(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- An acclaimed play portraying the complex life of a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), makes its New Jersey premiere May 20-21 at Merseles Studios in Jersey City as part of the Disruption series presented by Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC).
Listen...Can You Hear Me Now?, a solo-show written and performed by Gloria Rosen and directed by Suzanne Bachner, has performances Saturday, May 20 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, May 21 at 4:00 pm, at Merseles Studios, 339 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, N.J. Sunday's performance will be ASL interpreted and followed by an Artist Talkback.
In 2016 Listen...Can You Hear Me Now? excited audiences and judges at several theatre festivals, playing to sold out houses at the New York International Fringe Festival and at the United Solo Theatre Festival in NY, where it was awarded Best Autobiographical Script. The Play was also awarded the 2016 Best of Hollywood Fringe.
Now JCTC brings this festival circuit favorite about the little-known world of growing up CODA to Merseles Studios. “We are most honored and pleased to be performing our New Jersey premiere as part of JCTC’s Disruption series,” said Rosen. “I’m very grateful for this opportunity to welcome the New Jersey CODA and Deaf community, and to introduce a hearing audience to a world that’s completely new to them.”
JCTC presents series of theatre, performances, readings and visual arts on a topic global in scope yet relevant to the community. Listen...Can You Hear Me Now? looks at Disruption on a very personal level by exploring universal issues of communication and family relationships.
“It's rare that we get to see a play that puts the life of the hearing impaired – and specifically, the experiences of hearing children born to deaf parents – front and center,” said Lisa Strum, Associate Theatre Coordinator, JCTC. “In today's social climate where marginalized groups continue to navigate invisibility, it's exciting to have a piece of theatre that disrupts the status quo of what most would consider a normal American experience.”
An award winning playwright and actor, Gloria Rosen's one woman show shows what is it was like growing up a CODA, caught between the hearing and deaf worlds. In fact, her parents who used sign language with each other, forbid her to use –or even learn – sign language. This struggle for family members to communicate is a poignant story both funny and emotionally devastating. Listen… Can You Hear Me Now? is a daring, compassionate and eye-opening tale about a young girl finding her own identity and voice.
Maxamoo NYC: Theater & Performance Podcast: “Gloria is not only a fantastic storyteller but also able to embody herself as a character. A masterful job of introducing the audience to a world alien to any hearing person, yet also delivering a performance and story that speaks from the heart.”
Tickets are $20 General Admission ($15 Students & Senior Citizens, with valid ID). Tickets may be purchased at www.jctcenter.org.