Clerc’s Inferno is a two-act play about Laurent Clerc and Thomas Gallaudet and their quest to take Sign Language education to America in the early 19th century.
The short documentary below was filmed during two R&D Workshops in London and explores the arduous-yet-rewarding process required to properly translate the English on the page into several dazzling styles of Sign Language on stage.
In a captivating example of life copying art, the creative team, like the characters in the play itself, employ vastly different languages, which often express themselves in opposing directions, in their passionate pursuit of a common goal. The documentary beautifully captures this dynamic and unusual collaboration.
For more information visit clercsinferno.com
directed and produced by
RODRIGO JORGE
FILM CREDITS
editor / camera
RODRIGO JORGE
additional cameras
ROSIE BENN
SPENCER BROWNE
associate editor
BEN Z HARRIS
sound recordist
THIAGO "TROSSO"
additional voices by
ANDY GOFF
ZAMALISA MDODA
CAROL SCHNEIDER
production assistant
ANGELO UTRABO
BSL interpreters
ANNA KITSON
BILL MOODY
CAROLINE RICHARDSON
KATHY YEOMAN
PLAY CAST
MICHAEL BERTENSHAW
Dr. Hudson / Clerc Voice
NATALIA CAMPBELL
Mistress Stansbury / Eliza Voicer
ALIM JAYDA
Thomas Gallaudet
ZÖE MCWHINNEY
Eliza Boardman
JULIAN PEEDLE-CALLOO
Laurent Clerc
RAPHAEL VON BLUMENTHAL
Steward / Mr. Stansbury / Gallaudet Voice
PLAY CREATIVE
playwright
CAROL SCHNEIDER
director
JOE CACACI
producer
RODRIGO JORGE
director of artistic sign language
DEEPA SHASTRI
consulting producer
CHRIS TESTER
associate producers
LAWRENCE ELMAN
LUNA TOSIN
NYC WORKSHOPS
featuring
HILARY BAACK
CANDACE BRECKER
JOE CASSIDY
THOMAS DELLAMONICA
JORDAN LAGE
JOHN MCGINTY
LEWIS MERKIN
JAME ROSE
director of artistic sign
MONIQUE HOLT
associate producer
EMILY COMISAR
lighting design
ANNIE WIEGANDS
PLAY CREDITS
visual vernacular consultant
NADIA NADARAJAH
BSL historical consultant
ROBERT ADAM
voice synchronizer
ADAM JAY-PRICE
costume designer
GABI JORGE
stage manager
HANNE SCHULPÉ
production manager
AERON DONNELLY JACKSON
captions designer
PAUL BURGESS
production assistant
THIAGO "TROSSO"
graphic designers
RODRIGO JORGE
GABI JORGE
GUILHERME LEPCA
ANGELO UTRABO
on-stage Deaf interpreter
CAROLINE PARKER
BSL interpreters
SUSAN BOOTH
TOBE ST CLAIR
CHRIS CURRAN
SULA GLEESON
ANNA KITSON
ROSE LENNNON
LUCY OKEEFFE
CAROLINE RICHARDSON
IO ROSS
AKBAR SIKDER
NATASHA TRANTOM
ADELE WARD
BEV WILSON
KATHY YEOMAN
FIRST LONDON R&D
HERMON BERHANE
Eliza Boarman
DURASSIE KIANGANGU
Clerc voice
AMY MELLEY
Eliza voice
producer
LUNA TOSIN
assistant producer
GABI JORGE
stage manager
RIKE BERG
BSL interpreters
CHRIS CURRAN
SULA GLEESON
ANNA KITSON
ROSE LENNNON
LUCY OKEEFFE
JO ROSS
TOBE ST CLAIR
ADELE WARD
BEV WILSON
PAST SUPPORTERS
Arts Council England, Emily Rechnitz, Robert Wiener & Wiener Family Foundation.
Alan Kingsberg & the Kingsberg Family Foundation, Dan Lauria, Laurie Leonard & Stephan McCarthy, George Minkoff & the Lewis & Lena Minkoff Foundation, Sandy Newman, Diane & David Platt, Suzi Randolf, Gina Deutsch-Zakarin & Mark Zakarin, John Whalan & Black Ice Mass Media.
ADVISORS
Marguerite Andro, Candace Broecker, Frank Dattolo, Ken Davenport, Lawrence Elman, Judith James, Sandy Newman, John Whalan.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Gary Wait & The American School for the Deaf, Baruch Performing Arts Center, David Chu & C2 Captions, Gallaudet University, Paula Garfield & Deafinitely Theatre, HERE Arts Center, Robert Hills & Deaf Studies Program @ LaGuardia Community College, Lexington School for the Deaf, Library of Congress, Joe Danisi & Naked Angels, Linda Chapman & New York Theatre Workshop Govane Lohbauer & Shakespeare & Co., Yale University Library.
Hilary Baack, Sherman Beattie, Aneta Besecker, Emily Comisar, Stephanie Cannon, Silas Carson Joe Cassidy, Samuel Caraballo, Thomas DellaMonica, Caroline Devlin, Stephanie Feyne, Marcie Friedman, Craig Fogel, Richard Gant, Mellie Garcia, Monique Holt, Joyce Hom, Miriam Horowitz, Bob Jaffe, Stephanie Jane, Mechelle Lassiter, George Mann, John McGinty, Lewis Merkin, Jordan Lage, Geoffrey Nauffts, Tanya O'Brien, Ben Ringham, Jame Rose, Alan Rothstein, Claire Saddleton, Ethan Sinnott, Neil Sprouse, Brooke Tibbs, Shukree Hassan Tilghman, Lauren Vaicels, Alexandria Wailes, Annie Wiegand, Jennifer Ward, Eric Webb, Michael Wikes, Anatol Yusef.
GET INVOLVED
We are proud to be supported by organisations that champion Sign Language education.
Below you will find donation links for each of them.
You can help them make a change.
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