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

Quintet (Tonight Medley)

the only widely accepted certifying body. An interpreter accredited by several states or nationally certified is sometimes spoken of as well credentialed. Andi’s initial apprehension at working on West Side Story turns, in March, to enormous frustration precisely because the show lacks a well-credentialed interpreter. The most qualified people directly involved—Christopher Smith and Becky Cline, who isn’t always available—will not be on the stage. Christopher could not be of much help in any event; Andi is perfectly aware that, novice or not, she has a more thorough knowledge of ASL than does Christopher, who was raised in a decidedly oral environment by hearing parents. Nor is Christopher always present when Andi needs him; not only does he have his hands completely full with updates in his choreography, but rehearsals continue to be split between several different rooms, which leaves Andi and Christopher separated, often for hours at a time. Other potentially helpful people such as the ISD dorm parents (they escort the ISD contingent every night), appear uninterested and spend much of their time in the back rows or out in the hallway, counting the minutes until it’s time to leave. One dorm parent, however, proves to be a lifesaving resource for Andi. Elsbietta Kaminski is a recent Polish immigrant, making her—very nearly, at least—a real-life Jet girl. She watches each rehearsal that she attends with an expression both severe and delighted, as if each mistake or miscue pains her personally. When Andi gets well and truly stuck on an individual word or phrase, she turns increasingly to Elsbietta for advice. One line in particular causes her fits, where Anybodys describes her prowess at creeping around the neighborhood. “I’m very good with shadows , you know,” she says. “I sneak in and out like wind through a fence!” Andi already has a translation in mind but remains unhappy with it. Elsbietta offers a more direct, more graceful series of signs, most of which survive into the eventual performances . If nothing else, Elsbietta gives Andi the sense that she has One Hand, One Heart 121 not been completely abandoned. Abandonment, however, is not Andi’s chief concern. Her worries center on who will bear ultimate responsibility for the final product. In the meantime, there is nothing for it but to soldier on, with or without a male interpreter for Tony. With the only male interpreter that the show ever had long since gone, so Andi has to cover Tony’s lines, as well as those of Riff, A-Rab, Doc, and Schrank. The unfortunate result is that Andi—thanks to a plethora of scenes that include pairings like Tony and Riff or Tony and Doc—frequently appears to be conversing with herself. Anna Poplett takes the parts of Krupke, Action, Anybodys, and Velma. (Velma, as played by Jen Harris, could potentially sign for herself, but it makes no theatrical sense for her to do so; Jen’s character, Velma, has no more idea how to sign than she does how to improve on being a gang leader’s moll.) Allison Titus, an interpreter who joins the cast at the same time as Ken Roumpos, adopts Diesel, Baby John, and Graziella—all of whom are hearing , which allows Allison to become the only sign interpreter to avoid specific duties as a voice interpreter. Anna handles the speaking and singing parts of Shark girl Rosalia, and Andi covers Glad Hand’s lines. Jen Harris, who takes the voice parts of Francisca , has the same basic duties, except that Francisca has no spoken lines, only sung lyrics, a fact that leads to an eventual oversight in the program, where Jen’s name does not appear in the cast list of voice interpreters. Voice interpreting is not necessarily an easy task onstage, even with fixed and memorized dialogue. Sight lines become a major issue, especially in the largest scene, “Dance at the Gym.” Glad Hand, who is played by a deaf actor, presents particular problems, because Glad Hand keeps separating the two warring factions by stepping in between them. Andi, off to the side, can’t see when Glad Hand begins to sign. No matter where Andi goes, she can’t quite see every move Glad Hand makes, and as a result, she often begins her speaking either too early or too late. 122 Deaf Side Story One attempted solution—to place Andi up...