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Dance at the Gym
- Gallaudet University Press
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pegged by virtually the entire production team as Anybodys, the street gang girl who desperately wants to be a Jet. In any other production, hard choices would have to be made, since Meredith also sings the role of Anita with real verve and conviction. Here, however, because a deaf student from ISD will act the role of Anita, Meredith winds up with two roles: Anybodys, as predicted, as well as the singing and speaking voice of Anita. The need for voices rather than leading actors allows for intriguing casting choices in choosing Maria. Dawn Williams is a flexible, willing actor, but the range required for Maria—high F, well above the staff—is beyond her. However, when given the stage direction of, “I want you to read your lines as if you really have to pee,” Dawn is the only woman who transforms her words into urgency without resorting to overwrought, cross-legged whining. Someone proposes that Anna Poplett could handle the singing voice of Maria, leaving Dawn to deliver her spoken lines. Nothing, however, is set in stone; callbacks are still in the offing. Nobody knows yet where these disembodied voice-actors will stand, or how visible they will be. The discussions spring spontaneously from the casting and, as actors file in and out, all sorts of ideas come flying. Melanie suggests that the singers wear all black clothing and hide in the wings. Someone wonders if the singers can stay above the other actors, somewhere up high, like angels. There is some discussion of placing the singing actors and the deaf actors back-to-back, so the deaf actors can feel the vibrations of the music and keep pace with their signing accordingly. Everyone is disappointed that auditions don’t draw a better turnout. There are barely enough women to cover the basic roles, much less to fill in as the Jets’ girlfriends. Still, Terri’s excellent piano playing and her easy rapport with the students, combined with the fine vocal performances of those who do show, infuses the room with confidence, energy, an air of possibility . Nobody wants to leave. The production team mills around for a half hour and more, talking, wondering, plotting, planning. 54 Deaf Side Story Melanie, collapsed in a chair, confesses, “I love this space. I love being in here.” Auditions continue the next night, this time with the ISD students included. Rumor in the high school has it that a band of students might throw over athletics in favor of dancing and acting in West Side Story. The spark that prompts this minor but significant revolution turns out to be Christopher Smith. Several students have worked with him before and can’t wait to do so again. This is hardly surprising. Christopher is an elf, a short man with a twinkle in his eye and an aura of energy held, just barely, in check. His posture is excellent and his chin is always up, at attention, ready to strike an onstage pose. For dance rehearsals, he favors navy blue T-shirts, very tight, together with deep red athletic shorts or sweatpants; he often removes his shoes and performs routines in cheap white cotton socks. He carries his gear in a fat heavy-gauge canvas backpack, olive drab and army style, frayed and worn. On the night before the first auditions, Christopher and Bob Dramin, together with Terri Benz and Carrie Moore, gathered for a quick, buffet-style dinner at Diane’s house. Diane and Christopher met for the first time at the front door, and Christopher could barely wait for the screen to open before engulfing Diane in a bear hug. He spent more time signing than eating during the meal, as did Carrie, who constantly abandoned her fork to serve as interpreter. When Christopher finished with his meal, he signed, with fantastic effect, that he was full, full up to his chin, full not just with food but with “the work,” the work meaning West Side Story, and the actors and production space he was about to see for the first time. Christopher makes frequent use of his voice. He can hear a little with a hearing aid or with headphones, but neither gives him a clear idea of what his own instrument sounds like; in a hearing person, his voice would strike many as stemming from a supremely unhappy individual. Although some words come clear, Something’s Coming 55 [54.82.44.149] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 18:50...