Photo Flash: First Look at AMERICAN BUFFALO at Cal State L.A.

Offering a fresh look at the groundbreaking play that established David Mamet as a seismic force in theater, the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance at California State University, Los Angeles joins forces with multiple award-winning Deaf West Theatre to present American Buffalo. Professor of Theater and longtime Deaf West collaborator Stephen Rothman directs Deaf West regularsTroy Kotsur (Spring Awakening, Cyrano) and Paul Raci (Cyrano, What Are You...Deaf?) along with Cal State L.A. MFA candidate Matthew Ryan Pestfor a Feb. 21 opening at the 250-seat State Playhouse on the university campus (just east of downtown).

In American Buffalo, three small-time crooks plan to rob a man of his valuable coin collection, including what they believe to be an extremely valuable Buffalo nickel. A little out of luck and way out of their league when the con goes awry, it's every man for himself in this modern classic that weaves humor and menace throughout an emotionally charged struggle for identity and dominance.

Deaf West Theatre is renowned for casting a mix of deaf and hearing actors in productions performed simultaneously in American Sign Language and spoken English. American Buffalo's highly-charged, naturalistic dialogue lends itself easily to translation into ASL.

"Mamet's rhythms are grounded in the way people actually speak, and they share a close kinship with the ebb and flow of conversational sign language," suggests Deaf West artistic director David J. Kurs. "It's rare to come across a script with language that feels like a natural point of entry into ASL. The way Mamet's characters communicate through broken thoughts and unfinished sentences also reflects the frequent communication gap between deaf and hearing people."

"The play is about isolation," says Rothman. "It speaks to being on the outside looking in."

For Rothman, who previously directed productions of Orphans, Of Mice and Men, What Are You...Deaf? and Pinocchio for Deaf West, this passion project is a long time coming.

Also in the cast is Collin Bressie as the voice of Teach (Kotsur). Scenic design is by Ken George; lighting design is by Michael Gend; sound design is by Joe Cerqua; projection design is by Martín Gimenez; costume design is by Raquel Barreto; the ASL Master is Linda Bove; and the production stage manager is Jessica Morataya. Meredith Greenburg and David J. Kurs produce for Cal State L.A. and Deaf West Theatre respectively.

Photos by Noel Bass

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