UWM’s Thespians and Interpreters Continue Collaboration

As a single light continues to flicker on and off in the basement of the theatre building, the cast begins their rehearsal of the Laramie Project. In between scenes, some actors are agonizing themselves over forgotten lines while others are more relaxed, whispering into each other’s ears while stifling laughter. The rapid-fire pace of scene transitions and slight wardrobe changes scored by booming percussive sounds does create a chaotic atmosphere one would come to expect from a play rehearsal.   

The ambience of the final dress rehearsal for the Laramie Project at the Kenilworth Black Box is more solemn and orderly, accompanied by working lights. During the performance, a group of student interpreters, led by an assistant director, are rehearsing their lines in the audience. This is a byproduct of a five-year collaboration between the Peck School of Arts and the Interpreter Training Program started by Pamela Conine, Coordinator for the Interpreter Training Program at UWM, and Ralph Janes, a senior lecturer of Theatre History and Education.

“We had a student in a theatre major who was part of the DHHS (Deaf and Hard of Hearing Society). So, the university made sure that she had translators or interpreters for classes, but then that also included any productions that she was required to see,” said Janes, “The current director of the ITP [Conine] and I picked up and we’ve been developing that link.”

Each season, two productions feature an interpreted show, usually taking place on a Sunday matinee. The lack of interpreted performances gives students in the ITP department ample time to work on the show over a semester in a lab to develop an understanding of the script and to interpret it effectively. ITP department gets to choose which shows get interpreted based on requirements of the ITP curriculum and thematic elements.

“I want to provide students with content, and I want to promote an awareness. And that’s the beauty of working with the theatre department because that’s what plays do,” said Conine, “We’re also developing an awareness of what has happened to these populations in these communities or what is, you know, what has been the experience and, you know, understanding the oppression, the marginalization, the discrimination, that kind of stuff brings it to light.”

Accessibility has been more prominent in theater as social media has increased the visibility of the deaf community. Feedback of the ITP collaboration from the deaf community, aside from Hamlet and pandemic plays, has been primarily positive. The collaboration is constantly undergoing new developments. There are tentative plans to have the interpreters work directly with the actors and incorporate the interpreters directly into the productions, redefining the role of actor and interpreter.

“I think we’re at a sort of a turn for the theater companies to realize that they need to do more in terms of representation and more in terms of access. So, I think there’s just a really a perfect timing happening with the School of the Arts at UWM,” said Amy Free, an Associate Lecturer at ITP, “students are learning more about access, and how to creatively integrate interpreters into a show and make it feel natural.”

The Laramie Project chronicles the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, and its effects on the town of Laramie. Through collected interviews and testimonials of Laramie citizens, Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project created a candid portrayal of a town marred by tragedy. In this production, the ten performers played 150 characters, who are all differentiated through their physical and verbal mannerisms as well as small props for further embellishment. 

“These are actually people who live not just in someone’s imagination, which is a beautiful thing, don’t get me wrong. But it’s actual people, so you’re taking a capsule of a period, taking their own language, and then reenacting it.” said Jim Tasse, the director of the Laramie Project, “so in a way, we are summoning a lot of ghosts here, and not just Matthew Shepard.”