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."Photos by Noel Bass
Paul Raci and Troy Kotsur
Troy Kotsur, Matthew Ryan Pest, Paul Raci
Troy Kotsur and Matthew Ryan Pest
Paul Raci (background), Matthew Ryan Pest, Troy Kotsur
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