We feel like we're a red carpet to the production. So we're not down there
having a good time.
I try not to upstage what's going on onstage.
Hi. My name is Alan Champion
and I'm a sign language interpreter.
[music]
My work as a sign language interpreter in the theater is less
anchored to the script. I use the script has almost like a dictionary, a reference tool.
I'm much more interested in the
performance and seeing what it is that the audience is getting what's the
director trying to get across the audience.
You can get some of that from the script but some of its really through the actor's
interpretations themselves. Now I'm like the the boy that was raised by wolves.
My parents are deaf and so I was kind of an outsider brought in
by birth, so I've been signing my entire life. It has been a part of my
entire life. I was a singer in college. I majored in music
and it wasn't until I left college that my sister
gave me a call and said "guess what?! They are hiring people at the local community
college
to do what we already know how to do." Of course, at the time I had no idea how much
training really needed to be a
professionals sign language interpreter, but I dove right in headfirst
and began interpreting in the local college.
That's in some ways how I built up my chops as a sign language interpreter.
The performance world and the interpreting world began to merge
when I was living in St Louis between '78 and '80.
I was doing summer stock theater in the summertime then during the
academic year I was interpreting at a college.
At one point a company from I think Iowa, came through town to do a production of
The Authentic Life of Billy the kKid and somebody roped me into interpreting it with
no preparation time. I interpreted four characters by myself
and the Deaf folks that came in, there is a crowd of them,
just loved it and I love doing it because it was meaningful. It meant
something to them. I felt like I was really providing a service and that's
what my work is all about.
Because there wasn't training when I started I was
shanghaied into teaching in the programs when they began. I had to get my
training
very much on a ad hoc basis. As a result of that I'm still training!
I probably spent more hours in training than most people go through an
interpreter training program in with some other
gurus on the field I've been very fortunate to be mentored and trained by
top dogs in the field. Believe it or not because I was living in the Midwest
my first exposure to Children of a Lesser God was not until
Phyllis Frelich got up on stage and received her Tony Award for it.
"I share this award with"
and I saw the deaf woman get up and start signing up. I thought, what the heck
happened here.
There's a Broadway show that talks about issues related to my life, my
parents' lives.
It was about that time, maybe six months or so later, that I moved to New York.
I got to see the show. I worked with the actors on the show because I was hired
to work as a sign language interpreter backstage.
As it turns out, I reflected some transitions are happening in
communication in the Deaf community.
Such an important work just like Miracle Worker was.
I think there is a difference between interpreting for a play like Miracle Worker
or a
are Shakespearian work or a Broadway musical. Miracle Worker
has its own unique set have circumstances we have to take into
consideration. For example,
there are a lot of visuals in the show. Helen Keller's
movements, how she's learning to adapt to her environment,
the relationship she has with Annie Sullivan, her teacher and lifelong friend.
There's a lot a visual information that doesn't need to be interpreted
and one other jobs we interpreters have
you don't get from script is when do we get out of the way
when do we stop interpreting. When does the information
that's been given auditorally available visually as well.
So we have to think about those things. Dividing up the characters amongst the
team with three interpreters is very very important.
It shouldn't be about what we need that more about what the audience
needs and what will make it easy for them to figure out
who is interpreting for whom. As the play gets more and more
characters in it becomes more and more tricky. It's important to time your
interpretation so that an audience member can
watch the show and Miracle Worker is a wonderful example this. I watched this
last week several times happen with
the students because this particular interpreted performances for
deaf students. We noticed
at key times throughout the show they would all be looking at the play and
almost all of them
will turn to the interpreters to find out what is that what you're
saying right now. You're waiting for that moment. You don't want to be interpreting
while they're looking at the stage.
It's a constant give-and-take
and you try to be sensitive to that audience reaction so that they get the
information
when they need it, when they want it.
Sometimes we have access to the staff, the
artistic staff. We might have specific questions to ask
about the script, but for myself I
personally like to just hear an actor or director talk about their work.
It's informative to hear them to just talk about it.
A good interpreter is a good listener.
It's a wonderful treat when you get that opportunity for a show,
we don't get it very often. I have interpreted a number Broadway shows
maybe close to ninety. Think my favorite show to interprete was a production by
Steppenwolf
called Grapes of Wrath. It was a beautiful production.
It touches on my homeland, I'm from Oklahoma.
I think anything that is
heavily based on the auditory or plays on words in English.
Neil Simon can be tricky. Lanford Wilson can be tricky.
Noel Coward can be very tricky to interpret.
Stephen Sondheim musicals are very, very challenging to interpret because they are
rapid oftentimes.
A lot of people are amused by the fact that musicals are so popular for deaf
people. They love to go the musical. Some people do have residual hearing so there
is some enjoyment
of the sound. There is enjoyment of music the vibration that one feels.
Currently I love Wicked. I love Next to Normal. Those two shows were phenomenal
to interpret and they are beautiful shows.
One of the lovely things about this work is I get to meet so many people. I get to
work with wonderful interpreters.
I love providing service to deaf people. I love being around people deaf people.
I am comfortable being around deaf people.
It's something... I just. I'm at home doing this work.
[music]