Across A Distance September 17, 2010

The disparate worlds of Deaf performance and opera come together as University Theatre kicks off the 2010-2011 season with a special world premiere event. Devised collaboratively by an award-winning poet, an accomplished composer, an internationally acclaimed opera singer, and a Deaf actor who has won worldwide accolades, 'Across A Distance' is a groundbreaking new work that challenges the traditional boundaries of performance. 'Across A Distance' is a multimedia bilingual (English and American Sign Language) performance piece for Soprano (Julia Faulkner) and Deaf actor (Robert Schleifer). The performance tells an allegorical tale about Man, a storyteller, and Woman, a scientist, who live on separate islands, longing to connect. Through the assistance of their magical companions, a flock of birds who converse through song and a pair of trees who express themselves through movement, Man and Woman meet. Though Man speaks American Sign Language and Woman speaks and sings in English, the two magically understand one another. However, once they break the rules their companions set for them, Man and Woman lose their ability to communicate.