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VSA program introduces theatre to oral deaf students | wzzm13.com
For the past 25 years, the non-profit agency VSA Arts of Michigan Grand Rapids has been connecting people with disabilities to the arts and art projects.
This month, a group of teens are participating in the "Playwright Project." It all started with a conversation between VSA and GVSU creative writing teacher Austin Bunn.
He shared how participating in a playwright program at a young age inspired him to get involved with theatre arts. Now that idea has resulted in a unique partnership with the most unlikely students.
Tucked behind the campus of CA Frost Environmental Science Academy is mobile classroom #9. Inside, about a dozen students are engaging in performance art.
For the past three weeks, GVSU creative writing major Emma Carlton has been teaching playwright and theater to a group of teenagers.
"They really didn't know anything about theater at all, like when we brought up the concept of theater they thought we were talking about the movies," she said.
This class is a challenge for all involved, because these teens are considered oral deaf. They have a profound hearing impairment or are completely deaf but have chosen to not rely on sign language as their main communication. And while they wear either hearing aids or have cochlear implants. They often read lips and work to use their voice.
Carlton says, "You have to do a lot of repeating yourself and asking them to repeat themselves because I don't want to do the thing that I usually do when I don't know what someone says...and kind of smile and nod because I want to actually understand what they are saying. And, they know that. "
Their regular teacher, Julie Swanson, applauds the program. She says, "This is a real opportunity to have a goal to be able to improve their speech, improve their language in order to be an effective communicator which is kind of what theater is all about. "
The students' enthusiasm is contagious and their dedication is teaching a lesson for those leading the way that anything is possible.
Carlton says, "I just read a lot of their first stories and a lot of them have a lot of potential. I can tell we've got a lot of writers in the class. "
"Their perserverance. Their commitment to doing their best everyday. The effort that they put in that people with hearing take for granted, is commendable. It's inspirational. It's why I come to work everyday because they inspire me," says Swanson.
The "Playwright Project" lasts ten weeks. They'll soon begin creating dialogue out of the stories they've written. Then, they'll perform their works onstage at Dog Story Theater on April 20th.
VSA serves 6,000 children, youth, and adults annually in Kent and Ottawa County.
For the past 25 years, the non-profit agency VSA Arts of Michigan Grand Rapids has been connecting people with disabilities to the arts and art projects.
This month, a group of teens are participating in the "Playwright Project." It all started with a conversation between VSA and GVSU creative writing teacher Austin Bunn.
He shared how participating in a playwright program at a young age inspired him to get involved with theatre arts. Now that idea has resulted in a unique partnership with the most unlikely students.
Tucked behind the campus of CA Frost Environmental Science Academy is mobile classroom #9. Inside, about a dozen students are engaging in performance art.
For the past three weeks, GVSU creative writing major Emma Carlton has been teaching playwright and theater to a group of teenagers.
"They really didn't know anything about theater at all, like when we brought up the concept of theater they thought we were talking about the movies," she said.
This class is a challenge for all involved, because these teens are considered oral deaf. They have a profound hearing impairment or are completely deaf but have chosen to not rely on sign language as their main communication. And while they wear either hearing aids or have cochlear implants. They often read lips and work to use their voice.
Carlton says, "You have to do a lot of repeating yourself and asking them to repeat themselves because I don't want to do the thing that I usually do when I don't know what someone says...and kind of smile and nod because I want to actually understand what they are saying. And, they know that. "
Their regular teacher, Julie Swanson, applauds the program. She says, "This is a real opportunity to have a goal to be able to improve their speech, improve their language in order to be an effective communicator which is kind of what theater is all about. "
The students' enthusiasm is contagious and their dedication is teaching a lesson for those leading the way that anything is possible.
Carlton says, "I just read a lot of their first stories and a lot of them have a lot of potential. I can tell we've got a lot of writers in the class. "
"Their perserverance. Their commitment to doing their best everyday. The effort that they put in that people with hearing take for granted, is commendable. It's inspirational. It's why I come to work everyday because they inspire me," says Swanson.
The "Playwright Project" lasts ten weeks. They'll soon begin creating dialogue out of the stories they've written. Then, they'll perform their works onstage at Dog Story Theater on April 20th.
VSA serves 6,000 children, youth, and adults annually in Kent and Ottawa County.