Deaf West Theatre Will Host Industry Preview Event for ELEPHANT SHOES, A New Musical

Deaf West Theatre will host an industry preview event at NYC’s Museum of Broadway on Monday, October 20, for Elephant Shoes, a new original musical with a book by Ivan Menchell, music and lyrics by Caroline Kay, and directed and choreographed by Tony Award-nominee Jeff Calhoun.

This invitation-only event will include performances from Daniel Durant (Deaf West’s American Idiot, “Dancing with the Stars”), Aisha Jackson (The Great Gatsby, The Notebook), James Olivas (Deaf West’s American Idiot, the West End revival of Evita), and Siena Rafter (Twelfth Night, Runaways) as well as appearances by the show’s creative team.

Performed in American Sign Language and spoken English, Elephant Shoes will have its world premiere as a co-production between Two River Theater and Deaf West from June 4, 2026 – June 28, 2026 as part of Two River Theater’s 32nd season. Elephant Shoes is presented in association with Kevin Ryan and Diane Scott Carter.

Cy is on the verge of revolutionizing communication! His brilliant invention instantly translates spoken English into American Sign Language (ASL), and vice versa. But his breakthrough means nothing if he cannot connect with the one person he longs for — Roxy, a whip-smart coder, and an integral part of turning their tech dream into reality. As they work side by side, Cy finds himself falling in love, only to watch his Best Friend, Chris, sweep Roxy off her feet. A modern-day ‘Cyrano' tale, Elephant Shoes asks: Can love transcend language or will it forever be lost in translation?

With a soaring contemporary score and an immersive blend of spoken English, ASL, and groundbreaking stage technology, this World Premiere co-production between Two River Theater and Deaf West will ignite your senses and change the way you experience musical theatre.

Full creative team and casting information for the world premiere production will be announced at a later date.