Inside Gallaudet

Crocheted metallic ribbon. An existential Japanese dance form. Thoughts conveyed as musical rhythms and captions on a screen. These are just a few of the elements that will converge on the Gilbert C. Eastman Studio Theatre stage this month in Are Your Ears Blind?, conceived and directed byPresidential Fellow in Theatre Arts Monique Holt.

 

With this production, Holt has created a multimedia piece that she believes will not only combine rich theatrical elements but also make a statement.

 

“Are Your Ears Blind? is a multimedia performance piece that examines the nature of perception,” Holt says in her artist statement. “In particular, it seeks to expose audism [discrimination based on ability to hear] as the blinding agent it is.”

 

The piece is performed by members of the Gallaudet community, including student actors.

 

The hour-long piece, Holt said, involved extensive research into each form of media, as well as the contemplation of her own identities. To explore the richness that makes up any human being, she created characters that represent different parts of herself. The costumes were designed to depict the spirits of these many Monique Holts, identified as Seeker, Bruised Soul, Soul Mate, Black Hole, and Translator. The costumes’ exploration of various materials and shapes by European fashion designer Irene Bartok reflect the different spirits’ thoughts, desires, emotions, and subconscious ideas.

 

For the movement, Holt chose to study Butoh, a form of dance performance developed by Japanese choreographers Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno in the aftermath of the World War II bombing of Hiroshima. Butoh, which emerged in a time and place where thoughts were preoccupied with death, has an existential quality.

 

“I felt the philosophy of the form aptly parallels society's rejection of visual cues as ‘information’ and the singular embrace of aural information,” Holt said. “Are visual cues becoming extinct? If visual presentation of information fades out, it will leave people who depend on visual cues in the dark and, realistically, that is every person on the planet.”

 

Holt’s investigation of how movement, sound, set, and costume can explore such concepts was just the beginning. Holt has also sought to combine these elements in a way that would allow all theatre-goers to appreciate it equally.

 

“Art should be considered as a solution to the access issues in theatre,” Holt said. “Instead of adding on ASL interpreters or open captioning as an afterthought, why not integrate the art of captioning and visual elements?” Bringing visual aspects to the foreground can invite visually-oriented audience members and the deaf and hard of hearing community, she said.

 

For those accustomed to auditory theatre, Holt said, she has incorporated sound as a bridge. “Sound is included as a means of bringing some from a familiar place to unfamiliar places,” she explained.

 

Will such an approach work? Holt is asking that very question. “Are Your Ears Blind? is also experimental research,” she said. “A survey is included.” She encourages everyone in the community to see Are Your Ears Blind? and express their thoughts on the subject.

 

The piece runs through from October 9 through 12 and 16 through 19 in the Gilbert C. Eastman Studio Theatre in the Elstad Building.

 

More information, box office hours, and online ticket purchasing are available on the Theatre Arts website.