Deaf Side Story: Deaf Sharks, Hearing Jets, and a Classic American Musical

Gee, Officer Krupke

been set in stone, and he deems it foolish, even dangerous, to alter them. In literal terms, for example, the sign that the ISD students have arrived at for Puerto Rican is, essentially, the letters P and R, with a specific gangland flourish for added effect. (Richard, as Schrank, translates both “PRs” and “spic”—sometimes unsuccessfully , in Phil’s estimation—to “NIGGER,” the most offensive and derogatory statement he can think of.) The sign for the Sharks, accomplished every time with a single hand, translates to a nonsense sound, akin to the letters Q and K being jammed together. The sign for the Jets is clear at least in its derivative sense, in that it’s been built as a variation on the sign for a downward flying airplane, but the end result is suspiciously close to “I love you,” instead. Intent on honoring the work that has already been done, Phil makes a pact with himself to leave the Sharks and their syntax alone. Instead, he goes after the interpreters—and, on occasion, Pearlene. Gradually, the mood of the cast lightens. Some even begin to feel a certain optimism, as if the bottom at last has been reached They are wrong. The bottom is just around the corner. 162 Deaf Side Story The world’s a theatre, the earth a stage, Which God and Nature do with actors fill. Thomas Heywood Apology for Actors, 1612 On March 27, Joey Gillis (Chino) fails to board the ISD bus at the end of the school’s spring break and, in so doing, effectively becomes the eighth actor to quit the faltering cast. In much of the world, missing a bus would be a minor incident, no cause for alarm. ISD, however, has a very strict policy regarding the transport of its student body: Either a student arrives at campus on the ISD bus or they must be returned to school by a parent or legal guardian. A student cannot simply return of his or her own accord, nor are students allowed to catch another bus, even if one were available. Greyhound does not service Jacksonville. Neither does Trailways or any other regular bus line; the nearest bus stops are in Springfield, as is the Amtrak line. Thus, by virtue of missing the bus, Joey has, de facto, withdrawn himself from school. Indefinitely. Rumors abound, headed up by a consensus opinion from the remainder of the ISD cast that Joey has stayed behind to “hang out with friends.” No one seems surprised, least of all Pearlene, who erroneously warned Diane via e-mail in early 163 Somewhere January that Joey had already flown the coop. “He is not here anymore,” she wrote. “He’ve been gone for a long time. I don’t think he’ll be here anytime soon or later! So find a replacement .” By the time of Monday night’s rehearsal, efforts to contact Joey and his family have failed and, once again, West Side Story faces a crisis. The role of Chino, although limited, is key to the dramatic movement of the plot. It is Chino who, despondent at Bernardo’s death and betrayed by Maria, obtains a gun and shoots Tony. Without Chino, the story lacks the man who is arguably its most dramatic agent. Furthermore, Chino’s character has been fully integrated into the Shark gang, and thus anyone stepping into the role will have to learn the choreography behind at least four major dance sequences. The obvious choice—fire and replace Joey immediately—thus appears anything but obvious. Diane concedes that waiting will likely only prolong the agony, but with precious few other prospects, she is tempted. Hoping for Joey’s return also holds drawbacks, because with opening night only two weeks away, even a single day away from the production will seriously hamper Joey’s performance. This is not a new situation for Diane. In each of her four previous Mac productions, she has lost one or more actors. Sometimes she blames herself, but mostly she faults what many see as a regional and possibly generational trend toward a lack of follow-through and personal responsibility. With many Mac students , a word given is not a word kept. The notion that action and commitments come burdened with consequences does not appear to occur to many of the college’s students. Dropping out of a theater production—which, along with team sports, is...