doing that show in the country of the people who speak it natively. Everyone in the cast is learning sign language and working well. My co-star, Chris Chandonnet, and I have worked so many hours together to become one. He is absolutely wonderful."
Chandonnet added, "It's a rare gift that Camille is right here in Freehold. This is going to be a very special show for Freehold and the company."
Tracey Hassel of Manalapan (Lydia), Marty McGrath of Manalapan (Mr. Franklin), Eva Zeisky of Kendall Park (Mrs. Norman), Matt Dubrow of Oceanport (Orin) and Kim Sarnosky of Forked River (Edna Klein) round out the ensemble cast.
Dubrow, who is a student at Red Bank Regional High School, Little Silver, who plays Orin, a student at Sarah's school, said, "This is by far one of the most challenging theater experiences and the most fun. I'm going to bring back more from this play than I did my entire life."
Lorello became involved in this production when Fraser came upon her name as a deaf professional actor for 25 years who had been in the Broadway production of "Children of a Lesser God" and in the Broadway National Tour Company production in the 1980s. Amazingly, it turned out that she lives in Freehold Township with her husband, Tommy.
Lorello was contacted to ask if she would be willing to coach or mentor this project in some way.
"I have been looking for quite a while for a good theater to get involved with. I didn't know it was right here in my own town!" Lorello said. "When they contacted me for advice, I said, 'Advice? No! I want to audition for the role of Sarah!' I've done many roles with the National Theater for the Deaf, but I always remember my first performing experience as Lydia in 'Children of a Lesser God.' I can relate very much to Sarah. It's the life I live now."
Lorello teaches at the New Jersey School for the Deaf, West Trenton, and is an instructor at Burlington County College's interpreter training program in Mount Laurel.
An advocate for the deaf community, she is trying to spread the message that deafness is not a shortcoming, it's a way of life. She is among the third generation of deaf people in her family.
"I cannot properly convey the full beauty and depth of deaf culture with words, because there are no words to describe it," Lorello said. "As for music, one need only experience a small portion of songs and poetry in ASL to realize that they are some of the most beautiful works ever composed. Our hands are our voice. Our faces convey our emotions. One needs only stand still and feel the rhythm, to feel the vibrations course through one's body, to realize how we hear music that hearing people create.
"To hear the raindrops patter down, we simply place our hands on the windows. To hear the thunderous applause from an audience, we just have to look at the hands applauding. I can see the beauty that is here on the earth. As deaf people, we cannot fully grasp hearing culture, and hearing people cannot fully grasp deaf culture, even when one is immersed in the other. Therefore, all we can do is wonder how the other side truly experiences life and try to accept each other," she said.
"The greatest handicap of deafness does not lie in the ear, it lies in the mind," Lorello said. "I hope that through my example, such as my role in 'Children of a Lesser God,' I can help change attitudes on deafness and prove we can really do everything ... except hear. All it takes to realize that a deaf person can rise to any task is a little awareness and interaction."
"Children of a Lesser God" will be performed at the Center Playhouse on March 7, 8, 9, 28, 29, 30, April 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13. Times vary. All performances the weekend of April 11 will have ASL interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing. Tickets are $24; $22 for seniors, students and groups of 10 or more. Complimentary beverages and desserts will be served during intermission. Dinner packages are available for an additional $30 per person at Metropolitan Café and Solo Trattoria in Freehold Borough. Call (732) 462-9093, option 1, or visit Welcome to Center Players! for tickets and details.
Each project an actor undertakes offers new challenges. Learning all the lines is a basic requirement. Learning all the lines in sign language is monumental.
For most of the people involved in the Center Players' upcoming production of the comedy-drama "Children of a Lesser God," performing this play goes beyond entertaining. It has become a labor of love fueled with the passion to spread the awareness that they have received from the powerful script and from working with Camille Lorello, a veteran professional actor and lifelong member of the deaf community.
"Children of a Lesser God," by Mark Medoff, is scheduled to open at March 7 at the Center Playhouse, 35 South St., Freehold.
"I am thrilled to be able to direct this beautiful play with such gifted and devoted actors and crew," said director Charles Fraser of Freehold. "We are so lucky to have Camille working with us. She is very talented and has taught us so much. Through this play we hope to help her spread the message that deaf people don't see themselves as handicapped and people who hear should not see them that way."
"Children of a Lesser God" tells the story of a deaf woman, Sarah Norman (Lorello), who resists the attempts of her new teacher, James Leeds (Christopher Chandonnet of Millstone Township), to teach her to speak and use sign language in order to function in the world of the hearing. Despite the division of the silent and hearing worlds, they fall in love, which leads to a deeper, fuller understanding of the differences that can unite as well as divide. Sign language helps bridge the gap.
The play uses a mixture of English and American Sign Language (ASL). The entire cast learned American Sign Language (ASL) with the help of five interpreters from Ocean County College, Toms River. Heather Blaker of Freehold, Maria Koctopidas of Beachwood, Donna Sanford of Brick, Lyn Kunda of Ship Bottom, and Nicole McManus of Toms River also translated the script into ASL, expanding it from 60 to 150 pages.
Chandonnet said, "I've been doing community theater for 12 years and this is by far the most challenging thing I've done. Any actor has to learn his lines [and] then layer in the emotion; it's all part of acting. This play has the added component of being somewhat proficient in sign language and understanding what my co-star signs and connecting emotionally. Facial expression, hand and body language are important. The signing coaches have been unbelievable in helping me."
Lorello, who is a resident of Freehold Township, explained, "Signing in ASL doesn't translate to English literally; it's a distinct language, with its own grammatical rules, similar to those in French or Spanish. I am sure it's been a challenge for them similar to learning a foreign language for a show, then doing that show in the country of the people who speak it natively. Everyone in the cast is learning sign language and working well. My co-star, Chris Chandonnet, and I have worked so many hours together to become one. He is absolutely wonderful."
Chandonnet added, "It's a rare gift that Camille is right here in Freehold. This is going to be a very special show for Freehold and the company."
Tracey Hassel of Manalapan (Lydia), Marty McGrath of Manalapan (Mr. Franklin), Eva Zeisky of Kendall Park (Mrs. Norman), Matt Dubrow of Oceanport (Orin) and Kim Sarnosky of Forked River (Edna Klein) round out the ensemble cast.
Dubrow, who is a student at Red Bank Regional High School, Little Silver, who plays Orin, a student at Sarah's school, said, "This is by far one of the most challenging theater experiences and the most fun. I'm going to bring back more from this play than I did my entire life."
Lorello became involved in this production when Fraser came upon her name as a deaf professional actor for 25 years who had been in the Broadway production of "Children of a Lesser God" and in the Broadway National Tour Company production in the 1980s. Amazingly, it turned out that she lives in Freehold Township with her husband, Tommy.
Lorello was contacted to ask if she would be willing to coach or mentor this project in some way.
"I have been looking for quite a while for a good theater to get involved with. I didn't know it was right here in my own town!" Lorello said. "When they contacted me for advice, I said, 'Advice? No! I want to audition for the role of Sarah!' I've done many roles with the National Theater for the Deaf, but I always remember my first performing experience as Lydia in 'Children of a Lesser God.' I can relate very much to Sarah. It's the life I live now."
Lorello teaches at the New Jersey School for the Deaf, West Trenton, and is an instructor at Burlington County College's interpreter training program in Mount Laurel.
An advocate for the deaf community, she is trying to spread the message that deafness is not a shortcoming, it's a way of life. She is among the third generation of deaf people in her family.
"I cannot properly convey the full beauty and depth of deaf culture with words, because there are no words to describe it," Lorello said. "As for music, one need only experience a small portion of songs and poetry in ASL to realize that they are some of the most beautiful works ever composed. Our hands are our voice. Our faces convey our emotions. One needs only stand still and feel the rhythm, to feel the vibrations course through one's body, to realize how we hear music that hearing people create.
"To hear the raindrops patter down, we simply place our hands on the windows. To hear the thunderous applause from an audience, we just have to look at the hands applauding. I can see the beauty that is here on the earth. As deaf people, we cannot fully grasp hearing culture, and hearing people cannot fully grasp deaf culture, even when one is immersed in the other. Therefore, all we can do is wonder how the other side truly experiences life and try to accept each other," she said.
"The greatest handicap of deafness does not lie in the ear, it lies in the mind," Lorello said. "I hope that through my example, such as my role in 'Children of a Lesser God,' I can help change attitudes on deafness and prove we can really do everything ... except hear. All it takes to realize that a deaf person can rise to any task is a little awareness and interaction."
"Children of a Lesser God" will be performed at the Center Playhouse on March 7, 8, 9, 28, 29, 30, April 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13. Times vary. All performances the weekend of April 11 will have ASL interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing. Tickets are $24; $22 for seniors, students and groups of 10 or more. Complimentary beverages and desserts will be served during intermission. Dinner packages are available for an additional $30 per person at Metropolitan Café and Solo Trattoria in Freehold Borough. Call (732) 462-9093, option 1, or visit Welcome to Center Players! for tickets and details.