Bronx Bombers isn’t the only baseball-themed play that you can see this spring. The New York Deaf Theatre presents The Signal Season of Dummy Hoy, about the first deaf baseball player. Performances start Thursday, April 3rd.
New York Deaf Theatre
Proudly Presents
The Signal Season of Dummy Hoy
The first deaf baseball player
Written by ALLEN MEYER & MICHAEL NOWAK
With BALTSAR BECKLED, J.W. GUIDO, KELLI KIRKLEY, STACEY LIGHTMAN, JOHN MADDALONI, LIARRA MICHELLE, JON WOLFE NELSON, SAM OGILVIE, BEN PRAYZ, MAX ROLL, ROBERT TRAINA, BLAKE WALES
and STEPHEN ZUCCARO.
Directed by MARLEE KOENIGSBERG
LIMITED ENGAGEMENT
APRIL 3-13, 2014 AT THE GENE FRANKEL THEATRE
OPENING NIGHT IS THURSDAY, APRIL 3 AT 8 P.M.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT DEAFTHEATRE.COM
NEW YORK DEAF THEATRE is pleased to present Allen Meyer & Michael Nowak’s THE SIGNAL SEASON OF DUMMY HOY, directed by Marlee Koenigsberg, based on the first deaf baseball player. THE SIGNAL SEASON OF DUMMY HOY will play a two-week limited engagement at the Gene Frankel Theatre (24 Bond Street, New York, NY 10012). Performances begin Thursday, April 3rd and continue through Sunday, April 13th. Opening Night is Thursday, April 3rd (8 p.m.). Press are invited to all performances.
In 1886 William “Dummy” Hoy was the first deaf baseball player to join the minor leagues. Allen Meyer and Michael Nowak’s comedic play The Signal Season of Dummy Hoy, speculates on the challenges “Dummy” faces as a member of the Oshkosh Baseball Team. With a stern manager, a play-by-the-rules umpire, an all too curious newspaper reporter and rowdy team of ballplayers we witness his struggles to be understood both on and off the field as he wrestles with his past, fights to play the game he loves and how by seeking to gain acceptance by others “Dummy” revolutionizes the rules of our great American pastime. A comedy about seeing the advantages of difference The Signal Season of Dummy Hoy drives home the beauty of the human spirit in pursuit of a dream.
The character of Dummy Hoy will be performed in American Sign Language (ASL) while the rest of cast will use spoken English and/or ASL simultaneously.
The production stars Baltsar Beckeld, J.W. Guido, Kelli Kirkley, Stacey Lightman, John Maddaloni, Liarra Michelle, Jon Wolfe Nelson, Sam Ogilvie, Ben Prayz, Max Roll, Robert Traina, Blake Wales and Stephen Zuccaro.
The production features scenic design by Lauren Mills, costume design by Patricia Ordonez, lighting design by Mary Ellen Stebbins and props by Samuel Caraballo. The production stage manager is Melissa Jones and the assistant stage manager is Jessica Kidwell. Dramaturgy by Sarah Hartmann.
THE SIGNAL SEASON OF DUMMY HOY plays the following schedule through Sunday, April 13th:
Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m.
Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sundays at 1 p.m.
Tickets are $15-20 and are now available online at nydeaftheatre.com or by calling 212-868-4444. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the theater’s box office ½ hour prior to performance.
Open captions will be on stage for audiences to follow.
This play is intended for hearing and deaf audiences.
Running Time: 2 hours
Website: http://www.nydeaftheatre.com
BIOGRAPHIES
ALLEN MEYER (Co-Author) a native New Yorker and immigrant to the World of the Deaf, co-creating and seeing the evolution of The Signal Season of Dummy Hoy has been a joy. I am the proud father of a deaf child, now an adult role model in her own right. After many productions from coast to coast, it feels great to have our play back in New York. My sincere thanks to the New York Deaf Theatre, James Guido and Marlee Koenigsberg for their efforts, and especially for the respect shown our work by one and all. And to my writing partner and dear friend Michael Nowak, “we did it again partner.”
MICHAEL NOWAK (Co-Author) is a playwright, actor, writer, singer and radio host, not necessarily in that order. He has received awards for acting, writing and directing for the Chicago stage. For the past sixteen years, though, his primary focus has been sharing green, gardening and environmental wisdom on Chicago radio, most recently with “The Mike Nowak Show” on WCPT 820AM. He co-founded the Midwest Ecological Landscape Alliance (MELA) and is currently president of the Chicago Recycling Coalition. Find more about Mike at http://www.mikenowak.net
MARLEE KOENIGSBERG (Director) is a New York based director whose work focuses on collaborative devised projects with a strong visual aesthetic. Selected directing credits include: The Last Reader of Books (Senses’ Askew Company), Alessandra Drapos’ Tea with Vivien Leigh (Estrogenius Sola Voce Festival), Bratton Late Night Cabaret (Chautauqua Theater Company), Young Readers Romeo & Juliet Retelling (Original Staged Reading, Chautauqua Theater Company), Wholly Joan’s (Powerhouse Theater at Vassar), Vagina Monologues (Mosaic Theater Productions), The Fastest Clock in the Universe (Olmsted Theater) and selections of Tongue of a Bird (SDC Fellowship Finalist for KCACTF). Dedicated to pursuing a mission towards inclusion in the arts Marlee is Associate Director to Kim Weild having worked most recently with her on the world premiere ASL translated production of Harold Pinter’s A Kind of Alaska that premiered in 2013 at the inaugural NY Live Arts/Live Ideas Festival: Celebrating the Worlds of Oliver Sacks.
Marlee is currently a Gia Forakis & Company Associate Member Artist as well as having been Associate Producing Director and Associate Artistic Director for the company. Other directors she has assisted include: Andrew Borba, Mike Donahue, Gia Forakis, Lisa Rothe, Greg Taubman and Tomi Tsunoda. In 2013 she was the Directing Fellow for Chautauqua Theater Company where she will be returning to work as an Artistic Associate for the 2014 season. Marlee has proudly interned with the Lark Play Development Center, trained as a Directing Apprentice at Powerhouse: New York Stage and Film, and received her B.F.A in Acting from Adelphi University.
The New York Deaf Theatre (NYDT) was established in 1979 by an eager group of Deaf theatre artists. Our mission is to give opportunities to Deaf artists to express themselves through art and provide quality theatre productions, performances, and services to the Deaf community. One of many ways in which we accomplish this is by giving classic work to Deaf artists and having them translate the story into American Sign Language (ASL) for theatrical performances. It is rare for Deaf artists to have a chance to engage in such a rich artistic experience in their native language.We continue to emphasize to our goals, in order to give rich experience opportunities in theatre world for Deaf artists. NYDT would like to reach out to people who have never had experiences with Deaf culture or its language in order to expose them to this vibrant community. We hope to inspire people with our art and are committed to developing theatre education and the artistic talents of Deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing artists who sign through partnership, mentoring and new programs.
Out of Bounds NYC 