Deaf West Theatre
Encyclopedia
Deaf West Theatre Company is a North Hollywood, California-based cultural institution serving as a model for deaf theatre worldwide. Founded in 1991, by Ed Waterstreet
, it is noted for being the first professional resident Sign Language
Theatre
in the western half of the United States. Deaf West Theatre productions, actors and directors have won more than 80 theatre awards for artistic merit.
Under the artistic direction of its founder, Ed Waterstreet
, the company’s art-deco complex in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood includes a 90-seat theatre, complete with a state-of-the-art sound system, sub-woofers under the raked seating, an infrared headphone system, and captioning capabilities. The theatre is within a ten-minute drive of many major film production studios including Disney
, Warner Bros.
, Universal
, NBC
, and Columbia/Tri-Star.
Deaf West Theatre Inc., was founded to directly improve and enrich the cultural lives of the 1.2 million deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who live in the Los Angeles
area. DWT provides exposure and access to professional theatre, filling a void for deaf artists and audiences.
DWT serves the cultural, educational, social and employment needs of its constituents. DWT is an institution for the discovery and exploration of artists' identities and stature as artists. Through the medium of Sign Language Theatre, a legacy of deaf culture
is created, shared, and preserved.
Presenting adaptations of classics, contemporary and original works, DWT is dedicated to the production of theatre of the highest artistic quality, which nurtures and promotes the talents of its actors, writers, directors and designers. DWT productions are presented in American Sign Language
with simultaneous translation in English, providing for all an enhanced theatrical experience.
Deaf West Theatre's most notable accomplishment is bringing a revival of Big River
to the American Airlines Theatre
on Broadway
in 2003.
Ed Waterstreet
Ed Waterstreet is the founder and artistic director of Deaf West Theatre, which was established in 1991, and was the first resident theatre company in America operating under the direction of a deaf artistic director....
, it is noted for being the first professional resident Sign Language
Sign language
A sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's...
Theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in the western half of the United States. Deaf West Theatre productions, actors and directors have won more than 80 theatre awards for artistic merit.
Under the artistic direction of its founder, Ed Waterstreet
Ed Waterstreet
Ed Waterstreet is the founder and artistic director of Deaf West Theatre, which was established in 1991, and was the first resident theatre company in America operating under the direction of a deaf artistic director....
, the company’s art-deco complex in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood includes a 90-seat theatre, complete with a state-of-the-art sound system, sub-woofers under the raked seating, an infrared headphone system, and captioning capabilities. The theatre is within a ten-minute drive of many major film production studios including Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, and Columbia/Tri-Star.
Deaf West Theatre Inc., was founded to directly improve and enrich the cultural lives of the 1.2 million deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who live in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area. DWT provides exposure and access to professional theatre, filling a void for deaf artists and audiences.
DWT serves the cultural, educational, social and employment needs of its constituents. DWT is an institution for the discovery and exploration of artists' identities and stature as artists. Through the medium of Sign Language Theatre, a legacy of deaf culture
Deaf culture
Deaf culture describes the social beliefs, behaviors, art, literary traditions, history, values and shared institutions of communities that are affected by deafness and which use sign languages as the main means of communication. When used as a cultural label, the word deaf is often written with a...
is created, shared, and preserved.
Presenting adaptations of classics, contemporary and original works, DWT is dedicated to the production of theatre of the highest artistic quality, which nurtures and promotes the talents of its actors, writers, directors and designers. DWT productions are presented in American Sign Language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
with simultaneous translation in English, providing for all an enhanced theatrical experience.
Deaf West Theatre's most notable accomplishment is bringing a revival of Big River
Big River (musical)
Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a musical with a book by William Hauptman and music and lyrics by Roger Miller.Based on Mark Twain's classic 1884 novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it features music in the bluegrass and country styles in keeping with the setting of the novel...
to the American Airlines Theatre
American Airlines Theatre
The American Airlines Theatre is a Broadway theatre, located at 227 West 42nd Street, New York City.-Design:Originally named the Selwyn Theatre, it was constructed by the Selwyn brothers, Edgar and Archie, in 1918. It was one of three theatres they built and controlled on 42nd Street, along with...
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 2003.