The Magic 25 - 1985 & 1993, Children of a Lesser God
In January 1985, the first locally produced performances of Mark Medoff’s award winning play, Children of a Lesser God was presented at IFCC and directed by Rollie Wulff, in consultation with Henry Stack of NW Theatre of the Deaf and Mark Azure of Deaf Arts Council of Oregon. This deeply moving, beautifully written comedy/drama deals with the romance, conflicts and marriage of a sensitive but spirited deaf woman and the devoted (hearing) teacher she meets at a school for the deaf. New York critics called it “a major event, a play of great importance, full of love, understanding and passion.”
The three deaf characters in the play were performed by actors who were hearing-impaired themselves. Georgi Randall played Sarah, and her fellow students Orin and Lydia were played by Gary Holden and Katherine A. Butts-Burnunzio. James, the teacher who fell in love with Sarah, was played by Sam A. Mowry who has since gone on to have a very successful career in voice overs, radio and theatre. The cast also included Betty Brooks, Jeff Miller and Michele Fulves. All performances were accessible for both hearing and deaf audiences, as much of the dialogue is both spoken and signed by the actors, and interpreters would sign all dialogue that is spoken only.
The first incarnation of Children of a Lesser God was remounted the following season at Sumus Theater by the IFCC. The show was often sold out to the point of people sitting in the aisles up and down the stairs.
In 1992–1993 season, to celebrate its 10th anniversary, IFCC brought back the production in July 1993. Directed by John Ares and Henry Stack, the founder of NW Theatre for the Deaf once again joined the production as the associate director.
“I loved working on the show, the cast was amazing and the entry into the world of the deaf was an experience that actually changed my life, as trite as that may sound. I had to quit my job (with the support of my wife Tracy Prescott who was pregnant with our son, Atticus) to have the time to learn how to sign and act at the same time. That may sound odd, but we realized as we worked on the script that I could not just translate every word into sign for the script to make sense. I had to sign in American Sign Language which is a much more fluid and poetic way to express yourself in signing. But I still had to speak in English while signing in ASL, the equivalent of speaking in two different languages at the same time. My script was highlighted in 3 colors, spoken English, ASL and English/ASL. No wonder that I found myself dreaming in sign and unable to understand what I was saying.
Working with Georgi, Gary and Kathy, our hearing impaired and deaf cast members was a testament to team work. Three gifted actors who had few opportunities to show how amazing they could be. The true heart and soul of the production was Hank Stack. He taught me two years of sign in 6 weeks, answered all my questions and severed as a liaison between the deaf and hearing worlds, frayed egos, hurt feelings and misunderstandings that swirl around every great show. He was a gift to us all. Michele Mariana served as interpreter for several early meetings and castings on a volunteer basis. She made everything happen more smoothly and with great humor.
Rollie Wulff, our director, passed away this last year. He was a creative and positive force in the dramatic life of Portland for many years.”
by Sam Mowry, artistic director & actor
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