From feisty fairytale creatures to atypical heroes, “Shrek – the Musical” puts local teens in the spotlight July 11 to 13 with the Summer Arts Academy Players, and includes American Sign Language interpreters from Synergy Onstage performing Sunday.
Sponsored by the Dearborn Recreation Department, the laughter-inspiring musical runs 7:30 p.m. July 11, 12 and 13, and at 2:30 pm July 13 on the Michael A. Guido stage at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn.
General admission tickets are $10 and are valid at any of the four performances. To order, call 313 943-2354 or go to Dearborntheater.com.
Find out what's happening in Dearbornfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The ASL interpreters from Synergy on Stage include business partners Jamie Fidler of Livonia and Erin Parrish of Clinton Township, with Shelly Tocco of Rochester supporting the team. The three provide ASL artistry for the entertainment industry in southeast Michigan. For more information about the company, go to synergyonstage.com.
Tocco, who has been a theatrical interpreter for more than 20 years, said with the Americans with Disabilities Act and with the deaf feeling more empowered and wanting to add cultural experiences to their lives, entertainment interpreting has become more prevalent.
Find out what's happening in Dearbornfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The ADA is a wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability under certain circumstances.
She said when they interpret a play they do as much preparation as the actors.
“We memorize the songs, we translate them, and we memorize our translations,” Tocco said. “We don’t wait to hear the actors sing for us to interpret it. We have it memorized just like they do so there is no lag time whatsoever.”
She said they use two costumed interpreters on stage, and audiences are often surprised to discover that the interpreters are also trained actors and that they fit seamlessly into the shows.
“The deaf audience can watch the show happen bilingually at the same time instead of looking to the side to find the language and then looking to the stage to find the action,” Tocco said. “We are built into the show and the interpreters actually become part of the cast.”
Fidler said hearing audiences are amazed seeing the subtext brought to life through the ASL interpreters, and often comment that they did not find the interpreters distracting at all.
She said they like to start to prepare to be a part of a show 6 to 8 weeks before it opens to learn the material and match the right ASL interpreters up with a given show.
“It is very time-intensive,” Fidler said. “You have to have a passion to do it; otherwise it might not be seen by some people as worth their time.”
Parrish said hearing audiences often express how seamlessly they integrate into a show.
“The hearing audience forgets that we are there, and the deaf audience thinks that everyone else on stage can sign, too,” Parrish said. “And I think the harmony of those two combined are exactly the purpose of what we do.”
Cast member Sarah Walker, 11, of Dearborn, who plays Goldilocks, hopes her Uncle Richie Castillo of Pontiac, who is deaf, will come to one of the ASL performances.
Walker said her uncle reads her lips when she talks to him. She hopes the presence of the ASL interpreters will encourage him to come see her perform in a show for the first time.
“Shrek” director Cynthia Frabutt said she looks forward to seeing young actors return each year and adding new children to each summer show.
“I am ecstatic to be able to cast some major talent for this production along with some new faces,” Frabutt said. “The cast is full of talent and enthusiasm.”
The returning adult production team includes Jeannette Capote as choreographer, Kurt Frank as musical director and Margaret Charara as costume coordinator.
The cast is lead by Dearborn residents Christian Plonka, 17, as Shrek, Kyle Tillman, 19, and Bilal Hammoud, 17, alternating in the role of Donkey and the Big Bad Wolf, and Michael Suchyta, 18, as Lord Farquaad.
Rachel Ogger, 17, of Livonia plays Princess Fiona, with Amanda Chatila, 16, of Dearborn Heights singing the role of the Dragon.
