Table Of ContentPLAYS OF OUR OWN
Plays of Our Own is the first anthology of its kind containing an eclectic range
of plays by Deaf and hard-of-hearing writers. These writers have made major,
positive contributions to world drama or Deaf theatre arts.
Their topics range from those completely unrelated to deafness to those
with strong Deaf-related themes such as a dreamy, headstrong girl surviving a
male-dominated world in Depression-era Ireland; a famous Spanish artist losing
his hearing while creating his most controversial art; a Deaf African-American
woman dealing with AIDS in her family; and a Deaf peddler ridiculed and
rejected by his own kind for selling ABC fingerspelling cards. The plays are
varied in style – a Kabuki western, an ensemble-created variety show, a visual-
gestural play with no spoken nor signed language, a cartoon tragicomedy, his-
torical and domestic dramas, and a situation comedy. This volume contains the
well-known Deaf theatre classics, My Third Eye and A Play of Our Own.
At long last, directors, producers, Deaf and hearing students, professors, and
researchers will be able to pick up a book of “Deaf plays” for production consid-
eration, Deaf culture or multicultural analysis, or the simple pleasure of reading.
Willy Conley is a retired professor/chairperson of Theatre and Dance at Gallau-
det University in Washington, D.C. He is an award-winning playwright who has
been widely published and produced. His recent book was Visual-Gestural Com-
munication: A Workbook in Nonverbal Expression and Reception (Routledge, 2019).
Routledge Series in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in
Theatre and Performance
Series Editor – Brenda Foley
The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) book series is an interdisciplinary
forum for exploring diverse identities, concepts, practices, and people in theatre
and performance. Through the series, the Theatre and Performance division at
Routledge aims to expand its current offerings, in response to an overwhelming
call to action by participants in the field. The new series reflects both a structure
and an ethos, cutting across existing Routledge categories of theatrical produc-
tion, theatre studies, and research monographs as a means to increase visibility
and address the historical exclusion of marginalized voices.
The EDI series’ commitment to diversity includes – but also extends beyond –
that which we know to be lacking in the field of theatre and performance. We
welcome proposals that expand our perspectives and that of the field and look
forward to reading your submissions.
Fire Under My Feet
History, Race, and Agency in African Diaspora Dance
Ofosuwa M. Abiola
Plays of Our Own
An Anthology of Scripts by Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Writers
Willy Conley
Stages of Reckoning
Antiracist and Decolonial Actor Training
Amy Mihyang Ginther
For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.
com/Routledge-Series-in-Equity-D iversity-and-Inclusion-in-Theatre-and-
Performance/book-series/EDI
PLAYS OF OUR OWN
An Anthology of Scripts by Deaf
and Hard-of-Hearing Writers
Willy Conley
Cover Image Credit: Willy Conley
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
© 2023 selection and editorial matter, Willy Conley individual chapters,
the contributor
The right of Willy Conley to be identified as the author of the editorial
material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Excerpt from “Above the Entrance to an Ancient Italian Cemetery, a Sign”
by Joseph Castronovo used by permission of Gallaudet University Press.
From No Walls of Stone: An Anthology of Literature by Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Writers, edited by Jill Jepson, copyright (c) 1992 by Gallaudet University.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Conley, Willy, editor. Title: Plays of our own: an anthology
of scripts by deaf and hard-of-hearing writers / [edited by] Willy Conley.
Description: New York : Routledge, 2022. | Includes bibliographical
references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2022035290 (print) | LCCN 2022035291 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367632380 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367632373 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781003112563 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Deaf, Writings of the, American. |
American drama—21st century. | Deaf authors.
Classification: LCC PS591.D4 P53 2022 (print) |
LCC PS591.D4 (ebook) | DDC 810.8/035287—dc23/eng/20221003
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022035290
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022035291
ISBN: 9780367632380 (hbk)
ISBN: 9780367632373 (pbk)
ISBN: 9781003112563 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003112563
Typeset in Bembo
by codeMantra
To Deaf and hard-of-hearing playwrights
those no longer with us
thank you for creating inroads and showing us the way
those still writing
keep at it while exploring new ground
those in the future
uplift our Deaf culture and stories
to the world stages of tomorrow
In my sleep
Chants an old man in signs
“Those people lie in the dark!”
In my dream
Chants the old man in signs
“Go fetch the old book!”
In my rouse
Chants the old man in signs
“They shall rise!”
Joseph Castronovo
from Above the Entrance to an Ancient Italian
Cemetery, a Sign
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Contributor Biographies xi
Introduction 1
1 The King of Spain’s Daughter* by Teresa Deevy 10
2 My Third Eye by The National Theatre of the Deaf Ensemble 30
3 A Play of Our Own by Dorothy Miles 67
4 The Ghost of Chastity Past or The Incident at Sashimi
Junction* by Shanny Mow 111
5 DEAF SMITH: The Great Texian Scout
by Stephen C. Baldwin 123
6 WomanTalk by Bruce Hlibok 143
7 25 Cents by Aaron Weir Kelstone 174
8 META by Patricia A. Durr 191
9 The Middle of Nowhere by Michele Maureen Verhoosky 226
viii Contents
10 A Not So Quiet Nocturne by Jaye Austin Williams 269
11 Profile of a Deaf Peddler by Mike Lamitola 315
12 Goya – en la Quinta del Sordo (in the house of the deaf man)
by Willy Conley 336
13 Reflections of a Black Deaf Woman by Michelle A. Banks 368
14 Lost in the Hereafter* by Sabina England 389
Afterword 427
* Denotes a play not about the Deaf experience, a D/deaf or hard-of-hearing
person, nor Deaf culture.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It would be very easy for me to simply say thank you, rattle off a list of names of
those who helped me, and walk off the stage. To avoid lifelong guilt if I were to
do that, here are my words of appreciation to those who contributed much time,
thought, and energy in some capacity toward the creation of this tome.
For all information and materials related to Teresa Deevy, the following peo-
ple were invaluable to me: Jack Deevy, Una Kealy, Hugh Murphy and Maynooth
University, Jonathan Bank, and Peggy McHale. And, to Dr. Eibhear Walshe and
Eric Malzkuhn – thank you for introducing me to this exceptional writer and
her phenomenal achievements.
I am very grateful to Don Read, Lilly Shirey, and Joan Naturale on all mate-
rials and issues related to Dorothy Miles.
Those who offered tremendous assistance in compiling the elements of Bruce
Hlibok’s chapter were Albert and Peggy Hlibok (script and photos), Monique
Holt and Ellen Roth (press articles and personal views), Ann Marie “Jade” Bryan
(director of the DVD, On and Off Stage – The Bruce Hlibok Story), and espe-
cially Gregory Hlibok, who facilitated getting me most of the nitty-gritty details
I needed regarding his older brother’s work.
Many thanks to Linda Lamitola who was very generous in handing over all of
the script and production contents of her late husband Mike Lamitola.
The assembly of the chapter on My Third Eye would not have happened
without the huge help of Harvey Corson, who acted as my liaison with the
NTD board toward getting permission to print the script; Paul Winters, former
NTD executive director, and Craig Daigle, who years ago arranged and sent me
a copy of the script; Patrick Graybill and Tim Scanlon, who addressed many of
my questions about the script and their involvement as original members of the
ensemble; and David Hays, former NTD founder and artistic director, who also
answered some of my questions on the play.
