Play performed mostly in sign language

By Erin Aldridge

"Children of a Lesser God," performed March 14-16 and 19-21, depicts two completely different worlds coming together to find ways to communicate with each other.

The director of Gardner-Webb's production of "Children of a Lesser God," Scot Lahaie, said that a performance of a play should be a conversation carried on between the actors and their audiences.

"A successful play," said Lahaie, "should provoke the audiences' thought processes and make them want to go converse about the play's meaning with others."

The actors performing "Children of a Lesser God" carry on a conversation with their audiences, but in a very different way than one might think is typical for a play. Many people attending the play could not hear the words spoken during the play, and others could not speak the language used by the actors. The play is performed in mostly American Sign Language and largely involves the deaf community.

"Children of a Lesser God" involves only eight actors, but even such a small cast makes a big statement. The plot basically consists of a speech therapist, James Leeds, played by David Hawes, who falls in love with and marries one of his deaf students who cannot speak, Sarah Norman, played by Kathy Davis, and their struggles to understand one another. Hawes' character is fluent in ASL, but is not deaf. Therefore he cannot truly understand Sarah and the reason she refuses to learn to speak. This couple struggles throughout the play to find a way to communicate and understand each other.

Not only does the play itself have a wonderful story to share and an important meaning to get across, but the setting is also very interesting and an important part of the production. Technology allows huge, white cubes to function as movie screens as they show pictures relating to the set or situation of each scene of the play. Books show up when James is in his office, or a picture of Bridge for Dummies pops up on the screen during a bridge game.

Before "Children of a Lesser God" even starts, it is very clear that there is something important to be learned from it. In the lobby in front of Dover Theater, there are many boards set up with information about the play and the deaf community.

Not only does "Children of a Lesser God" seek to tell a wonderful story and make one think, but additional interesting information is provided to create even more awareness about the world of the hearing impaired.

Many who attended the play or were involved with it said that it really did leave an impact on them and make them think. Rachel Jones, who shares the part of Edna Klein with Micah Soto, felt more connected to the deaf community.

"The actors are like outsiders looking in. We got a taste of what it is like not to be able to hear," said Jones.

FROM GWU STUDENT NEWSPAPER