Tribes: Breaking Down Barriers
Welcome to Chris Dodd's Personal Fundraising Page!
As a deaf performing artist, I am passionate about accessibility and equality.
When I first heard "Tribes" was being produced for the Studio Theatre, I immediately knew that I needed to be involved. As a play and an event, "Tribes" is a rare opportunity to see deaf and hard of hearing performers on stage and to see the beauty, humour, and grace of American Sign Language in action. The play is personal to me, as growing up in a hearing family, I closely relate with the struggles of the lead characters, Billy and Sylvia. "Tribes" discusses family dynamics, deaf culture, and identity and it opens dialogue on topics that are rarely discussed. As such, "Tribes" deserves to be seen and, talked about, by as many people as possible, whether hearing or deaf,
Thank you for supporting us and helping make this unique event possible!
Tribes: Not your typical play
The Department of Drama at the University of Alberta is seeking support for the production ofTribes.
This unusual but very important play introduces a perspective not often witnessed on stage. Written by Nina Raine,Tribes revolves around Billy, a young deaf man whose family has taught him to lip-read and speak. They have refused to learn any form of Sign Language, and are intent on keeping him away from the Deaf community. When Billy is finally introduced to Sign, a whole new world of communication and community opens up for him. Tribes explores the triumphs, dilemmas and familial conflicts that accompany Billy's discovery of his true identity.
Billy is played by Connor Yuzwenko-Martin, a local Deaf actor with a passion for American Sign Language (ASL) advocacy. We are hoping this play opens up dialogue about accessibility, the Deaf community, and how we can take action to provide a more inclusive space in the theatre. The hearing audience has a lot to learn from this production. The exposure to ASL creates a richer and more diverse community, which can only expand the artistic scope of theatre.
To make rehearsals possible, we have enlisted the help of a fantastic group of professional ASL interpreters who work very hard to facilitate communication between all of us.
We will have live ASL interpretation for at least two performances of the ten scheduled. Your support will go towards the additional production costs of interpreters for these performances.
Our goal is not only accessibility for Deaf audiences, but to enhance awareness in the community at large. This is an essential part of the production, and the guiding mission for our Tribes team. We hope this initiative can set a precedent in the Edmonton theatre community, encouraging future productions to consider this form of inclusivity.
In performance, the play is fast paced and sometimes chaotic. An essential part of the making performance accessible is to rehearse with the interpreters and incorporate them into the staging.This takes time and coordination on a large scale. Bringing Tribes to the Edmonton community is a unique challenge, since we are staging a play about Deafness in a predominantly hearing world.
We want to do this properly, which is why we have recruited NICA Consolidated (Network of Interpreters, Consultants and Advocates) to be our interpreter team.
The interpretation element is in addition to what would normally be in the budget for the production. This is why we are asking for your help! Most theatre productions do not provide fully accessible performances; accessibility is more than a wheelchair ramp. Our hope is that the results of this campaign open the door to progress in understanding the needs of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing within the theatre community.
We are looking to raise $5,000 toward this additional production costs. Our generous interpreters are making Tribes truly accessible to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing audience in our city.
The MFA students who are taking part in this unique education experience are Amanda Bergen (MFA Directing) and Robyn Ayles (MFA Design). They are directing and designing this fully accessible production.
The Department of Drama at the University of Alberta is seeking support for the production ofTribes.
This unusual but very important play introduces a perspective not often witnessed on stage. Written by Nina Raine,Tribes revolves around Billy, a young deaf man whose family has taught him to lip-read and speak. They have refused to learn any form of Sign Language, and are intent on keeping him away from the Deaf community. When Billy is finally introduced to Sign, a whole new world of communication and community opens up for him. Tribes explores the triumphs, dilemmas and familial conflicts that accompany Billy's discovery of his true identity.
Billy is played by Connor Yuzwenko-Martin, a local Deaf actor with a passion for American Sign Language (ASL) advocacy. We are hoping this play opens up dialogue about accessibility, the Deaf community, and how we can take action to provide a more inclusive space in the theatre. The hearing audience has a lot to learn from this production. The exposure to ASL creates a richer and more diverse community, which can only expand the artistic scope of theatre.
To make rehearsals possible, we have enlisted the help of a fantastic group of professional ASL interpreters who work very hard to facilitate communication between all of us.
We will have live ASL interpretation for at least two performances of the ten scheduled. Your support will go towards the additional production costs of interpreters for these performances.
Our goal is not only accessibility for Deaf audiences, but to enhance awareness in the community at large. This is an essential part of the production, and the guiding mission for our Tribes team. We hope this initiative can set a precedent in the Edmonton theatre community, encouraging future productions to consider this form of inclusivity.
In performance, the play is fast paced and sometimes chaotic. An essential part of the making performance accessible is to rehearse with the interpreters and incorporate them into the staging.This takes time and coordination on a large scale. Bringing Tribes to the Edmonton community is a unique challenge, since we are staging a play about Deafness in a predominantly hearing world.
We want to do this properly, which is why we have recruited NICA Consolidated (Network of Interpreters, Consultants and Advocates) to be our interpreter team.
The interpretation element is in addition to what would normally be in the budget for the production. This is why we are asking for your help! Most theatre productions do not provide fully accessible performances; accessibility is more than a wheelchair ramp. Our hope is that the results of this campaign open the door to progress in understanding the needs of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing within the theatre community.
We are looking to raise $5,000 toward this additional production costs. Our generous interpreters are making Tribes truly accessible to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing audience in our city.
The MFA students who are taking part in this unique education experience are Amanda Bergen (MFA Directing) and Robyn Ayles (MFA Design). They are directing and designing this fully accessible production.
Nicole Sander, head of NICA, has individually contributed upwards of 300 hours of volunteered time over the 6 weeks of this project!
Her team members have contributed hundreds of hours as well. All this generosity has allowed Tribesto be accessible to the d/Deaf community as well as making it possible to have Connor Yuzwenko-Martin as a cast member.
Without these incredible women, the cost of this important project would have exceeded the budget of the production. These additional costs would likely have stopped this project from moving ahead.
Nicole and her team realized the value of Tribes and its ability to draw attention to the issue of accessibility of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The $5000 we are raising for Nicole and her team is a small percentage of the total value of their time! Many of these interpreters balanced their full time jobs, family, and other responsibilities to create this opportunity for so many to experience.
With less than a week left we are at 78% of our goal, help us raise the remaining amount through sharing and if you can, donating. We all thank you for your efforts!
http://www.nicaconsolidated.com/
Her team members have contributed hundreds of hours as well. All this generosity has allowed Tribesto be accessible to the d/Deaf community as well as making it possible to have Connor Yuzwenko-Martin as a cast member.
Without these incredible women, the cost of this important project would have exceeded the budget of the production. These additional costs would likely have stopped this project from moving ahead.
Nicole and her team realized the value of Tribes and its ability to draw attention to the issue of accessibility of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The $5000 we are raising for Nicole and her team is a small percentage of the total value of their time! Many of these interpreters balanced their full time jobs, family, and other responsibilities to create this opportunity for so many to experience.
With less than a week left we are at 78% of our goal, help us raise the remaining amount through sharing and if you can, donating. We all thank you for your efforts!
http://www.nicaconsolidated.com/
I am honoured to be part of a production that offers an entertaining means of educating society on some of the trials and tribulations of deafness. I am proud to be part of such a wonderful cast and crew and all of the hard work that went into making this work of art amusing and accessible to our deaf community.
Look forward to seeing you at the show!
I started down this path when my mother started working with some Deaf individuals who needed more help in the day. They were labeled as Deaf Plus. Meaning there was some developmental issues, or other things that made getting through their daily lives without help impossible. My mom only knew the very basic signs, ones that would get her through the day. She of course taught me and I learned from her books she had laying around the house.
When it was time for me to go to high school the opportunity arouse for me to take an American Sign Language class. My mother wouldn't let me turn it down, even if I wanted to take french.I took ASL, I met a wonderful teacher who nurtured and encouraged me in my learning. She also provided every opportunity to better my ASL. With her help and guidance I finally figured out where I was headed in my career.
I went to Vancouver Community College and took ASL and Deaf studies, afterward I went to Douglas College for the interpreting program. I graduated in June of 2010 and moved back to Edmonton, most of my career has been in an educational setting. However my heart has always been with the theater. I had always jumped at the opportunity to volunteer when I was a student if a request came in to do a theater production. So when Nicole Sander asked if I would be willing to dedicate some time to the Tribes production then I jumped at the chance.
It has been wonderful to be with the cast and crew and of course the wonderful director Amanda Bergen through this process. I thank Nicole for this opportunity and the entire cast for letting us be part of this production. Without this amazing cast and crew working so well together this would never have gone so smoothly.
Thank you for this opportunity!
We have been had so much fun presenting this show to an audience! On Saturday we will close the show with our last live interpreted performance! Check out the radio interview Connor, Nicole and I did for CBC with Mark Connolly. We're hoping to get a transcript and will share it when we do! If you'd like to read more about the show's reception check out our earlier updates.
Nicole Sander, CEO NICA Consolidated 
I started out my career in Speech Language Pathology. At the time I was fascinated in the language pathology end of practice, whereas my field was (and sadly still is) strongly focused on speech (and speech only!) for D/deaf individuals. Seeing that D/deaf children raised with speech alone or those who were exposed to sign language later in life when they "failed" at speaking, were developing in parallel to feral children who's language, social skills and world understanding remained stifled, I felt the need to push further into the language most natural for D/deaf people since it is visually accessible; American Sign Language (ASL).
I began an ASL Immersion course, 5 days a week, 7 hours a day. I fell in love with the beauty of the language and the community, and was strongly encouraged by my Instructors to continue and become a professional Interpreter. I spent 8 years freelancing in Southern Ontario as professional ASL/English Interpreter, then moved to Edmonton where my son was born. Low and behold, he was Deaf! But he had language. Cart before the horse seems to be a commonality in my path of life... Being a parent very "in the know" around deafness, educational needs, language development, assistive technology and accessibility, I never took good enough as good enough for my son, because it wasn't. Many school Administrators and Boards have heard my straightforward and honest Human Rights challenges to improve the education of D/deaf children. Their crutch always being a lack of funding or outright refusal to change. I have seen it as an inability to open their minds to new perspectives in accommodation. I believe that no child is a recipe. In 2009 NICA Consolidated was formally established. We realized that more than communication access was needed to break down barriers of every day living. Luckily my son, being bi-lingual and bi-cultural, survived the arduous journey through a system who's wheels of change move much to slowly, yet the scars of oppressors and horrid experiences still remain with us. Scars like Billy's...
When Amanda Bergen spoke to me of TRIBES and the brave endeavour she wanted to dive into, I was fully onboard. I have a strong theatrical interpreting background and a huge motivation to encourage inclusive environments for all people and most definitely the continually over-looked people of the Deaf Community. TRIBES has been an amazing experience, drawing from my professional life, hitting hard in my personal life and the dream I have that one day D/deaf people won't have to suffer neglect due to the assumptions of a hearing world; that their language will be validated, even celebrated and that inclusive settings become common place, rather than a constant fight to be a "part" of mainstream society for those not within the norm. It's not really the D/deaf that need curing - it's often the hearing - through sharing, bringing awareness forth and creating inclusive spaces it can all be achieved.
Thank you to Amanda Bergen, Connor Yuzwenko-Martin and all the cast & crew of TRIBES, as well as my family tribe of which I have been absent from for several weeks now due to rehearsals, and my professional tribe of colleagues that have given up countless unpaid hours of their skilled time to work with me to ensure that one of the communities we serve ~ the Deaf Community ~ has the ability to enjoy a play that is about their own life experience! What an honour this has been!
Thank you all for your kind support!
Here are a few articles to check out talking about the show!
http://www.woablog.com/2015/05/deaf-actor-breaks-down-barriers-in-studio-theatre-debut/
http://www.edmontonsun.com/2015/05/15/colin-maclean-tribes-is-a-play-for-the-senses
http://www.vueweekly.com/prevue-tribes-brings-deaf-realities-to-stage/
http://www.woablog.com/2015/05/deaf-actor-breaks-down-barriers-in-studio-theatre-debut/
http://www.edmontonsun.com/2015/05/15/colin-maclean-tribes-is-a-play-for-the-senses
http://www.vueweekly.com/prevue-tribes-brings-deaf-realities-to-stage/
Thank you to our supporters! With your help we are well on our way to reaching our goal. We have had our preview and tonight is opening night! Here is a photo of Connor Yuzwenko-Martin and Bobbi Goddard, playing Billy and Sylvia. If you want to read more about Connor's experience as a Deaf actor in Tribes,check out his blog here http://yuzmarconnor.com/2015/04/29/deaf-accent/
(Photo by Ed Ellis, Set/Light/Costume design by Robyn Ayles)
Connor Yuzwenko-Martin
Suzanne Martin
Amanda Bergen
Jan Selman
Lisa Hawkins
Chaslee Schweitzer
Matthew Hulshof
Cayley Hanson
Judy McFerran
Rohan Kulkarni
Chris Dodd
Robyn Ayles
Zoe Glassman
Bobbi Goddard
Nicole Sander
Lore Green
Barb Mykle-Hotzon
Gave $50.00
Louella Webber
Gave $25.00
Judith Haynes
Gave $20.00
abner brown
Gave $50.00
Marjorie Chan
Gave $25.00
Shane Riczu
Gave $50.00
Judi Bauer
Gave $50.00
Amanda Bergen
Gave $50.00
Shawn Clackett
Gave $250.00
Nadine Tratch
Gave $100.00
Anna-Maria LeMaistre
Gave $50.00
Brianne Fahlman
Gave $25.00
Elissa Weinzimmer
Gave $5.00
Jan Selman
Gave $500.00
J Brooke Leifso
Gave $25.00
Shauna Lee Allen
Gave $25.00
Terah Jans
Gave $20.00
Hayley Yuzwenko
Gave $50.00
Steve Patten
Gave $50.00
William Meany
Gave $100.00
Julie Sinclair
Gave $50.00
Taylor Rubin
Gave $15.00
Ruth Vander Woude
Gave $25.00
Anthony Nathan
Gave $5.00
Sean Yuzwenko
Gave $75.00
Elissa Weinzimmer
Gave $5.00
Beverly Parker
Gave $25.00
Lucas Wagner
Gave $35.00
Arista Haas
Gave $50.00
Victory Obiefuna
Gave $25.00
Judy Stelck
Gave $100.00
Kristine Nutting
Gave $25.00
Lynne Martin
Gave $25.00
Martin Neon Martin Neon
Gave $50.00
Heather Donaldson
Gave $50.00
Tony Gruhn's Metalworks Inc.
Gave $250.00
Sharon Pianzola
Gave $25.00
Connor Yuzwenko-Martin
Gave $25.00
Joan Paton
Gave $25.00
Angela Martincevic
Gave $25.00
Jane Potentier
Gave $50.00
Salena Kitteringham
Gave $50.00
Victoria Johns
Gave $25.00
Jeff Schweitzer
Gave $50.00
Janaki Kulkarni
Gave $50.00
David Cheoros
Gave $50.00
Armin Wiebe
Gave $25.00
David Prestley
Gave $150.00
Barbara Hensch
Gave $25.00
Bernice Thomas
Gave $50.00
Carol Dundes
Gave $75.00
Sandra Yuzwenko
Gave $250.00
Jonathan Durynek
Gave $50.00
Sheila Graham
Gave $25.00
Matthew Racz
Gave $25.00
15 supporters have chosen not to be listed for "Tribes: Breaking Down Barriers".
Make an Impact
Fan
Give $5
A gift of this amount lets you to show that you support this project! Every dollar makes a difference.
Booster
Give $25
This gift could provide a half hour of interpreter time. Each gift adds up!
Storyteller
Give $50
Seven gifts could provide us with an interpreter for a full day. The interpreters help us with translating the script from English to ASL that is needed for the actor playing Billy’s girlfriend. She is learning part of a new language too!
Advocate
Give $250
Each of these gift could provide us with five hours of interpreter time. We need them in rehearsal in order to incorporate them into the staging. This is essential to proper interpretation of this fast-paced play.
Ground Breaker
Give $500
Two gifts will cover the out of rehearsal prep time for one interpreter. This gets them ready to interpret the most appropriate ASL choices for the play.
Leader
Give $1,000
One gift could give an interpreter twenty hours of preparation time. This is the time needed to learn the actors' movements and mannerisms; details matter to interpretation, as there are many ways to sign.
