NY Deaf Theatre brings duality of ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ to stage

Production features a cast of hearing-impaired and hearing actors.

NEW YORK: Instead of applauding, a sea of waving hands rose up from the audience to show their appreciation for the cast of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the newest production by the New York Deaf Theatre.

The play, which opens on Tuesday for a limited run at the June Havoc Theatre in Manhattan, is performed by a cast of hearing-impaired and hearing actors who use American Sign Language (ASL) whilst speaking the lines simultaneously.

Speaking about the casting process JW Guido, an actor and the artistic director of the New York Deaf Theatre (NYDT) said, “We basically cast two people for each role,”



“The show is performed with deaf actors signing in ASL and the hearing actors will simultaneously be speaking their lines,” he added.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, adapted from the novella by Robert Louis Stevenson, is Guido’s fourth production for the company since taking over as artistic director four years ago.

Set in London in the late 1880s, it follows renowned British scientist Dr. Henry Jekyll as he explores the darker side of human nature by concocting a chemical formula that enables him to transform himself into the evil, murderous Edward Hyde.

Guido chose the production citing a desire to do “something classic”.

“When I found this translation of the script, I thought it would be great and would give the actors an opportunity to do something classic,” remarked the 28-year-old thespian.

Guido, who plays one of Hyde’s victims, Richard Enfield, in the play, had to translate the production into ASL, which he said was a challenge.

Unlike some deaf theatre companies which use just sign language, NYDT productions includes signing and speaking parts and appeal to deaf and hearing audiences.

The 13-member cast of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde includes a nearly equal number of deaf and hearing actors.

“The challenge for the hearing actors is that most of them don’t know any sign language, so how are they going to know when to match when I am signing my lines?” said Robert DeMayo, 50, who plays Jekyll and Hyde, with Taylor Pavlik voicing the role.

“You really have to stick together closely so, even if they don’t know what I’m saying, they know this sign and that movement means this, so they match it.” DeMayo, who has been acting for 30 years and has performed with the National Deaf Theatre, said opportunities for deaf actors have dwindled because there are fewer deaf theatre companies and opportunities for deaf actors in television and films.

“There have been a lot of funding cuts to the arts, of course, which makes it harder for everyone, and that makes it increasingly harder for deaf actors,” he said. Although NYDT will soon be celebrating its 35th anniversary, making it one of the longest-running deaf theatre companies in the country, Guido said it is still quite rare. “My goal is just to give opportunities for the performers and deaf people in theatre, as well as the audience. There are plenty of new stories that can be translated into ASL,” he said. 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2014.

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