Deaf News Briefs: Marlee Matlin documentary; Deaf West Theatre’s “American Idiot” production

Marlee Matlin documentary

Here are two Deaf News briefs.

The first is a report from “Variety” that there will be a documentary about the life of Marlee Matlin, the Oscar-winning Deaf actress. It will be made by PBS’ “American Masters” documentary series.

The report said the film will use ASL as its primary language and will bring together Deaf and hearing team members across production and post-production roles. A Deaf actress and writer, Shoshannah Stern, will direct the documentary. “Variety” said the documentary will show some never-before-seen videos that were filmed by Jack Jason, Marlee’s longtime interpreter and producing partner. The documentary is expected to be released in 2025.

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Deaf West Theatre’s “American Idiot” ASL musical

The second Deaf News brief is a report from “Playbill” that Deaf actor Daniel Durant will be one of the stars in an ASL stage production of a musical called “American Idiot” in Los Angeles this October and November. This is a partnership between Deaf West Theatre and Center Theatre Group. The report said there will be both Deaf and hearing actors who will perform simultaneously in ASL and spoken English, which is similar to Deaf West’s productions of “Big River” and “Spring Awakening.” Other Deaf actors include Giovanni Maucere and Angel Theory. The ASL choreography will be done by Colin Analco, who is Deaf. The “American Idiot” story is about a new generation of young Americans who are struggling to find meaning in a post-9/11 world.

That’s the two Deaf News briefs for today. You can check out the links to the reports for more information.

Marlee documentary: https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/marlee-matlin-biodoc-production-pbs-1236121186/

Deaf West / “American Idiot”: https://playbill.com/article/daniel-durant-tyler-hardwick-mason-alexander-park-more-will-star-in-asl-american-idiot