Hearing world enters a deaf one

It must be a daunting task for a fully hearing playwright to jot down a play true to the problems of a deaf protagonist in a noise-filled world.

However, English theatre director and playwright Nina Raine is most in her element when peeling away the human condition layer by layer.

And she comes by it naturally through her pedigree. She is the only daughter of poet Craig Raine and Ann Pasternak Slater as well as being the grand-niece of Russian novelist Boris Pasternak.

Raine's 2010 London hit Tribes premiers in Edmonton under the Studio Theatre banner as part of director Amanda Bergen's MFA graduating project. The production runs from May 14 to 23 at the Timms Centre for the Arts.

Watch the teaser of Tribes filmed by Simon Glassman below.
Company: Christopher (Ashley Wright) in Smoking Jacket. Beth (Judy McFerran) in Kimono. Dan (Mathew Hulshof) in Jeans. Ruth (Zoe Glassman) in grey dress & short pink sweater. Billy (Connor Yuzwenko-Martin) in patterned shirt. Sylvia (Bobbi Goddard) in a blue blazer and white shirt.

Play from simon glassman on Vimeo.

“Amanda is someone who wants to make a difference with what she's doing. She wanted to do something that was inclusive for people who can't always enjoy theatre,” said Judy McFerran.

McFerran, a former St. Albert resident, is a familiar face at the Edmonton Fringe (Never Let the Crew See You Cry and Four in the Crib). In Tribes, she plays Beth, the mother role.

As Raine explained in an interview, the idea for Tribes popped in her head while watching a documentary about a deaf couple expecting a child. The couple hoped their child would be deaf.

It occurred to Raine that a family is a tribe where parents and grandparents pass on language, values and beliefs to the younger members. By extending this concept, Raine realized there are “tribes everywhere,” – not just families, but groups and communities with their own set of rules.

The play zeroes in on a dysfunctional Jewish British family. Billy (Connor Yuzwenko-Martin), a young deaf man is raised in a hearing family. Billy is taught to read lips and communicate with simple hand gestures.

His family, father Christopher (Ashley Wright), mother Beth, brother Daniel (Mathew Hulshof) and sister Ruth (Zoe Glassman), refuse to learn any form of American Sign Language.

“His parents didn't teach him to sign. They didn't want him to be part of a minority. They treated him as if he was hearing. They wanted him to be part of a community, but it doesn't always work that way,” explained McFerran.

When Billy meets Sylvia (Bobbi Goddard), a young woman slowly going deaf, she teaches him to sign. Suddenly he is exposed to a whole new community and identity and that starts to separate him from the family.

“His family is loud, brash and they love to debate. He doesn't always understand what they say and feels left out.”

McFerran speaks highly of Yuzwenko-Martin who like Billy is also deaf.

“Connor has done an amazing job. He's never used his voice before, but you can understand everything he says.”

McFerran goes on to add that throughout rehearsals, three interpreters were available for all actors.

“We all learned the basic alphabet. Sylvia, in particular, was very concerned about not getting it wrong. She learned how to sign really well.”

In addition, Timms Centre is providing subtitles for the audience.

“It's a totally different theatre experience. It brings to light different issues most people don't think about and it makes you more aware of a different part of the audience that haven't been able to always enjoy theatre. And it's a very touching play in the way it looks at family.”