New London Theatre of the Deaf to Present Excerpts of Shakespeare’s King Lear

NEW LONDON, CT – The National Theatre of the Deaf is pleased to announce a performance of excerpts from John Basinger’s "The King," based on the title character in William Shakespeare’s "King Lear."

Basinger will also direct this production for NTD, according to a release. Patrick Graybill plays the lead character, who is responsible for the Sign Language adaptation of "The KING."

The performance is on Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Margo and Rufus Rose Barn at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center in Waterford. There will be a talk-back immediately following the performance.

Tickets are by invitation only.

The production will then travel to Gallaudet University as part of “Shakespeare in American Deaf History and The First Folio Tour” at noon on Oct. 22.

"The King" is a play based upon Shakespeare's "King Lear," but focuses on Lear alone. Only one character is seen on stage, a drifter played by Patrick Graybill, who has hit upon Lear's story as a way to express himself.

All the other figures are represented as phantoms or objects that the drifter happens across. Though the drifter remains a mystery, Lear's story is presented directly.

Patrick Graybill, revered as a grandfather of ASL poetry, is one of seven children; five of them, including him, were born deaf. He graduated from Gallaudet College with a bachelor's degree in English in 1963 and a master's degree in education in 1964.

He eventually decided to study to be a Roman Catholic priest at Catholic University for two years without interpreting services. It was a struggle that motivated him to accept an invitation to be a member of the newly established National Theatre of the Deaf.

John Basinger joined the National Theatre of the Deaf in 1968, performing with the group as a musician and actor in venues across the country and beyond. He has been a board member of NTD for the past ten years and this year is proud to be directing their production of "The King."

In 1992, he began memorizing and performing John Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost." His 2001 three-day marathon recital of that work is available as a boxed DVD set.

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