SASL Newsletter - Spring 2018 Issue Issue 9 - Spring 2018

The Power of ASL
A Society Supporting Language, Literacy, and
Performing Arts in the Signed Modality
Spring 2018
A Newsletter of the Society for American Sign Language
Issue 9
By Deirdre Schlehofer
Rochester Institute of Technology
On September 9, 2017, Out of the Box was
performed at the Robert F. Panara Theater at the
National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) in
Rochester, New York. The title has a number of literal
and metaphorical meanings. Firstly, Patrick Graybill
arrived on stage with an old cardboard box from his
attic. He pulled out photographs and videotapes/DVDs
from the box which stimulated his reminiscing about
the past as others interacted with him on stage. Later,
Patrick firmly, yet gently challenged a budding young
Deaf actor by the name of Percy to “think outside the
box” when preparing for a role and creating his own
creative perspective – “Don’t just copy others, don’t do
what is expected, recreate it and make it uniquely your
own.” Lastly, as the performance progressed, we
began to speculate about how Patrick’s theatrical
experiences stretched beyond the boundaries of the
world of the stage and the green room—with a final
monologue affirming this creative legacy.
All twelve scenes took place in a green room
displayed with posters of plays Patrick had been
involved with over the years. At the beginning of the
performance, Patrick sat on a sofa with Percy, another
Kansas School for the Deaf (KSD) alumni, and a
current NTID student. Patrick pulled out a postcard
from his cardboard box and looked at the old picture of
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The Power of ASL
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Spring 2018 – Issue 9