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Deaf Teen Overcomes Odds To Become Actor - Local News Story - WCAU | Philadelphia
A deaf New Jersey teenager will star in an award-winning play in Narberth this weekend following weeks of long commutes and rehearsals where actors learned to cue him through touch.
Dylan Panerra, 13, of Jackson, will play Tuc, a deaf character in Mother Hicks at Narberth Community Theater.
"We've seen him grow in this part tremendously, to the point that he's just having fun," Bobbi Wolf, director of Wolf Performing Arts Center, said. "And he keeps making Tuc more and more real."
The play is about people with differences who have been cast aside in a small Depression-era town.
Wolf, who also co-directs the local show, said she knew all along that she wanted to cast a hearing-impaired boy for the role.
"She was wondering if I'd be able to come try out," Dylan's mother, Cindy Panerra, translated as he signed. "They were looking for a deaf boy to work with the other actors, and I got the part."
Getting the part meant a lot of work for the Panerras.
They drove 90 minutes each way from Jackson, N.J., for rehearsals.
"But to get your deaf child who wants to act, there's not really a lot of opportunities out there," Cindy Panerra said. "And how could you say no?"
There was also an adjustment period for everyone involved.
Panerras can read lips, but not all the actors faced him at the time.
To make things work, he helped the other develop a system of touching and pointing cues.
"It's just nice to know that you have experienced working with someone who's different from you," actress Catherine Mosier-Mills said.
Added another actress:
"They help each other and they both bring beauty to the other one's life," Sally Foster-Chang, who plays Mother Hicks, said.
A deaf New Jersey teenager will star in an award-winning play in Narberth this weekend following weeks of long commutes and rehearsals where actors learned to cue him through touch.
Dylan Panerra, 13, of Jackson, will play Tuc, a deaf character in Mother Hicks at Narberth Community Theater.
"We've seen him grow in this part tremendously, to the point that he's just having fun," Bobbi Wolf, director of Wolf Performing Arts Center, said. "And he keeps making Tuc more and more real."
The play is about people with differences who have been cast aside in a small Depression-era town.
Wolf, who also co-directs the local show, said she knew all along that she wanted to cast a hearing-impaired boy for the role.
"She was wondering if I'd be able to come try out," Dylan's mother, Cindy Panerra, translated as he signed. "They were looking for a deaf boy to work with the other actors, and I got the part."
Getting the part meant a lot of work for the Panerras.
They drove 90 minutes each way from Jackson, N.J., for rehearsals.
"But to get your deaf child who wants to act, there's not really a lot of opportunities out there," Cindy Panerra said. "And how could you say no?"
There was also an adjustment period for everyone involved.
Panerras can read lips, but not all the actors faced him at the time.
To make things work, he helped the other develop a system of touching and pointing cues.
"It's just nice to know that you have experienced working with someone who's different from you," actress Catherine Mosier-Mills said.
Added another actress:
"They help each other and they both bring beauty to the other one's life," Sally Foster-Chang, who plays Mother Hicks, said.
