The National Theatre of the Deaf, now in its 30th season, is a company ofdeaf and hearing actors who combine Sign Language with spoken words to create atheatrical medium that enables audiences to see and hear every word. Hearingmembers create the voices for every character, while the rest of the cast usesSign Language to expressively portray their roles.
Curiouser and Curiouser is an original adaptation of Lewis Carroll'sAlice in Wonderland" stories. The play transports audiences toCarroll's mid-19th century photography studio where his young neighbor, Alice,is asked to sit perfectly still to have her photo taken. As Alice sits, hermind starts to reel and she becomes the author of her own adventures, conjuringup the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Jabberwock, Tweedledee and Tweedledumand other characters that get curiouser and curiouser.
The role of Alice is portrayed by Jorjan Jeter, an 11 year-old deaf girl fromMichigan. Andy Vasnick, a founding member of the Company, plays the part ofLewis Carroll. Deaf since the age of four, he is a former faculty member ofGallaudet University in Washington D.C, and was the director of the NationalTheatre of the Deaf's Professional Theatre School for 13 years. Nine otheradult actors round out the cast. Their rigorous national tour includes 30cities in 18 states.
In addition to Sign Language and spoken words, the production featuresoriginal music by Ira Mitchell and choreography by Michael Tracy of PilobolusDance Theatre. The National Theatre of the Deaf's production of Curiouserand Curiouser is the final performance of the 1996-1997 HamiltonPerforming Arts Series. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 315859-4057.
