ASL Interpreting for Theatre: Behind the Curtains

The word theatre comes from the Greeks. It means the seeing place. It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation. -Stella Adler

The theatre has always been a haven for me. It is where I feel connected – as company on the stage, as audience in the seats, and especially as humans together in the space. For many years of my life, I have either been on the stage or in the seat. In recent years, I have had the privilege of standing in the liminal space between these two aforementioned overlapping spheres. Neither fully audience, nor performing as a member of the company, the theatrical interpreter straddles both worlds: a bridge, an avenue that provides access to Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) people who might otherwise be standing on the outskirts of a grand festival, unable to fully participate.

This is not to say that there are no other means of enjoying theatre for Deaf and hard of hearing patrons. However, this post will be focused on my experience as an American Sign Language (ASL) theatre interpreter. As with any experience, each person’s account will be different as we all bring different lenses to the fore, so please read with that in mind.

Preparation is Key for ASL Interpreting 

My work as a theatre interpreter begins long before the night of the performance. To note, the word “night” here as a singular is intentional. Very often, in a given theatrical run, only one night is designated to have ASL interpretation, narrowing the opportunities for a DHH patron to attend the show. I digress. In a perfect world, I would have the finalized script with plenty of time in advance, a video of a full run of the show to watch, a team of interpreters to work with, and a Director of Artistic Sign Language (DASL). 

Most of the time, I have two of these: a script and a team. In the interpreting world, we usually use the term “team” to mean partner. Most interpreting jobs have two interpreters. For theatre, depending on the size and complexity of the show, three interpreters are usually warranted. I interpreted many wonderful productions this summer, mostly with one other interpreter as my team. In one musical, there were four actors in the company and it was easy enough to portray the six characters with only two people. However, a different performance had three main characters and it would have benefitted from having a third interpreter for clarity. Those three characters talked to each other frequently, forcing one interpreter to “talk to themselves” – something we try to avoid as theatrical interpreters. 

Assigning Characters and Roles to ASL Interpreters 

As soon as the script arrives, the team discusses the breakdown of characters. We go through the script and determine who will interpret which character, noting who talks to whom the most and doing our utmost to make sure no interpreter is “talking to themselves” too much. We also attempt to match character as much as possible. We look at the cultural impact of the character over the actor. If a character is culturally Black or their gender identity is an important part of their character, we attempt to match that. BIPOC characters are typically given to BIPOC interpreters, female-identifying characters are typically given to female-identifying interpreters, and so on. There are instances where a white interpreter may interpret for a Black actor or a female-identifying interpreter interpret for a male-identifying character provided that race and gender identity are not integral to the character and plot. 

The intersectionality of characters dictates that we look at the different identities and determine which is prominent for the story. Sometimes, the availability of the interpreters negates this. I recently interpreted for a female-identifying character where gender-identity was important because only two male-identifying interpreters were available. In this case, we prioritized age. As the older of the two interpreters, I took on the older female character while my team took the younger. 

American Sign Language Translation vs Interpretation 

Once the “roles” have been assigned, the work of translation begins. A note about translation vs. interpretation: translation starts with a frozen text. The script is set – while there may be some ad libbing, dropped lines, etc. at the performance, the lines are set before us ahead of time. We are translating the script into ASL. The night of the performance, of course, we are interpreting what is said onstage, but at this stage of the process, we are translating.

This process is extensive and complex. Even the most straightforward text takes careful thought and planning. Theatre is about stories. Stories have a natural arc to them. Plot is hinted at, explicitly told, implied, challenged, and resolved. Interpreters must determine how to provide what we call dynamic equivalence. That is, we want the DHH theatregoers to have the same experience as the hearing audience. That means we might have to expand on information to make the implicit explicit or use a specific sign at the beginning of the show in order to bring it back at the end for a payoff. We are crafting the narrative such that all members of the audience are laughing and crying together. 

Musicals and Shakespeare have their own special brand of complexity for this. They deserve a post all their own.

Theatre Script ASL Translation Example 

The translation process may happen mostly in isolation at first or it may be collaborative as a team from the beginning. At some point in the process, however, the team comes together to discuss sign choices, especially when they affect each other. Consider the dialogue below:

CHARACTER 1:
You need to calm down.

CHARACTER 2:
Calm down?

CHARACTER 3:
How dare you tell them to calm down!

The example above has three different characters all using the words “calm down.” As with many English terms and phrases, there are several ways to convey the same concept in ASL. Ideally, there are three interpreters in this situation and they would each be using the same sign(s) for “calm down” to allow for clarity with a potential variation to indicate the actors’ tone and inflection. This is a simple example, but it shows how vital it is for the interpreters to talk to each other and determine signs ahead of time. 

That collaboration provides a safe space for creativity. Language is a fluid medium and ASL interpreters get the opportunity to play and figure out not only the clearest signs, but those that will be most enjoyable for the DHH audience. This is also where a Director of American Sign Language (DASL) is invaluable. There are a variety of Directors of Artistic Sign Language available for productions, many based here in New York City. Having a native signer to watch from a Deaf perspective, make suggestions, and offer input enriches the interpretation.

Just like the actors, we rehearse as much as possible. If we have a video of the performance, we play it and run through our interpretation, noting any issues and working through them together. This is the ultimate resource for interpreters to be aware of tone, pacing, and character, not to mention blocking (which will come into play when we arrive in the space itself).

Setting the Stage for Success 

Then, it’s the night of the performance. We arrive early, just as the company does. There is usually a point of contact who welcomes us and lets us know where we will be set up. Knowledge of the production allows for the best placement that isn’t going to impact the blocking of the show itself. This is where that video resource comes in handy! We are not usually on the stage – if we are, it is off to the side in front of the proscenium. More often, we are in the front row where the house manager has “killed” two or three seats. This means they have blocked off these seats so that no one may sit there.  I’ve also been placed on a bench in the middle of the audience. We sit or stand in our area and the lighting operator makes sure that there is a light focused on us. That light will stay on even when the stage is in full blackout (all lights off) so that the DHH audience members can still see us. (Remember Adler’s comment – theatre is a “seeing place.”) 

Speaking of seeing, studies have shown that it is harder to “hear” someone if you cannot see their lips move. As interpreters, we do not face the stage and cannot see the actors’ lips move. This is one of a few factors that may make it more difficult for us to do our jobs from a sound perspective. Sound design is not set up for the interpreters and acoustics in the space may direct sound away from us or muffle the sound. Lastly, some actors’ voices may sound similar and it can be hard to discern which character is speaking. For this reason, we often have a music stand with the script (usually on an iPad) in front of us. Yes, we have rehearsed and most of our signs are memorized; the script is there to support us just in case.

Sometimes, we are introduced to the company. This is always a welcome opportunity for me. I love meeting the cast and crew, especially the characters I will be interpreting for so I can get a little sense of who they are. This is not always possible – everyone is focused on the show.

We also speak with the house manager to determine where the DHH members of the audience will sit. We want to make sure they can see us easily and still see the actors on the stage. Placing those theatregoers too close to the interpreters often forces them to swivel their heads back and forth like watching a tennis match. Placing them in a location to see the whole picture can put them too far away to see the interpreters with ease. We advocate for the happy medium. This is also usually when we inquire whether any DHH patrons have been confirmed for the performance.

The interpreter team will also ask if there are any announcements, land acknowledgements, thank yous, etc. that will be announced before or after the show. If there are, we request a written copy of what will be said. This isn’t always possible, but it’s good to have in order to prepare. Whether we have a written copy or not, we determine amongst ourselves who will be interpreting the announcement.

Finally, as patrons arrive, we may make ourselves available to help welcome them to the theatre. This depends on whether there are already designated interpreters for this. We may also briefly inform them of any name signs that will be used during the production. More often than not, spelling a character or location name every instance they are named is time-consuming and unnecessary, so it’s nice to let the DHH audience members know the name signs in advance so they can recognize them during the performance. 

Cue the Lights: the Interpreted Performance Begins

Let the show begin! The “magic” you see from the interpreter team is due to hours and days of hard work and collaboration. After the show, we meet up with our point of contact once more to say thank you and check in before leaving the theater.

Once the show has finished, our work is not done. The team has a “debrief” where we discuss the process, the performance, determine what worked, what didn’t work, how we could improve in the future, and strategies we will continue to employ.

I have been fortunate to work with some of the most lovely companies thus far. No company has been unwelcoming; some have been focused on their production and that’s fine. Every company has offered us acknowledgment at their bows, which is much appreciated. Some company members have come up before or after the show to say thank you or to demonstrate their knowledge of ASL. It’s always wonderful to meet company members and I relish the chance to congratulate them on their performances as well. 

So that’s it. My experience as a theatrical interpreter from the perspective of summer 2024. My own perspective will likely change as I gain more experiences. I hope this was informative and enjoyable to read, but even more importantly, I hope you go to see interpreted performances with a new appreciation for the work that goes into it. Theatre should truly be enjoyed by all.

And….curtain!