All Hands on Board!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be completely unable to communicate with others … for your entire life? This four-minute film is a must-see.

In Seeing Voices, Dr. Sacks writes about the many aspects of deaf culture and history, and the importance of language and communication for everyone.

Deaf people, especially those born deaf, have long been marginalized–at one time they were considered mentally inferior, unfit for marriage and parenthood (and even incapable of entering the “kingdom of heaven” because they couldn’t “hear” the voice of God). Even today they are often discouraged from communicating in their own, visual, sign languages, which are linguistically just as complex and expressive as any spoken language.

In the early 19th century, two very different men–Laurent Clerc, a (deaf) Frenchman and Thomas Gallaudet, a (hearing) American—bridged the formidable linguistic gap between them to bring sign language and deaf education to the United States. By the time of the Civil War, the campaign for deaf education had become the first civil rights movement in the U.S., and a model for the women’s suffrage and later movements.

Movements of the Soul is a riveting and inspirational new play about the friendship between Clerc and Gallaudet and their extraordinary enterprise. A groundbreaking piece of theatre, it is fully accessible to both deaf and hearing audiences, performed in ASL, English and French. The cast and crew include a talented company of both deaf and hearing artists including actors Lewis Merkin (“Spin City”, Broadway: Children of a Lesser God, West End: Equus), Frank Dattolo (National Theatre of the Deaf, Principal of Lexington School for the Deaf) , Alexandria Wailes (Broadway:  Big River), and Jordan Lage (Broadway: Race, Speed the Plow, Inherit the Wind).

Dr. Sacks has joined the project as an Honorary Board Member, but we need your help not only to bring this play to an off-Broadway stage next spring but also to produce a documentary film which can reach even more people. Please help us spread the word by forwarding this newsletter to your friends.

And please check our fundraiser page at Indigogo and make a contribution, large or small.  Thank you!