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HoLItJwood; Through veqfE(jes: Aya1llC~ f[)lSCUSSlOn P H Y L LIS F R ELI C H, MODERATOR would like to introduce six people who, through their work and art, have helped make important changes in America's entertainment industry on behalf of all deaf people. First, we have Linda Bove-well known for her many years on the children's television show, Sesame Street. Next is Julianna Fjeld, best known as coexecutive producer of the Emmy Award-winning television film, Love Is Never Silent. Marlee Matlin is the winner of an Academy Award for her portrayal of Sarah Norman in the film version of Children of a Lesser God. Howie Seago is known for his much-publicized title role in the play Ajax at La Jolla Playhouse in California and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Ed Waterstreet has added to a distinguished acting and directing career his portrayal of Abel Ryder in "Love is Never Silent." And Terrylene, who is also with us, has made significant contributions as an actress in the television series Beauty and the Beast. When I was a student at Gallaudet, there was no degree offered in theater. A career for a deaf person in theater was unheard of. I was lost. My friends told me that a degree in Library Science would be the best choice for a deaf woman because then I could follow my deaf husband anywhere he got a job. I could work in the town library. Well, I graduated with my degree in Library Science but didn't have a husband to follow. Fortunately for me, David Hays, the founder and artistic director of the National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD), saw me in 1967 in a Gallaudet University production and asked me to become one of the founding members of the company. That was really a ground-breaking event for many of us. NTD was where we learned our craft. We studied acting, directing, designing, dancing, fencing, and the range of movement training from classical mime to Tai Chi to tumbling. Because of my training at NID, I was able to go out and try my luck in the bigger world. That was not easy. There were many smiling, nodding faces. For a while I thought that maybe the only place for a deaf actor to work was NTD. My big break came when I met Mark Medoff in 1978. I was able to help him develop a new play, Children of a Lesser God, from scratch. The rest is history. The success of that play and then the movie version is something most people are already aware of. But, in spite of the many awards and the recognition we received during the two wonderful years the play was on Broadway, I was without work for the two years after the play closed. Why was that? Artistic achievement for, by, about, or with deaf performers is still not common. I mean, for those who smiled and nodded to use us on The following text is a slightly edited tranScript of a Signed. videotaped panel discussion, with audience participation, that occurred during The Deaf Way. Hollywood Through Deaf Eyes any project at all is truly rare. I understood that many of the difficulties we face as deaf persons and aspiring performers are the same as those encountered by members of any minority group. People are naturally uncomfortable about something new. When you link that discomfort with most people's natural shyness about communication difficulties, you can begin to imagine what's involved in convincing most producers to use deaf actors. They're afraid of not being able to communicate, of losing time and money, or whatever. Also, they're worried about what will sell. After all, in their eyes, like it or not, we're disabled. In fact, deaf actors are grouped under "disabled " in our unions. It doesn't matter that we say we are a cultural minority because we feel we are separated from the majority by language, not physical disability. Fortunately, in looking at past successful projects involving deaf actors and actresses , it is clear that authenticity sells. We are generally better than anyone at playing our own roles. After being in this business for more than twenty years, however, I see that I can't be just an actress, waiting for scripts to come to me. I have to sell ideas. I have to try to write. I have to become a politician...

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