Deaf West Theatre puts its own unique spin on a modern American classic: “Flowers for Algernon”

SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. - Sept. 12, 2013 - PRLog -- Using its signature, award-winning combination of signed and voiced theater to bring new perspective to a modern American classic,Deaf West Theatre presentsFlowers for Algernonat theWhitefire Theatre.Poignant, funny and thought-provoking,the play based on the novel follows the story of Charlie Gordon, willing subject of an extraordinary experiment, and the strange interweaving of his life with Algernon, a mouse whose intelligence has been increased threefold by the daring new procedure. When the operation is performed on intellectually disabled Charlie, his mental capacity changes and so does his life.

Deaf West Theatre productions weave American Sign Language (ASL) with spoken English to create a seamless ballet of movement and voice. In a unique twist on theFlowers for Algernonstory, Charlie learns to celebrate his deaf identity and becomes a master of ASL, a “super-signer.”

“ASL will be the visual embodiment of the high IQ that Charlie achieves,” says Deaf West artistic directorDavid J. Kurs. “As Charlie’s IQ grows, his signing will become ever more fluent and beautiful, until he is creating pictures in the air.”

“Because our natural intelligence is often masked, Charlie's experience is similar in some ways to that of the average deaf person,” Kurs explains. “When we’re young, we’re subjected to a battery of medical tests and are often at the mercy of the medical profession. Our parents aren’t always able to embrace that we are different and want to make us ‘better.’ Cochlear implants and other procedures that could possibly offer perfect hearing have brought about the question: what does the future hold for the deaf community?”

In Deaf West’s production, deafness becomes a metaphor for the ongoing “disability vs. difference” debate.

Sharon Jensen, executive director of the Tony Award® -winning Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, notes that “Once again, Deaf West continues to provide not only artistic excellence to its audiences, but also to explore our most socially relevant issues in a responsible manner.”

Concludes director McCray, “This production is a head-on look at the variety of experience that is lived throughout the world.”

Flowers for Algernon runsSept. 28 through Nov. 3, with performances on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.and Sundays at 2 p.m. Two preview performances will take place onSept. 26 and 27on the same schedule. An Audience Talk Back with special guest David Serlin, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Communication UC San Diego, will follow the matinee performance on Sunday,Oct. 6.ASL Nights will be offered every Thursday in Oct.: arrive at7:30 pmfor a ½ hour workshop that teaches signs used in the play. General admission is $30; tickets to previews are $20; a $20 “back to school” special is being offered the first three weeks of performances for students with a valid ID (throughOct. 13); and there will be one pay-what-you-can performance on Sunday,Oct. 13.The Whitefire Theatre is located at 13500 Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. There is ample street parking. The theater is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible.