As a kid I was intrigued by the life of Helen Keller. She had two major disabilities and yet she became so iconic. Since then I would say that she is the only deaf and blind person I would hear about until yesterday when I saw the Israeli play Not By Bread Alone . NBBA was presented by the Na Lagaat drama troupe which is the only deaf-blind acting troupe in the world. A woman named Adina Tal created this acting troupe after teaching an acting class for deaf-blind. The experience changed her life She then created this acting troupe and a few plays with deaf-blind actors.
Not By Bread Alone begins with the actors kneading bread and the whole show is done within the time it takes to bake bread. Everyone , even a deaf-blind person has hopes and dreams. No one can live on bread alone.
Most of the actors were born deaf and later became blind. One of the actors was born blind but became deaf after having meningitis at the age of eleven. Each tells his/her story at the beginning of the play.
Some speak words , others speak through a translator. It is incredible to see how they are real living breathing people despite their disabilities.
During the show I was treated to some of the most amazing mime by one of the actors who had loved Charlie Chaplin movies when he still had vision. It was amazing mime for someone who is sighted, and for someone who is not it is even more amazing.
The music is really cool , the movement is well timed. It is so sad to me that these people are not able to see or hear how beautiful their play is.
What is so unique about this play is how much it teaches the audience.There is a wedding scene and we see how the couple speak to each other by signing on their hands. It is a beautiful language to watch.
At the end of the production everyone was invited to the stage to speak to the actors through interpreters. And to shake their hands. For a deaf blind person if you shake their hand when you meet them it is how they know you are really there.
They also had real bread that they made during the play for anyone to partake of .
In the playbill there are short bios of the actors. Some live with family members, some are married and have children. A few live in elder care environments because there is not any state funded programs for deaf-blind people in Israel. For those two actors it is so special that they were able to find this acting troupe. Of course it is a life line for all of them. It is so beautiful.
The play makes me appreciate what I have, but it also makes me regard people who are deaf-blind as real live functional people as opposed to just someone to feel sorry for. This is the biggest success of this play. The Na Lagaat troupe performs more than just entertainment, they present their souls and all of us who experience their show have been treated to a most special experience.
Not By Bread Alone begins with the actors kneading bread and the whole show is done within the time it takes to bake bread. Everyone , even a deaf-blind person has hopes and dreams. No one can live on bread alone.
Most of the actors were born deaf and later became blind. One of the actors was born blind but became deaf after having meningitis at the age of eleven. Each tells his/her story at the beginning of the play.
Some speak words , others speak through a translator. It is incredible to see how they are real living breathing people despite their disabilities.
During the show I was treated to some of the most amazing mime by one of the actors who had loved Charlie Chaplin movies when he still had vision. It was amazing mime for someone who is sighted, and for someone who is not it is even more amazing.
The music is really cool , the movement is well timed. It is so sad to me that these people are not able to see or hear how beautiful their play is.
What is so unique about this play is how much it teaches the audience.There is a wedding scene and we see how the couple speak to each other by signing on their hands. It is a beautiful language to watch.
At the end of the production everyone was invited to the stage to speak to the actors through interpreters. And to shake their hands. For a deaf blind person if you shake their hand when you meet them it is how they know you are really there.
They also had real bread that they made during the play for anyone to partake of .
In the playbill there are short bios of the actors. Some live with family members, some are married and have children. A few live in elder care environments because there is not any state funded programs for deaf-blind people in Israel. For those two actors it is so special that they were able to find this acting troupe. Of course it is a life line for all of them. It is so beautiful.
The play makes me appreciate what I have, but it also makes me regard people who are deaf-blind as real live functional people as opposed to just someone to feel sorry for. This is the biggest success of this play. The Na Lagaat troupe performs more than just entertainment, they present their souls and all of us who experience their show have been treated to a most special experience.
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