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ANN ARBOR: Wild Swan Theater has shadow interpretation to aid deaf theater-goers at shows - Life - Heritage Newspapers
Imagine having to look away from the TV screen to read closed captioning to understand what was being said during your favorite show or film.
That's the experience that deaf theater-goers typically contend with, if there is any interpretation provided at all.
That's why Wild Swan Theater in Ann Arbor has adopted shadow interpretation as a cornerstone of the organization's accessibility program.
During rehearsal for the theater's winter show "Little Women," shadow interpreters Jamie Fidler and Erin Parrish functioned as extensions of the characters while maintaining a physical presence on stage.
Rather than be distracting, they blended into the action taking place between the named characters.
"We're not exactly our own characters in the show," Fidler said. "When we get worked into a stage play, we develop relationships with the people that we interpret for; we end up being almost like their conscience."
Seeing them in action conjures images of the classic angel/devil on someone's shoulder, only reflective rather than suggestive.
In the case of "Little Women," Fidler and Parrish split the cast down the middle and shift around as dialogue and action occur, when there are enough cast members on stage during a scene to constitute a group.
"A challenge is to stick with each of our own main characters and stay in role for those characters," Parrish said. "Another challenge is translating exactly what the actors are speaking. We have to gear our translations to the period that they're in."
In the case of "Little Women," the story unfolds during the late 1800s, which calls for more formal language, both spoken and interpreted. Like spoken language, sign language has changed similarly with the passage of time, and thus the signs used to convey the dialogue are from another era, as well.
Both Fidler and Parrish studied signing at Madonna University in Livonia, where one of the country's best sign language studies programs is available.
As with spoken interpreting, it takes years of study to become adept enough at signing to convey every bit of detail and context of what is being spoken.
"We can't add or eliminate anything," Fidler says when asked if anything needs to be filtered or omitted. Sign language has all of the versatility and complexity of spoken language.
Both women are members of Terp Theater, an organization based in Michigan that specializes in promoting and placing shadow interpreters in theaters throughout the southeastern region and beyond.
Fidler and Parrish say that they hope to see more adoption of shadow interpreting, as it takes time for a performing arts institution to acclimate to working them into a production.
"With Wild Swan, there is such a longstanding working relationship there that they give direction to the actors on how to work with us, which is not common," Parrish said. "What's different at Wild Swan, as opposed to other theaters, is that we are involved in the rehearsal process from day one.
"We're in here for every rehearsal we come to and we move set pieces, and we have props and are fully integrated into their shows."
In the case of Oakland University, another institution that uses shadow interpreting, Fidler and Parrish wouldn't be as involved during the pre-show preparations.
"We have a good relationship, but onstage with the actors it's a little more technical," Fidler said.
Also, Wild Swan offers the service with every show, as opposed to other organizations that pick a date or two to provide the option, limiting deaf theater-goers in the show dates that they can attend.
"At other places, you find those shows sell out very quickly as deaf consumers and interpreting students from Madonna, Oakland University and Livingston Community College buy tickets," Fidler said. "With Wild Swan, deaf attendance is more sporadic, because it's total access, where platform interpreted shows have limited seating.
"A lot of the comments that we get are from people that have never seen shadow interpreted performance before that enjoy it so much more."
Interpreters refer to the effect of traditional platform interpreting as "whiplash" where deaf audience members' heads have to go back and forth onstage and offstage, with much of the show literally lost in the middle.
"When a deaf person goes to the show, they sit there and have to pick between watching the interpreter or watching the action on the stage," Fidler said. "Our mission is to provide interpreted theater, which is fully accessible, language and action and full-emotional encompassment of the show."
Imagine having to look away from the TV screen to read closed captioning to understand what was being said during your favorite show or film.
That's the experience that deaf theater-goers typically contend with, if there is any interpretation provided at all.
That's why Wild Swan Theater in Ann Arbor has adopted shadow interpretation as a cornerstone of the organization's accessibility program.
During rehearsal for the theater's winter show "Little Women," shadow interpreters Jamie Fidler and Erin Parrish functioned as extensions of the characters while maintaining a physical presence on stage.
Rather than be distracting, they blended into the action taking place between the named characters.
"We're not exactly our own characters in the show," Fidler said. "When we get worked into a stage play, we develop relationships with the people that we interpret for; we end up being almost like their conscience."
Seeing them in action conjures images of the classic angel/devil on someone's shoulder, only reflective rather than suggestive.
In the case of "Little Women," Fidler and Parrish split the cast down the middle and shift around as dialogue and action occur, when there are enough cast members on stage during a scene to constitute a group.
"A challenge is to stick with each of our own main characters and stay in role for those characters," Parrish said. "Another challenge is translating exactly what the actors are speaking. We have to gear our translations to the period that they're in."
In the case of "Little Women," the story unfolds during the late 1800s, which calls for more formal language, both spoken and interpreted. Like spoken language, sign language has changed similarly with the passage of time, and thus the signs used to convey the dialogue are from another era, as well.
Both Fidler and Parrish studied signing at Madonna University in Livonia, where one of the country's best sign language studies programs is available.
As with spoken interpreting, it takes years of study to become adept enough at signing to convey every bit of detail and context of what is being spoken.
"We can't add or eliminate anything," Fidler says when asked if anything needs to be filtered or omitted. Sign language has all of the versatility and complexity of spoken language.
Both women are members of Terp Theater, an organization based in Michigan that specializes in promoting and placing shadow interpreters in theaters throughout the southeastern region and beyond.
Fidler and Parrish say that they hope to see more adoption of shadow interpreting, as it takes time for a performing arts institution to acclimate to working them into a production.
"With Wild Swan, there is such a longstanding working relationship there that they give direction to the actors on how to work with us, which is not common," Parrish said. "What's different at Wild Swan, as opposed to other theaters, is that we are involved in the rehearsal process from day one.
"We're in here for every rehearsal we come to and we move set pieces, and we have props and are fully integrated into their shows."
In the case of Oakland University, another institution that uses shadow interpreting, Fidler and Parrish wouldn't be as involved during the pre-show preparations.
"We have a good relationship, but onstage with the actors it's a little more technical," Fidler said.
Also, Wild Swan offers the service with every show, as opposed to other organizations that pick a date or two to provide the option, limiting deaf theater-goers in the show dates that they can attend.
"At other places, you find those shows sell out very quickly as deaf consumers and interpreting students from Madonna, Oakland University and Livingston Community College buy tickets," Fidler said. "With Wild Swan, deaf attendance is more sporadic, because it's total access, where platform interpreted shows have limited seating.
"A lot of the comments that we get are from people that have never seen shadow interpreted performance before that enjoy it so much more."
Interpreters refer to the effect of traditional platform interpreting as "whiplash" where deaf audience members' heads have to go back and forth onstage and offstage, with much of the show literally lost in the middle.
"When a deaf person goes to the show, they sit there and have to pick between watching the interpreter or watching the action on the stage," Fidler said. "Our mission is to provide interpreted theater, which is fully accessible, language and action and full-emotional encompassment of the show."