NORTHRIDGE—On April 2, Bernard Bragg & David J. Kurs will present a history on signed theatre. Bragg, who dabbled in different forms of art, is most known for his contributions to the Deaf community in the world of acting. As the child of two deaf parents, Bragg grew up signing and attended the New York School for the Deaf and graduated in 1947. He later attended the Gallaudet College, procuring a number of starring roles during his time at the Gallaudet.
Bragg graduated in 1952 and taught at the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley before a chance meeting with the world renowned mime, Marcel Marceau in 1956 allowed him to study the art of mime with Marceau in France. He brought his newfound passion back with him to the states. After his return, Bragg managed to attain a timeslot on television as “The Quiet Man†and winning various awards in other arts since.
Accompanying Bragg is David J. Kurs, The Artistic Director of Deaf West Theatre, located in
West Hollywood. Kurs replaced Ed Waterstreet, as the new Artistic Director back in 2012. According to the LA Stage Times’ website, Kurs was the previous Artistic Associate at Deaf West, and works on the board of directors with the Greater Los Angeles Area on Deafness.
Also growing up with Deaf parents, Kurs noticed that Deaf children had less access to the world of arts than hearing kids did. In a flyer provided to the Canyon News from CSUN’s NCOD, Kurs co-founded the National Theatre for the Deaf, which “significantly helped change public perceptions of people who are Deaf through its national and international performance.â€
At the NCOD’s Enlightenment Seminar, Kurs and Bragg will be presenting ASL Theatre; they will portray signing in American theatre starting the formation of the National Theatre on the Deaf in the 1960s and the creation of Deaf West Theatre in 1991.
The event will start at 5:00 p.m. and run until 6:30 p.m. and will be held in the CSUN/NCOD’s ASL Theatre. Parking at CSUN costs $6, and students and those from the community are allowed to attend at no cost. The NCOD is located at 18111 Nordhoff Street in Northridge, California.