Playing for Change

Playing for Change seeks to investigate the use of theatre devices in facilitating collective dialogue between hearing and Deaf performers. Drawing on the literature which establishes sign language as linguistically sophisticated and therefore on a par with spoken and written language, this paper identifies theatre as a shared language that is a unifying element between the two communities. It further investigates the structures present in creating meaning in theatre and their correlation with the languages of the hearing and Deaf. Using a case study of a Deaf/hearing integrated theatre company, From the Hip: Khulumakahle (FTH:K), the paper critiques Ladd's (2003) notion of 'Integrated Theatre' as a hearing theatre group taking on a 'token' Deaf person, learning basic sign in the theatre devising process and presenting it as theatre. FTH:K also explores the gestural and imagistic language used between performers to collectively devise theatre amongst Deaf and hearing performers, as it does not privilege one language over another.