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‘Deaf’ play debuts at Station Camp Middle | The Tennessean | tennessean.com
More than 300 students, professionals and community members gathered on Tuesday, May 10 at Station Camp Middle School in Gallatin to watch the play “Cinderella, Cinderella!” It was the first of what organizers hope will become an annual initiative to help bridge the cultures between deaf and hearing residents in Sumner.
“Deaf are people just like everyone else, and deafness is a characteristic just like blue eyes and brown hair,” said Poppy Steele, sign language interpreter at Station Camp Middle. “We want to convey that deafness doesn’t become a disability but an ability, and that deaf people are very capable. We laugh, we cry, and we entertain.”
Cast members from the Knoxville-based InterAct Children's Theatre for the Deaf performed the based on the popular folk tale of Cinderella in the form of a traveling minstrel show. Cinderella, played by Sarah Hamrick, dealt with the oppression she received from her cruel stepsisters through the support from her cat friend, Tom, played by play director Carol LaCava.
The audience laughed when Cinderella’s fairy godmother came to her rescue and helped her attend the royal ball; enthusiastically encouraged Cinderella to try out the shoe when the royal servants came to her house; and rejoiced once the shoe fit her tiny foot. Prince charming, disguised as a female beggar, knew all along Cinderella’s identity, but waited for her to stand up for herself.
“It’s more important who you are than what you look like,” Tom the cat said.
After the show, Station Camp seventh-grader Aijalon Powell said she found the performance entertaining.
“I liked the stepsisters and how they acted arrogant and mean toward Cinderella, but they still fought with each other although they were supposed to be on the same side,” Powell, 12, said.
92% of deaf children's parents don't speak sign
The play, Steele said, is important because it gave deaf attendants the opportunity to participate in and understand a social activity, which is not often the case.
“Many deaf children believe that when they turn 18, they’ll either die or become hearing because they have never met an adult, a person older than 18, who is deaf,” Steele said. “Deaf people are very often isolated because there’s no one in their world who speaks sign language.”
According to Steele, 92 percent of hearing parents who have deaf children never learn sign language. Station Camp Middle now has three either deaf or hard-of-hearing children enrolled.
There are a little more than 100 children with hearing issues in Sumner’s 46 public schools, said Misty Ballew, a special education coordinator with Sumner County Schools. “We invited different groups of students who are learning sign language,” Ballew said. “This is a big awareness initiative for our students who use sign language, because it shows them they can also participate in the same activities other kids do.”
Organizers hope for future events
Deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing students and adults from Station Camp Middle, Hawkins Middle School and other Sumner schools as well as community members attended the play. Steele and colleagues decided to bring InterAct for the troupe’s debut in Sumner after seeing the cast play at a workshop in Knoxville in 2010.
“Some of the performers were our instructors, and we loved the show,” Steele said. “We would love to make this an annual all-day production with several performances throughout what would ideally become a Deaf Awareness Day, during September, which is Deaf Awareness Month. And hopefully one day we can have our own acting troupe to show that deaf people are not disabled but able.”
Organizers have been raising the $600 necessary to bring InterAct here since last summer. The initiative became possible through sponsorship from VSA of Tennessee, the School of Fine Arts at First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, Hamblin Photography in White House, Publix Super Markets and Sumner County Schools.
After the show, students interacted with the cast members during a reception. InterAct is comprised of students and adults from the Tennessee School for the Deaf, the University of Tennessee’s College of Education and the community.
“Our goal is to provide accessible theater to deaf and hard of hearing, and to educate hearing kids about deafness and sign language,” play director LaCava said.
More than 300 students, professionals and community members gathered on Tuesday, May 10 at Station Camp Middle School in Gallatin to watch the play “Cinderella, Cinderella!” It was the first of what organizers hope will become an annual initiative to help bridge the cultures between deaf and hearing residents in Sumner.
“Deaf are people just like everyone else, and deafness is a characteristic just like blue eyes and brown hair,” said Poppy Steele, sign language interpreter at Station Camp Middle. “We want to convey that deafness doesn’t become a disability but an ability, and that deaf people are very capable. We laugh, we cry, and we entertain.”
Cast members from the Knoxville-based InterAct Children's Theatre for the Deaf performed the based on the popular folk tale of Cinderella in the form of a traveling minstrel show. Cinderella, played by Sarah Hamrick, dealt with the oppression she received from her cruel stepsisters through the support from her cat friend, Tom, played by play director Carol LaCava.
The audience laughed when Cinderella’s fairy godmother came to her rescue and helped her attend the royal ball; enthusiastically encouraged Cinderella to try out the shoe when the royal servants came to her house; and rejoiced once the shoe fit her tiny foot. Prince charming, disguised as a female beggar, knew all along Cinderella’s identity, but waited for her to stand up for herself.
“It’s more important who you are than what you look like,” Tom the cat said.
After the show, Station Camp seventh-grader Aijalon Powell said she found the performance entertaining.
“I liked the stepsisters and how they acted arrogant and mean toward Cinderella, but they still fought with each other although they were supposed to be on the same side,” Powell, 12, said.
92% of deaf children's parents don't speak sign
The play, Steele said, is important because it gave deaf attendants the opportunity to participate in and understand a social activity, which is not often the case.
“Many deaf children believe that when they turn 18, they’ll either die or become hearing because they have never met an adult, a person older than 18, who is deaf,” Steele said. “Deaf people are very often isolated because there’s no one in their world who speaks sign language.”
According to Steele, 92 percent of hearing parents who have deaf children never learn sign language. Station Camp Middle now has three either deaf or hard-of-hearing children enrolled.
There are a little more than 100 children with hearing issues in Sumner’s 46 public schools, said Misty Ballew, a special education coordinator with Sumner County Schools. “We invited different groups of students who are learning sign language,” Ballew said. “This is a big awareness initiative for our students who use sign language, because it shows them they can also participate in the same activities other kids do.”
Organizers hope for future events
Deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing students and adults from Station Camp Middle, Hawkins Middle School and other Sumner schools as well as community members attended the play. Steele and colleagues decided to bring InterAct for the troupe’s debut in Sumner after seeing the cast play at a workshop in Knoxville in 2010.
“Some of the performers were our instructors, and we loved the show,” Steele said. “We would love to make this an annual all-day production with several performances throughout what would ideally become a Deaf Awareness Day, during September, which is Deaf Awareness Month. And hopefully one day we can have our own acting troupe to show that deaf people are not disabled but able.”
Organizers have been raising the $600 necessary to bring InterAct here since last summer. The initiative became possible through sponsorship from VSA of Tennessee, the School of Fine Arts at First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, Hamblin Photography in White House, Publix Super Markets and Sumner County Schools.
After the show, students interacted with the cast members during a reception. InterAct is comprised of students and adults from the Tennessee School for the Deaf, the University of Tennessee’s College of Education and the community.
“Our goal is to provide accessible theater to deaf and hard of hearing, and to educate hearing kids about deafness and sign language,” play director LaCava said.