Deaf Creators Play Festival

Deaf Creators Play Festival
April 19-21, 2024

Robert F. Panara Theatre
Directed by JW Guido and Gail Gonzalez

The Deaf Creators Play Festival will feature three one-act plays by diverse Deaf, deaf, and hard-of-hearing playwrights.

"Jovita and Esperanza" by Steve Baldwin: The story revolves around one deaf sister, her hearing sister, their parents, and a spiritual twin. The play highlights their persistence, faith, love, culture, and hope for the American dream, despite facing challenges and tribulations.

"The Reunion" by Dr. Jill Bradbury: This play draws inspiration from events at the Clarke School in Massachusetts, shedding light on the impact of authority abuse and the transition from residential to mainstream education on deaf students.

"Naturalization" by Willy Conley arrives at a time when immigration has become a hot-button issue. Naturalization, the legal process by which an immigrant becomes a U.S. citizen, offers significant economic benefits at the individual, regional, and national levels. U.S. immigrant Felicia is assigned an interpreter in training for her citizenship interview. Will her chances of becoming a citizen be jeopardized?

Content warning: There will be a small mention of sexual assault during the dialogue.

April 19-20, 2024 @ 7:30PM
April 20-21, 2024 @ 2:00PM

Tickets are $5 (students, seniors 60+, children under 12); $10 (RIT faculty/staff/alumni); and $12 (general public). Tickets can be purchased from RIT Box Office Website, by visiting the Gene Polisseni Center Box Office from 10am-6pm, or by calling 585-475-4121.