Auslan specialists to perform Wicked

On Wednesday, August 18, the evening performance of Wicked will be interpreted by Auslan specialists for access by people who are deaf sign language users.

On Wednesday, August 18, the evening performance of Wicked will be interpreted by Auslan specialists for access by people who are deaf sign language users.

Auslan (Australian Sign Language) is the first or preferred language of the Australian Deaf community, and has approximately 6,500 users in Australia. It is a visual-spatial language with its own rich grammatical structure which is very different from English.

Auslan interpretation of live musical performances include translation not just of the dialogue and song  lyrics, but also aims to include visual reference to the music and creative use of the spatial elements of Auslan to match the poetic nature of telling a story through song. Only the most experienced Auslan interpreters can take on this type of work, and at this special performance of Wicked, the Auslan Interpreters will be Chevoy Sweeney and Gerry Shearim.

Wicked Australia Co-Producer John Frost said: “Wocled has been enjoyed by well over a million Australians so far, and thanks to the Deaf Society of NSW, will be accessible at this performance to people who are deaf sign language users. I’m thrilled they will have easier access to this wonderful, unique musical that has taken the world by storm.”

Wicked is the untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the enchanting story of how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

Wicked, with (music and lyrics) by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Academy Award-winner for Pocahontas and The Prince of Egypt) and book by Winnie Holzman (My So Called Life, Once And Again and thirtysomething), is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B Platt and David Stone, with John Frost as Australian Co-Producer.

Tickets for this special performance on Wicked on Wednesday, August 18 at 8pm are available through Ticketmaster – ticketmaster.com.au or (02) 8512 9020.