1998 COMING UP TALLER AWARDS

Note from the First Lady
Note from Bill Ivey
Note from John Brademas & Harriet Mayor Fulbright

AWARD RECIPIENTS:
Appalachian Media Institute

Arts Apprenticeship Training Program

The Experimental Gallery

The 52nd Street Project

Gallup Performing Arts Academy

Kaleidoscope Preschool Arts Enrichment Program

PAH! Deaf Youth Theatre

Street-Level Youth Media

Urban smARTS

The Yard (Youth At Risk Dancing)


The 1998 Coming Up Taller Awards Semifinalists

National Jury
 

PAH! Deaf Youth Theatre


Scene from Bird of a Different Feather.
"'PAH!' is an American Sign Language (ASL) expression that means 'Success!' or 'Finally! We did it!'" explains Mary Kelley, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. That sense of accomplishment is what drives the five-year-old PAH! Deaf Youth Theatre. At PAH! artist/teachers, half of whom are deaf, teach communication techniques and build on participants' personal and social strengths to develop skills applicable to everyday life. PAH!'s classes, which are conducted entirely in ASL, include acting, African dance and drumming, theater crafts, ASL poetry and storytelling. The year culminates in a public production created and performed by the PAH! actors in ASL, with interpreters providing translations in spoken English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. PAH! Troopers, a touring company of recent graduates, performs an original piece celebrating deaf culture throughout the Commonwealth.

PAH! students are recruited from schools for the deaf in the greater Boston region. All the participants come from hearing families without deaf siblings. Ninety-five percent of their families do not know sign language. The establishment of connections to the wider community has been key to expanding horizons and opportunities for PAH! students. Indeed, PAH! participants interpret other productions, usher at performing arts centers, and audition for professional productions. Four students were selected to enroll in the Boston Arts Academy High School.

PAH! Deaf Youth Theatre

Wheelock Family Theatre
180 The Riverway
Boston, MA 02215
Phone: 617-734-5200 x2147
Fax: 617-566-7369
E-Mail: jsteiner@wheelock.edu
URL: http://www.wheelock.edu

Focus: Theater
Number Participating: 31
Ages: 11-17
Annual Budget: $50,000

When first asked about their personal goals, most answered "work at the grocery store," "work at the hotel laundry," or "collect SSI." Six years later PAH! students are considering teaching, nursing, technical theater‹the possibility of a full, challenging life.