{"id":42372,"date":"2023-10-12T18:07:39","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T01:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=42372"},"modified":"2023-10-12T18:44:24","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T01:44:24","slug":"multidisciplinary-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2023\/10\/12\/multidisciplinary-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"Multidisciplinary approach – When the Walls Come Down"},"content":{"rendered":"

Racheal Prince, left, and Caroline H\u00e9bert in When the Walls Come Down, which is at the Rothstein Theatre Nov. 8 and 10. <\/em>(photo \u00a9\u00a0iiiiportraits)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the performance is a really fun way to learn a little bit about Deaf culture,\u201d Caroline H\u00e9bert, the lead actor and inspiration for When the Walls Come Down<\/em>, told the Independent<\/em>. \u201cI hope people can make the time to try something different and I look forward to meeting some new people at the Chutzpah! Festival.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the Walls Come Down (WTWCD)<\/em> will see three performances at the Rothstein Theatre next month, as part of the festival. A collaboration from Vancouver\u2019s Dance\/\/Novella, led by Racheal Prince and Brandon Lee Alley, the work highlights moments in H\u00e9bert\u2019s life, \u201cshed[ding] light on stereotypes and difficulties faced by many Deaf Canadians and tell[ing] a story of resilience and love,\u201d according to the press material. It is performed with movement, music, projections and lighting, and in ASL with English voiceovers.<\/p>\n

\u201cRacheal and Brandon and the WTWCD<\/em> team have been learning ASL,\u201d said H\u00e9bert. \u201cIt\u2019s really inspiring to me to see a group of people who want to create an environment where we can share ideas and our culture. I want to participate in more collaborations as I continue my journey as a Deaf actor. This is my first time stepping into a leading role for a one-hour show. I think, at first, I wasn\u2019t really sure if this is something I could do. Over time, I realized that I can do it, and I can connect to many different people through my art form.\u201d<\/p>\n

The creation of WTWCD<\/em> began in 2020, said Prince and Alley, when \u201cour curiosity led us to explore the fusion of ASL and dance, with a strong desire to collaborate with a Deaf actor and blend their creative ideas with ours. Caroline was recommended to us by Chis Dodd, director of SOUND OFF. What intrigued us further was her last name, H\u00e9bert, which happened to be the maiden name of Racheal\u2019s grandmother. This unexpected connection felt like a sign. After a video-translated conversation with Caroline, we realized that she possessed a compelling story that needed to be shared, so we quickly chose her as the central character for the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for her decision to be that central character, H\u00e9bert said, \u201cI was interested in trying something new and I thought why not!? I did dance a little when I was a child so maybe that was also part of the reason?\u201d<\/p>\n

WTWCD<\/em> debuted as a live-streamed performance during the 2021 Vancouver International Dance Festival (VIDF), which made it \u201cchallenging for us to establish a direct connection with the audience and gauge their reception of the work,\u201d said Prince and Alley. \u201cHowever, we knew this work had the potential of uplifting and illuminating a traditionally marginalized community, so we kept refining and building upon our initial ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2022, they received an invitation to perform WTWCD<\/em> in Edmonton at the SOUND OFF festival, the first time the piece was presented in a live setting. \u201cTo our astonishment, the audience responded with thunderous stomps and a standing ovation. It was truly incredible to witness the profound connection the work had with the Deaf community,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

In addition to that positive reaction, the pair won the 2023 VIDF Emerging Choreographic Award. \u201cTo us,\u201d they said, \u201cthis award emphasized the collaborative and harmonious aspect of the work\u2019s creation, transcending our roles as individual choreographers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both creatives multitasked to make WTWCD<\/em>. Prince and Alley choreographed the work; they played a part in the storyline creation and development with H\u00e9bert and her daughter, Anna-Belle H\u00e9bert, all four of whom perform the piece; Alley composed the music and Prince did the costume and set design. Other key contributors are lighting designer James Proudfoot, assistant lighting designer Chengyan Boon, and mentors and coaches Chris Dodd and Landon Krentz.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a contemporary dance company, one of our goals was to find innovative ways to convey the music to a Deaf audience,\u201d said Prince and Alley. And it was Alley who \u201ccame up with the idea of using a playful animation to advance the storyline and evoke the emotional essence of the music.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo realize this vision, we collaborated with the Vancouver Film School,\u201d they said. \u201cWe pitched our ideas to them, leading to the organization of a competition involving five different groups. Each group listened to our concepts and then presented us with small animations. After careful consideration, we selected the group that we believed best captured the essence of the work and the nuances of the music. They went on to create the animations that will be showcased during the performance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listed on Dance\/\/Novella\u2019s website are producer Jill Tao, designer\/animators Kanako Takashima and Cecilia Cortes, animation lead Arturo Acevedo and storyboard artist\/designer Heena Yoon.<\/p>\n

An integral part of this project has been Anna-Belle H\u00e9bert.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is a CODA (child of Deaf adult),\u00a0fluent in ASL, QSL, English and French,\u201d explained her mother. \u201cAnna-Belle understands who I am and the story I want to share because it\u2019s partly her story too. In the beginning, I recommended that Racheal and Brandon reach out to Anna-Belle to see if she would like to join the process, which they enthusiastically agreed to. In the performance, she is my voice over actor, but has also been a huge part of the creative process. She really helps bridge the gap between our ideas and how they can connect to hearing and Deaf people at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Prince and Alley talk about how much they have learned while creating WTWCD<\/em>. \u201cOne significant revelation for us,\u201d they said, \u201cwas the realization that ASL and English are two distinct languages. Initially, we attempted to transcribe everything in an effort to ensure clarity, but this approach only seemed to confuse Caroline further. With the guidance of a specialized ASL coach, Caroline developed a unique method for documenting the script on paper. This breakthrough allowed her to memorize and retain everything effortlessly while making it her own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prince and Alley had nothing but good things to say about H\u00e9bert.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaroline is an incredibly generous and patient collaborator,\u201d they said. \u201cDuring our rehearsals, we frequently paused our creative process to listen to stories from Caroline\u2019s life. Each story offered us a glimpse into the experiences of a Deaf child, mother and student, which ultimately became the core of our creative journey. The exchange of knowledge and personal narratives became the driving force behind our work, giving it profound meaning for our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the Walls Come Down<\/em> is at the Rothstein Theatre Nov. 8 and 10, at 8 p.m., and there is a special matin\u00e9e for school groups grades 6 and up on Nov. 9, 11 a.m. (contact nrt@jccgv.bc.ca<\/a> for more information about that). The show runs 60 minutes with no intermission. For tickets, visit chutzpahfestival.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Racheal Prince, left, and Caroline H\u00e9bert in When the Walls Come Down, which is at the Rothstein Theatre Nov. 8 and 10. (photo \u00a9\u00a0iiiiportraits) \u201cI think the performance is a really fun way to learn a little bit about Deaf culture,\u201d Caroline H\u00e9bert, the lead actor and inspiration for When the Walls Come Down, told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42373,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[785],"tags":[2902,19957,22663,31,3119,22664,19956,175],"class_list":["post-42372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performing-arts","tag-asl","tag-brandon-lee-alley","tag-caroline-hebert","tag-chutzpah","tag-dance","tag-deaf-culture","tag-racheal-prince","tag-rothstein-theatre"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}