Deaf Theater in the United States

Abstract Deaf theater in the United States arises out of the community of American Sign Language users. Deaf theater has existed as skits, pantomimes, and signed songs as long as deaf people have formed communities. The development of formal theater is tied to the establishment of schools for the deaf in the 19th century. The spread of deaf education led to the growth of communities centered on social interactions and entertainments in sign language, including theater. The founding of the National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD) in 1967 was a pivotal moment in the United States. NTD exposed hearing audiences to stage sign language, the capabilities of deaf actors, and the artistic possibilities inherent in the merging of deaf and hearing theater. The success of NTD led to many other deaf theater companies being established throughout the United States, creating a “golden age of Deaf theater.” In addition, opportunities to work with hearing theater companies began to open up, sometimes for only one actor, but sometimes for multiple deaf artists. This type of theater has been termed integrated or mainstreamed theater. While deaf, integrated theater, and mainstreamed theater all incorporate deaf actors and sign language, they can be distinguished on the basis of cultural content and themes, ratios of deaf or hearing people involved, and accessibility for deaf audiences. All forms of deaf theater make artistic use of sign language. The unique linguistic, poetic, and musical elements of sign language create several challenges in producing deaf theater, such as translation approaches and choices, alignment of spoken English, sign language lines, and sometimes music; language access within the world of the play; and language access for audiences. William Shakespeare’s plays present unique challenges for translation due to their highly poetic language. Five recent productions in the United States illustrate the artistic and staging aspects of deaf and integrated theater: Grey House (2023), Richard III (2022), Private Jones (2024), ISM II (2023), and Trash (2023).