Let's hear your voice

"Let's hear your voice!“ is a project aimed at students with hearing impairments from special schools in cities Sofia, Plovdiv and Targovishte. For the first time in the world, a forum theatrical performance is being created "You will not hear me again!“ in Bulgarian we are talking and sign language at the same time, starring a deaf and hard of hearing actress. The problems of the different are affected, the ambitions of their parents and the desire to be unconditionally accepted.

Our idea includes the public distribution of the show among deaf teenagers. The show will meet them with their painful problems, based on real life stories, which are presented on stage. The forum will give deaf students the opportunity to express their opinions, to be really heard and even to get into a role, and make suggestions, how problematic situations for the characters can be improved. Our efforts are focused on the development of additional skills in the audience by deaf students, namely the opportunity to be active during performances, to give voice to their thoughts and feelings, instead of being a passive audience. This is an attempt to understand, that their choices and decisions are important and matter, to change their lives for the better.

We offer the same forum theatrical performance for hearing and deaf audiences from adults in the cities Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Targovishteis, Stara Zagora, Yambol and Burgas . This is needed on the one hand, to promote sign language to hearing viewers and make them understand a little more about the problems of the deaf community. On the other hand, the performance presents a case of the clash between the generations as well, and between the hearing, and deaf culture. Questions, which excite the adult viewer as well, either in his role as a parent or as a representative of one of the two cultural communities.

For the younger deaf students from primary school we prepare the theatrical miniature with puppets "Pippi plays with questions and answers" – excerpt from "Pippi Longstocking". This is material, which must be studied in the curriculum for second grade. We believe, that the creative approach of presenting an excerpt from the book of Astrid Lingren, which interactively involved the children themselves, will ignite their interest in reading.

In order to truly understand and accept the different, we need to meet them face to face. Let's hear what they think about the cases, which are relevant to them. There is a need behind every action. There is a feeling behind every behavior. If we know these needs and feelings we could help people overcome conflicts and difficult situations in a way, on which to feel good. This is a way to change ourselves.