Shaping the Performance

This chapter focuses on the collaborative relationship between the director and the DASL throughout the rehearsal process up to opening night, including strategies for blocking and staging, creating a cohesive cast, working across different cultures, and having interpreters at rehearsals. The need to foreground access for deaf audiences in creative decisions regarding stage ASL is also discussed. The chapter looks at the rehearsal process for a production of Angels in America, Part 1: Millennium Approaches. Additionally, the chapter provides guidelines for how stage managers and front-of-house staff can support inclusivity and accessibility both during the rehearsal process and once performances begin. Issues related to stage management, such as backstage communication, along with considerations for front-of-house staff when planning for and interacting with deaf audiences are covered.