Is Moving To
Washington, DC!
The National Theater of the Deaf (NTD) is pleased to announce its move to Washington, DC effective September 1, 2020 and the creation of a new organization in Connecticut legally recognized as The NTD-Connecticut (NTD-CT).
National Theatre of the Deaf – Connecticut (NTD-CT)
A newly formed Connecticut non-profit entity, The National Theatre of the Deaf – Connecticut (NTD-CT) will provide local, state and regional educational and theatrical programs and activities, including our successful Theater Immersion Program for young high school Deaf & hard of hearing aspiring performing artists. NTD-CT will expand and diversify our programming through local, state, and regional partnerships that cultivate and showcase aspiring and professional Deaf talent.
National Theatre of the Deaf
Since its founding in 1967, NTD has a long and rich history as a proud national and international performing arts organization. NTD pioneered a dual language theatre concept, creating a hybrid of American Sign Language with spoken English that has been seen in all fifty states in the U.S., in thirty-three countries, and on all seven continents throughout the world. NTD has appeared and performed on Broadway, the Disney Channel, on Sesame Street, at the White House, and before luminaries and dignitaries the world over.
National Theatre of the Deaf has a proud international performing arts history.
The acting company is comprised of deaf and hearing actors has touring the nation and the world for over 50 years. Each performance unfolds simultaneously in two languages: for the eye, American Sign Language, and for the ear, the Spoken Word.
Celebrating over 50 years of touring the nation and world, the NTD is the oldest touring company in the United States.
NTD has performed in all fifty states, on all seven continents, thirty-three countries, performed on the Disney Channel, on Sesame Street, at the White House, for royalty the world over, and on Broadway.
NTD was the first company to tour South Africa when sanctions were lifted, first company from the West to tour The People’s Republic of China, represented the USA at the Los Angeles Olympic Arts Festival, performed in Taiwan through the American Cultural Center to represent the United States during the Deaflympics, and received a Tony Award.
The idea for the National Theatre of the Deaf came about through a Broadway production called The Miracle Worker in the late 1950’s. The Miracle Worker was based on the true story of Helen Keller, a girl born deaf and blind.
Audiences were moved when Helen learned to sign and the world of language was opened to her. The star of the show, Anne Bancroft, and the Lighting Designer, David Hays, were captivated by the idea that sign language had a place on the world’s stage as a performing art form.
After the show closed, David Hays continued to pursue this dream and after nearly ten years was able to secure funding from the U.S. Department of Education and launched the National Theatre of the Deaf.
Through power of example and role model, NTD has been instrumental in fostering:
- Removing stigma from Sign Language
- Legitimizing the use of Sign Language on television, stage, and movies
- Popularizing the study of Sign Language
- Providing professional training and employing deaf artists
- Invigorating the entertainment industry to consider and use deaf artists
- Deaf pride of self and culture to all members of the deaf community
The National Theatre of the Deaf Board
Facilitator, Deaf Theatre Planning Action Session via Howlround at Emerson College, March 2019; Conspirator, Dog & Pony D.C.; Assistant Director, Shakespeare First Folio! Tour Stop at Gallaudet University 2015-16; Adjunct Professor, ASL/Deaf Studies/Translation, Gallaudet University, 2012-2014; Teaching Instructor (Adjunct Faculty), Deaf Studies Program, California State University, Northridge, 2006–2012; Outreach/Program Coordinator/Writer/Workshop Coordinator/ Associate Director, Deaf West Theatre, 2004-2011.
April Jackson-Woodard, a Missouri native who now calls Maryland home, has been highly passionate in acting since age 3. Last 2012, April earned her B.A. in Business Administration and minored in Fine Arts-Theatre/Production at Gallaudet University. She worked as an actor and instructor for Quest Visual Theatre where she toured to Canada, China and Austria. April is a full-time federal government employee and freelance Deaf Interpreter in the Washington, DC area. April also launched two children storybooks, “The Baobab” in February 2013 and “The Blue Lobster” last September 2014 with Visual Language and Visual Learning at Gallaudet. April continues to be involved in a lot of storytelling, film, acting and as a motivational speaker. During her special moments, April loves exercise, travel, and to spend a lot of time with her two Deaf children, Akeisha and Keivonn.
Richard Costes is a Chicago-based actor, director, and accessibility consultant who currently works as a Board Administrator at Communication Services for the Deaf. He was one of 10 recipients of a 3Arts Award in 2019 and is also a 2020 ADA 25 Advancing Leadership Fellow. He has presented at Gallaudet University’s symposium on Visual Shakespeare and was a panelist and member of the 2019 Deaf Theatre Action Planning Session hosted by HowlRound at Emerson College. Richard is passionate about equity in art with an eye towards disability and intersectionality and often speaks on panels or gives presentations on how to create and curate more inclusive spaces. www.richardcostes.com
Retired Educator; Chair, Education & Legislative Committee and Past President, the Connecticut Association of the Deaf; President, the Connecticut Retirement Community; Representative Member, the Connecticut Council of Organizations Serving the Deaf; former Board Chair, the National Theatre of the Deaf; former President & Board Member of the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf Board of Trustees; former Executive Director & Board Member of the Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf; former Co-Chair, Deaf Child’s Bill of Rights Initiative (CT); former Team Member, the Connecticut Coalition on Education of Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Children; former Board Member, the CT Department of Rehabilitation Services Advisory Board on Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services, former Board Member, the CT Office of Protection & Advocacy for Persons who are Disabled; former President of the Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf; former Vice-President & Board Member of the National Association of the Deaf; former Board Member of the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools & Programs for the Deaf; former President of the PSD Alumni Association; former President of the Metro-Washington, D.C. Association of the Deaf; former President, Washington, D.C. Division #155 of the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf; former President of the Student Body Government at Gallaudet University and former Student Actor performing
the role of Professor Willard in the college play, Our Town, at Gallaudet University.
Hearing Children; former Board Member, the CT Department of Rehabilitation Services Advisory Board on Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services, former Board Member, the CT Office of Protection & Advocacy for Persons who are Disabled; former President of the Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf; former Vice-President & Board Member of the National Association of the Deaf; former Board Member of the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools & Programs for the Deaf; former President of the PSD Alumni Association; former President of the Metro-Washington, D.C. Association of the Deaf; former President, Washington, D.C. Division #155 of the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf; former President of the Student Body Government at Gallaudet University and former Student Actor performing
the role of Professor Willard in the college play, Our Town, at Gallaudet University.
Dr. Jill Marie Bradbury is Professor of English at Gallaudet University. Her recent research focuses on Shakespeare in ASL and Deaf performance. She served as project director for the DC stop of First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare national traveling exhibition sponsored by the Folger Shakespeare Library (2016). Dr. Bradbury also served as project director for a DeafBlind Theater Initiative funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Publications include “Shakespeare and Sign Language,” co-authored with Miles Drawdy for Stanford Encyclopedia of Shakespeare (forthcoming 2019), and a collaborative piece on "ProTactile Shakespeare" forthcoming in Shakespeare Studies 2019 With Tyrone Giordano, she is co-creator of the short film “Digit(al) Shakespeares” (2015). Dr. Bradbury was also featured recently in a Folger Shakespeare Library podcast on Shakespeare in Sign Language (2016).
Natasha Ofili debuted in two TV series in 2019: Netflix’s The Politician as Principal Vaugh and Amazon Prime’s Undone as a Deaf Teacher. In May 2020, inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests, Natasha co-wrote and produced a creative project Am I Next? to bring focus on the Black Deaf Community. Natasha debuted in a series, The Myth of Control, directed by Emmy nominated producer Mikail Chowdhury and Chrystee Pharris, as Aimee, all filmed remotely, a groundbreaking experience. Natasha continues to represent her community to inspire future Deaf and Hard of Hearing Black individuals and People of Color to break into the entertainment industry. For the remaining of 2020, Natasha’s mantra is to surround herself with greatness and with those who see the greatness within her.
Ryan Maliszewski joined Mozzeria, Inc. as its first Chief Executive Officer in Spring 2020, and is working to open Mozzeria’s second national location in DC this fall. Previously, Ryan was the Director of the Gallaudet Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute as well as an Executive Strategy and Technology Advisor for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Upon graduating from the University of Arizona, Ryan began his career working on Capitol Hill for a United States Senator as well as for the Chief Administrative Officer of the House for several years prior to joining Booz Allen Hamilton, a management and technology consulting firm largely responsible for managing billion dollar budgets and contracting services for U.S. Government clients.
Treasurer, Connecticut Retirement Community; Investment Officer, Greater Hartford Club of the Deaf; Representative Member (CRC) & Former President, Connecticut Council of Organizations Serving the Deaf; Former Treasurer, Connecticut Association for the Deaf.
Hailing from the DC / MD / VA area, Acclaimed Hip Hop Recording Artist, WAWA, has been hitting the ground running with music with insatiable drive since he first picked up the mic in 2005 and began writing and rhyming at an unstoppable pace. With 15+ years in the game with no signs of slowing down at all, WAWA's critical reception and positive acclaim has manifested over the years through not only admirable work ethics, but also through a charismatic, diligent original persona and genre that he labels "Dip Hop" (Hip Hop through deaf eyes), a unique sound of audio & imagery. WAWA's Dip Hop explores Hip Hop in a way where the focus is taking on challenges and educating people about deaf musicians in the hearing world, a pursuit where he hopes to put deaf Recording Artists on the map in the mainstream public interest. In 2016, WAWA released his sophomore album "Deaf: So What?!" which further explores the pursuit of proving that a disadvantage can be its polar opposite; an album of inspiration for those to understand and pursue music without the sense of hearing.
Alexandria Wailes received a 2020 Obie for Sustained Excellence as an Artist and Advocate. She received a Lucille Lortel nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play For Colored Girls.. at The Public. Her career involves Broadway, Off Broadway, TV and film as an actor, director, choreographer and DASL. She works mostly in NYC and LA and has performed internationally in Japan, Senegal, India, Romania and Sydney, Australia. Ms. Wailes advised ASL interpreted teams for Hands On and TDF on numerous Broadway shows. She also conducts ASL tours for The Jewish Museum, the Whitney & LES Tenement museum. www.alexandriawailes.com
Dr. Joseph Santini currently works as the Director of Instruction at the Clerc Center in Washington DC. His career in education began in 2001 at the Centre for Deaf Studies in Bristol, UK, where he earned an MSc in Deaf Studies. He worked as an adult educator and case manager at the New York Society for the Deaf and then joined the City College of New York as a Teaching Fellow, earning an M.A. in Secondary Education in 2007. He has written or co-authored several print and online articles and books chapters in the area of education including the New York Times Online, and most recently a chapter in the 2019 book Deaf Identities: Exploring New Frontiers with Drs. Leala Holcomb, Thomas Horejes, and Oscar Ocuto. He has been involved in creating educational content in ASL including Camp Invention ASL, a modified version of the Camp Invention curriculum he worked on with Dr. Jill Bradbury of Gallaudet University, and hosted the First Folio! K-12 Educators Workshop in 2016. He completed his Ed.S. in Deaf Education in 2016, then worked at Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc. to establish the first online Learning Management System with free full-length courses in ASL for Deaf and hard of hearing students.
Ethan Sinnott is a DC-area Deaf theatre artist, director, scene designer, and the head of Gallaudet University’s Theatre and Dance program. MFA, Boston University. He co-produced with five other Deaf artists, March 2019’s Deaf Theatre Action Planning Session, in partnership with Howlround. The convening was a gathering of over thirty Deaf theatremakers, producers, and administrators from across the United States, intended to develop a future-focused, action-oriented plan for creating a national network and training-to-production "pipelines" that foster the long-term education and advancement of all Deaf theatre artists. Currently, Ethan works to teach, direct, and produce theatre at Gallaudet, and professionally works as a scene designer at theatres throughout the Washington, DC area.
The National Theatre of the Deaf - Connecticut (NTD-CT) Board
Retired Educator; Chair, Education & Legislative Committee and Past President, the Connecticut Association of the Deaf; President, the Connecticut Retirement Community; Representative Member, the Connecticut Council of Organizations Serving the Deaf; former Board Chair, the National Theatre of the Deaf; former President & Board Member of the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf Board of Trustees; former Executive Director & Board Member of the Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf; former Co-Chair, Deaf Child’s Bill of Rights Initiative (CT); former Team Member, the Connecticut Coalition on Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children; former Board Member, the CT Department of Rehabilitation Services Advisory Board on Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services, former Board Member, the CT Office of Protection & Advocacy for Persons who are Disabled; former President of the Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf; former Vice-President & Board Member of the National Association of the Deaf; former Board Member of the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools & Programs for the Deaf; former President of the PSD Alumni Association; former President of the Metro-Washington, D.C. Association of the Deaf; former President, Washington, D.C. Division #155 of the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf; former President of the Student Body Government at Gallaudet University and former Student Actor performing the role of Professor Willard in the college play, Our Town, at Gallaudet University.
Storyteller and Comedian, Educator of Visual Languages, Culture, Advocate; National Certified Deaf Interpreter; American Sign Language Teachers Association Certificate – Master; Former program instructor and co-chair, Sign Language Studies Program, Deaf Studies, and Interpreter Training Program, Portland Community College; International awarded professional artist, performer, and presenter about theatre through deaf eyes, many various vendors/events internationally from children to adults; co-owner/marketing designer, Expert Business Support, Inc.; Deaf Language Model, Alaskan Natives villages; Former actor, National Theater of the Deaf and Little Theater of the Deaf, 2001-2004; Former chair and former artist director, Northwest Theatre of the Deaf, 1993-2001; former actor/instructor, Deaf Youth Drama Program; Program Director, NTD Theater Immersion Program, 2018 and 2019; Performance Director, Literacy Fair Camp, Washington School for the Deaf, 2006-2008; Director of Artistic Sign Language, Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Currently as a Board Treasurer for Communication Advocacy Network; Former Residential Counselor at American School for the Deaf, ASD Drama Club Advisor, ASD Yearbook Advisor, and ASD Volunteer Advisor Class of 1990, 2000, & 2008; Connecticut Association of the Deaf Registrar Committee; Actress with Fairmount Theatre of the Deaf in Cleveland, Children of a Lessor Good in Detroit, Londin and Ottawa, NY Theatre of the Deaf and NTD company; Wardrobe staff for NTD and Micheal-Jon Costumes Company.
Sign Language Interpreter; Former Program Coordinator, Deaf & Hard of Hearing Program/ Deaf Studies/Interpreter Training Program, Northwestern Connecticut Community College, Former Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, CT Bureau of Rehabilitation Services; Former Member of Connecticut Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.
KC Beauregard, MA, LPC, MT-BC is a licensed counselor and board-certified music therapist in the Greater Hartford area working primarily with students who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing. After getting her Bachelors of Music in Musical Theatre from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, KC moved up to Boston to pursue her Masters of Art in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in music therapy from Lesley University. Since graduating, KC has returned home to Connecticut and now works at the American School for the Deaf in the PACES Program as a mental health clinician/music therapist and moonlights at Connecticut Music Therapy Services. KC also serves on the boards of Hear Here Hartford, the CT Walk4Hearing, CT Inclusive Arts (Steering Committee), and CAST Children’s Theatre. In non-COVID times, KC can often be found rehearsing for shows at Little Theatre of Manchester or the Warner Stage Company and playing guitar/singing with friends.
Actor/Presenter, “King Lear” & John Milton’s “Paradise Lost ”; Former Board President, North End Arts Rising (NEAR) Inc. (The Buttonwood Tree, a performing and cultural arts center in Middletown, CT); Member, Board of Deacons, South Congregational Church, Middletown, CT; Former Actor/Member, NTD Company.
Was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Son of Deaf parents (CODA). Fluent in ASL, Spanish, and English. He graduated from Gallaudet University in 2014 from the School Psychology program. Currently working at the American School for the Deaf as a School Psychologist. He was recently recognized as the Professional of the Year 2020 at ASD. He is friendly, happy, and an adventurous guy. He loves theater, movies, and music. He is currently a member of the Advisory Committee for the Bushnell Center of the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut. He is also a member of the CRIDDERS, which is a Sign Language performance group that brings music and acting to all hearing and Deaf. Angel, also interprets mass at Saint Timothy’s Catholic Church and is a member of the parish council. He also teaches ASL 101 and 102 at Northwestern Connecticut Community College. Angel enjoys traveling and loves Broadway shows and Disney. He is exited to be now part of the board for the National Theater of the Deaf!
Teacher, American School for the Deaf; Region 1 Board Representative, National Association of the Deaf; Bylaws Chair, Connecticut Association of the Deaf; Former Instructor/Presenter, Sorenson Communications-Deaf Interpreter Academy and Interpreter Education Professional Development; Former Vice President, Council de Manos; Interpreter and ASL Consultant, The Bushnell Theater; Member, National Deaf Interpreter; Member, Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc.
Currently Board Member, NTD-Connecticut; Currently Youth Coordinator, Connecticut Association of the Deaf; Currently serve on the John Slifka’s Sub-Committee on Improving Police Interactions with The Disability Community of the Police Accountability and Transparency Task Force; Former Representative Member school-based interview panel for the position of Site Superintendent at California School for the Deaf, Riverside (CSDR) in 2014; Former Actor for Paramount in Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA in 2009; Offered as an actor for two different Deaf Theatre Organizations while being a student at Gallaudet University in 2002.
Former Teacher, American School for the Deaf; Volunteer Advisor, ASD Drama Club; Secretary/Treasurer, Sound-Off Theatre; Chair, CT Sprint Relay Advisory Board; Vice President, Sign Language Instructors Pool; Representative Member (ALDA), Connecticut Council of Organizations Serving the Deaf; Former East Coast Regional Director, Association of Late Deafened Adults (ALDA); Former Program Coordinator, Total Immersion Sign Language Retreat Program; Former Nominations Chair, Connecticut Association of the Deaf; Former Member, Quota International, Candlewood Valley, Danbury, CT.
Kathy currently teaches at ASD for 25 years and serves as an advisor to the ASD Drama Club, Academic Bowl, and Class of 2021. She used to work at Marie Katzenbach School for the Deaf in West Trenton, NJ as a dorm counselor and high school teacher for seven years, then worked at the Travelers Insurance in Hartford, CT as a computer programmer for ten years.
The NTD Staff
