RIT/NTID presents 'Tribes' Feb. 4-7

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NTID Performing Arts Program and RIT’s College of Liberal Arts Performing Arts present Tribes, a comedy/drama about family conflict that arises when a son brings home his deaf girlfriend to meet his parents. The show runs Feb. 4–7 in Panara Theatre, Lyndon Baines Johnson Hall.

The College of Liberal Arts Performing Arts Program and National Technical Institute for the Deaf’s Performing Arts Program at Rochester Institute of Technology present Tribes, a comedy/drama about family conflict that arises when a son brings his deaf girlfriend home to meet his parents.

Tribes will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4, 5 and 6, and 2 p.m. Feb. 7 at Robert F. Panara Theatre, Lyndon Baines Johnson Hall, RIT. Tickets—$5 for students, seniors ages 55 and over, and children, and $7 for all others—can be purchased at the NTID box office. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 17. All performances will be captioned and interpreted for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Written by Nina Raine and directed by Jerry Argetsinger, Tribes examines what it means to embrace one’s deafness and tells the story of Billy, who was born deaf into a hearing family that is intellectual, idiosyncratic and politically incorrect. Billy has adapted to his family’s unconventional ways, but they have never returned the favor. All that changes when Billy meets the woman of his dreams—a woman who is not only deaf, but to the horror of his father, one who loves sign language and deaf culture.

“Tribes is one of the most important stories on the friction and misunderstanding between the hearing and deaf cultures since Children of a Lesser God,” said Argetsinger, associate professor of performing arts. “This performance promises to be a very entertaining and thought-provoking experience and an important event as we continue dialogue on diversity and inclusion.”