Национальный театр глухих: История и вклад в развитие театрального искусства

American theatre company

The National Theatre of the Deaf (NTD) is a Connecticut based theatre company founded in 1967. It is the oldest theatre company in the United States with a continuous history of domestic and international touring, as well as producing original works. NTD productions combine American Sign Language with spoken language to fulfill the theatre's mission statement of linking Deaf and hearing communities, providing more exposure to sign language, and educating the public about Deaf art. The NTD is affiliated with a drama school, also founded in 1967, and with the Little Theatre of the Deaf (LTD), established in 1968 to produce shows for a younger audience. Prior to the National Theatre of the Deaf, there were no theatre college level programs created to support deaf aspiring actors. Furthermore, there were three major deaf theatre groups, these being "The New York Association of the Deaf," "The New York Theatre Guild of the Deaf" and "The Metropolitan Theatre guild of the Deaf." The first official performance of the NTD was a production of The Man With His Heart in the Highlands at Wesleyan University in 1967. NTD members participated in the first National and Worldwide Deaf Theatre Conference in 1994. Many deaf actors have earned acclaim through their work with the NTD in performances, conferences, and community outreach. The NTD has been fundamental in the creation of an international Deaf theatre community, and has received several awards, including the Tony Award for Theatrical Excellence. The company has visited each of the 50 states during over 150 national tours, as well as over 30 countries.

The vision for the National Theatre of the Deaf was brought into the world by Edna S. Levine, a psychologist, and Anne Bancroft, an actress playing a deaf role (see below). They were able to combine their passion for theatre and desire to promote deaf art into being the spark plugs for NTD. In 1946, Robert Panara, a graduate of Gallaudet University and newly hired teacher at the New York School for the Deaf, produced a play with Bernard Bragg, a 17 year old student in Panara's English class. Later in the 1940s, when Bragg was a student at Gallaudet, Panara left New York School for the Deaf to teach at Gallaudet. While both at Gallaudet, Panara and Bragg conceived of the idea of a theater for the Deaf. In 1963, Dr. Edna Levine, a professor of Deaf studies at New York University, saw Bragg perform a one man show in New York City. She asked him for a meeting and shared her own vision for a national theater for the deaf. In 1965, they obtained a federal grant from the U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to establish the NTD. Additional grant money was given by the Office of Education. Bancroft and Hays were drawn to work with one another because both "were captivated by the idea that sign language had a place on the world's stage as a performing art form."

The founders' mission was to feature sign language in the theater for both deaf and hearing audiences. The founders believed that audience members need to "hear every word and see every word" in all NTD productions. To fulfill this mission, productions included both Deaf and hearing actors. The language used by the Deaf performers included sign language, mime, and gesture, and the hearing actors provided spoken language. Bragg had studied under the French mime Marcel Marceau, and his acting style influenced the early NTD productions. Originally, the NTD was located on the campus of the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center in Waterford, Connecticut. In 1983, the NTD moved to Chester, Connecticut. NTD actress Jane Norman went on to become a prominent voice in deaf media studies at Gallaudet University. While some NTD actors have achieved recognition in theatre, a greater number of Deaf actors, including Chuck Baird, Eric Malzkuhn, Ed Waterstreet, Gilbert Eastman, Mary Beth Miller, Freda Norman, and Manny Hernandez, have achieved recognition primarily within Deaf theatre.