{"id":18026,"date":"2012-03-15T13:56:09","date_gmt":"2012-03-15T18:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=18026"},"modified":"2012-03-15T14:23:59","modified_gmt":"2012-03-15T19:23:59","slug":"tribes-star-russell-harvard-on-his-deaf-heritage-and-joining-a-new-off-broadway-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/03\/15\/tribes-star-russell-harvard-on-his-deaf-heritage-and-joining-a-new-off-broadway-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribes Star Russell Harvard on His Deaf Heritage and Joining a New Off-Broadway Family"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tribes Star Russell Harvard on His Deaf Heritage and Joining a New<\/strong>
\n Off-Broadway Family<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Russell Harvard<\/p>\n

March 13, 2012<\/p>\n

I first read Nina Raine\u2019s Tribes several months ago and was drawn to
\nthe character of Billy for many reasons. We are vastly different
\npeople, but we have a common and familiar foundation. Billy was born
\ndeaf, and so was I\u2014but unlike Billy, I come from a deaf family. My
\nmother, like Billy, was born deaf and raised by a hearing family. And
\nsimilarly, my mother didn\u2019t learn American Sign Language (ASL) until
\nthe age of six, when my grandmother enrolled her in the Texas School
\nfor the Deaf (TSD). It was there that she met my father, who was born
\nto deaf parents. They both graduated from TSD and I\u2019m proud to say I\u2019m
\nthe third deaf generation, as well as the third generation of TSD
\nalumni in my family. My mother\u2019s story is a lot like Billy\u2019s\u2014because of
\nher personal history, I understand him, who he is, and who he hopes to
\nbecome.<\/p>\n

This understanding of Billy\u2019s background allowed me to fall into
\ncharacter surprisingly smoothly: I became Billy in an instant on the
\nfirst day of rehearsal. Those first rehearsals were slightly
\nfrustrating because I crave to absorb and understand everything that is
\nhappening in the room, but there were so many overlapping conversations
\nthat it was hard to pick everything up.<\/p>\n

That first rehearsal experience was reminiscent of a surreal obstacle I
\nfaced in 2004 when I traveled to Amsterdam with a deaf performing
\ntroupe from Washington, D.C. We were invited to a huge deaf
\ninternational party at a nightclub 40 kilometers away. Two co-workers
\nand I decided to attend the party, while the rest decided to hit the
\nhay\u2014but I didn\u2019t know what I was about to get myself into. When we
\nentered the club, I saw that signing was the mode of communication most
\npeople were using, but I couldn\u2019t understand what anyone was saying.
\nThere were as many as five different languages in sign happening in
\nfront of my eyes. My co-workers disappeared into the crowd and I found
\nmyself frustrated that I couldn\u2019t understand what people were saying.<\/p>\n

Luckily, I ran into a friend from Gallaudet University, and he
\ntranslated for me. Later that night, he told me that to communicate
\nmore efficiently I should learn International Signs. When I returned to
\nschool the following semester, I registered for a Visual Gesture
\nCommunication course. The class opened my eyes to the fact that
\ncommunication is possible through gesture and that a specific language
\nisn\u2019t necessary. Go figure!<\/p>\n

The skills I acquired in the visual gesture course have helped me
\nnavigate situations in which communication was an obstacle, which came
\ninto play throughout the rehearsal process for Tribes. Now, it would be
\nfar out if my Android phone had an app that could translate English
\nspeaking to English text! That would revolutionize my life. I\u2019d like to
\neavesdrop on a conversation in the subway or listen in on my fellow
\ncast members in the dressing room next to mine.<\/p>\n

Everyone at the Barrow Street Theatre has made me feel very welcome,
\nand life in NYC is rad! My co-stars and stage crew members are learning
\nASL, and it brings me a great deal of joy to see them simply trying to
\nsign (speak) my language. I am grateful to the writer, director and
\nproducers for giving me an opportunity to show my work in this
\nunforgettable production.<\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/p>\n

Russell Harvard may be making his off-Broadway debut in Tribes at the
\nBarrow Street Theatre, but this talented New York newcomer is no
\nshow-biz rookie. On film, Harvard is best known for his portrayal of
\nthe adult H.W. Plainview in There Will Be Blood and wrestler Matt
\nHamill in The Hammer. In Tribes, Harvard stars as Billy, a deaf
\ntwenty-something who struggles to be heard in an outspoken hearing
\nfamily. When Billy learns sign language and finally finds his voice,
\nhis relationship with his self-involved parents and siblings is turned
\non its head. Below, Harvard writes of his experiences as a deaf actor,
\nthe limitations of American Sign Language, and his idea for a new way
\nto communicate with (or play pranks on!) his hearing friends.<\/p>\n

Source:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.broadway.com\/shows\/tribes\/buzz\/160482\/tribes-star-russell-harvard-on-his-deaf-heritage-and-joining-a-new-off-broadway-family\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tribes Star Russell Harvard on His Deaf Heritage and Joining a New Off-Broadway Family By Russell Harvard March 13, 2012 I first read Nina Raine\u2019s Tribes several months ago and was drawn to the character of Billy for many reasons.…<\/p>\n

Read more 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Deaf Actor Finds a Rich Role Off-Broadway","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"February 20, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"A Deaf Actor Finds a Rich Role Off-Broadway By Ellen Gamerman February 18, 2012 The role of Billy in the new off-Broadway play \u201cTribes\u201d presents a rich vein for an actor: a deaf adult child confronts hearing parents who have shunned sign language and most of deaf culture, insisting instead\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22523,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/04\/08\/tribes-star-russell-harvard-talks-deaf-community-culture\/","url_meta":{"origin":18026,"position":1},"title":"‘Tribes’ star Russell Harvard talks deaf community culture","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"April 8, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"'Tribes' star Russell Harvard talks deaf community culture The Sunday Conversation By Irene Lacher April 7, 2013 The star of 'Tribes' at the Mark Taper Forum talks about how deaf and hard-of-hearing children are raised, the importance of American Sign Language, lip-reading and new technology such as cochlear implants, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9647,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2010\/03\/10\/pursuing-life-with-passion\/","url_meta":{"origin":18026,"position":2},"title":"Pursuing Life with Passion","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"March 10, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Natural Communicator Pursuing life with passion Jackie Pinto American actor Russell Harvard, who starred in the movie \u2018Words\u2019 made by Anup Bhandari, spoke to Metrolife about his love for acting and theatre I come from three 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