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The Daily News Online > Archives > Entertainment > Comedian to use sign language in GCC show
Keith Wann is a comedian who uses sign language to convey his experiences as a hearing person growing up with deaf parents.
Keith returns Friday to perform in the Forum at Genesee Community College, 1 College Rd., as part of the American Sign Language Comedy Tour.
The performance will include other nationally-touring musicians and local residents who appreciate humor integrated with sign language. The show will present solo performances that incorporate comedy, skits, songs, improvisation and stories.
As a Child of Deaf Adults, or CODA, Wann's childhood included many moments where the hearing and deaf worlds collided, providing a rich inspiration for his comedic performance.
Wann tours the country performing several shows both solo and as part of the ASL Comedy Tour, tailored for children or adults, as his audience requires.
Wann performs using American Sign Language with interpreters providing a spoken translation for those in the audience who aren't fluent in that form of communication. He also performs as a storyteller at festivals nationwide, telling his tales using ASL. Wann has appeared in several commercials and has had parts in a few television shows as well, including Law and Order.
One of the performers joining Keith for the Batavia stop of the tour will be Crom Saunders, who portrays more than 40 characters in his one-man show "Cromania!"
In addition to performing, Saunders also has interpreted dozens of plays, from children's theatre to musicals, including "Spamalot" and "Mamma Mia" and teaches ASL and theatrical workshops across the nation. He currently teaches ASL at University of Pittsburgh when he is not busy training his eyebrows for the rodeo.
Rounding out the trio at Genesee will be Francisco. For Francisco, learning American Sign Language was not enough; now he travels across the United States with Keith Wann and friends as a CODA-in-Law, entertaining audiences with his unique, if somewhat skewed, view of Deaf Culture.
"We are thrilled to have one of America's funniest comedians return to Genesee," said Annette Blanchard, adviser of GCC's Dactylology Club (which studies sign languages).
"This is a unique opportunity for our students and the community to get a fun, yet truthful glimpse of a lifestyle they are currently learning about," Blanchard said.
Tickets, which cost $20 in advance and $25 at the door, are available from any Dactylology Club member and online at ASL COMEDY TOUR.
On the Net
Keith Wann
ASL COMEDY TOUR
Keith Wann is a comedian who uses sign language to convey his experiences as a hearing person growing up with deaf parents.
Keith returns Friday to perform in the Forum at Genesee Community College, 1 College Rd., as part of the American Sign Language Comedy Tour.
The performance will include other nationally-touring musicians and local residents who appreciate humor integrated with sign language. The show will present solo performances that incorporate comedy, skits, songs, improvisation and stories.
As a Child of Deaf Adults, or CODA, Wann's childhood included many moments where the hearing and deaf worlds collided, providing a rich inspiration for his comedic performance.
Wann tours the country performing several shows both solo and as part of the ASL Comedy Tour, tailored for children or adults, as his audience requires.
Wann performs using American Sign Language with interpreters providing a spoken translation for those in the audience who aren't fluent in that form of communication. He also performs as a storyteller at festivals nationwide, telling his tales using ASL. Wann has appeared in several commercials and has had parts in a few television shows as well, including Law and Order.
One of the performers joining Keith for the Batavia stop of the tour will be Crom Saunders, who portrays more than 40 characters in his one-man show "Cromania!"
In addition to performing, Saunders also has interpreted dozens of plays, from children's theatre to musicals, including "Spamalot" and "Mamma Mia" and teaches ASL and theatrical workshops across the nation. He currently teaches ASL at University of Pittsburgh when he is not busy training his eyebrows for the rodeo.
Rounding out the trio at Genesee will be Francisco. For Francisco, learning American Sign Language was not enough; now he travels across the United States with Keith Wann and friends as a CODA-in-Law, entertaining audiences with his unique, if somewhat skewed, view of Deaf Culture.
"We are thrilled to have one of America's funniest comedians return to Genesee," said Annette Blanchard, adviser of GCC's Dactylology Club (which studies sign languages).
"This is a unique opportunity for our students and the community to get a fun, yet truthful glimpse of a lifestyle they are currently learning about," Blanchard said.
Tickets, which cost $20 in advance and $25 at the door, are available from any Dactylology Club member and online at ASL COMEDY TOUR.
On the Net
Keith Wann
ASL COMEDY TOUR