A Touching Performance
"You'll be the belle of the ball," says Rosalie Richards as she leads Kortnee Barton to the front of the wardrobe room at the Hale Theatre.
(Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)
By Sheena McFarland
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
A touching performance
Visually impaired students use other senses to 'see' live drama
By Sheena McFarland
WEST VALLEY CITY - Edgar Gonzalez understands why Helen Keller throws tantrums during Hale Centre Theatre's production of "The Miracle Worker."
Although Gonzalez can hear and communicate, the 13-year-old is rapidly losing his vision and sees only some shapes and movement. He sees next to nothing at night, and that is frustrating as he grows older and craves more independence.
"When I go out at night and have to wait for my parents to guide me, it can get annoying," he said.
The Evergreen Junior High seventh-grader was one of about 50 students, parents and teachers who attended "The Miracle Worker" and participated in the theater's hands-on "Experience Theatre Live" program this week through the Foundation for the Blind. The theater donated the tickets and provided the tour for free as part of its outreach programs to schools.
Students toured the backstage and practice areas of the theater, improvising scenes and characters.
Lisha Day, 22, even gave an impromptu performance of "I Heard Someone Crying" from the musical "The Secret Garden." Although she has been blind since she was 8, Day has pursued interests including voice lessons and horseback riding. She was "thrilled" to meet Cliff Cole, who portrayed Capt. Arthur Keller.
The stage setup and its working water pump and fake grass enthralled Josh Aragon, 12. He also liked devising some dialogue as a Civil War soldier.
"It's all great," he said.
Chris Clark, a teacher of the visually impaired in Jordan School District, hopes students learn to love the theater.
"This has given these students a hands-on approach they don't normally get," she said. "When they go to a movie, they just don't get the understanding of how everything comes together. Hopefully this allows them to appreciate that effort.
Caroline Blair, 10, hasn't ever liked being in front of a crowd, but she thought it was fun to perform in front of her friends.
"I never knew acting was a more than a job, that it could be fun," she said.
Kortnee Barton giggled as Helen Keller threw spoons and mashed cake during the production, which runs through June 3.
Although the 8-year-old's mother, Jayne, had to explain what was happening, Barton understood the emotions behind the loud squeals and screams of the character.
"I thought she was kind of naughty," the West Point Elementary second-grader said.
Barton uses a cane to navigate, and her mother related to some of the frustrations felt by both Helen Keller and her parents.
"It was so great to see how Helen changed and overcame her frustrations, which all of us feel sometimes," she said.
The play was a source of inspiration for Clinton Waterbury, a junior at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
"It just goes to show that you can be deaf and blind and still overcome certain things," he said. "I think everyone should learn about Helen Keller's life."
Visually impaired students surround Rosalie Richards on the floor of the rehearsal hall at the Hale Centre Theatre in West Valley City and are told to "use your imagination" to connect with drama. They toured the facility and got to experience the theater world.
(Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)
Hale Centre Theatre's production of "The Miracle Worker" brought together students, parents and teachers to participate in a s hands-on "Experience Theatre Live" program through the Foundation for the Blind.
Sabrina Burrell uses her fingers to see the hat she's been given in the wardrobe room of the Hale Theatre. Students later attended the evening performance of "The Miracle Worker."
(Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)
"You'll be the belle of the ball," says Rosalie Richards as she leads Kortnee Barton to the front of the wardrobe room at the Hale Theatre.
(Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)
Rosalie Richards demonstrates accents and body language in the wardrobe room of the Hale Theater.
(Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)
Sabrina Burrell uses her fingers to see the hat she's been given in the wardrobe room of the Hale Theater.
(Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)
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