I'm very pleased to be able to conduct another Q&A session with a deaf actor, Ryan Schlecht, one of the original cast of Deaf West's Big River. Enjoy!

1. Ryan, first of all, please tell us about yourself. How and when you started to perform? Prior to participating in Deaf West Theatre projects, did you perform in any other deaf theatre?

I performed at age of 4 in a kindergarten program; in a little skit. I do not recall the title of it, but I knew I had a stage fright. In order to overcome it, my teacher had to persuade me and ensure that I made the grand entrance. I did, but I was terribly frozen for a minute. Finally, I knew I had no choice, but make my appearance. After that cute performance, I never performed until the 3rd grade.

My deaf and hard of hearing program teachers from elementary school assembled together and discussed about having their classes to create their own production during the Christmas season. It ended up running for three straight Christmas seasons, and I was in all of them: "The House That Jack Built"; "Christmas", and "Wacky Wednesday." I discovered at that point, I truly enjoyed acting, however, my interest was elsewhere for a while. I was young; and was exploring new interest that came along my way, which sports was one of my top priorities.

It was not till my senior year that I participated in a workshop provided by Billy Seago, an international known actor and a storyteller. He and Howie Seago, his brother, who was in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and Oscar-nominated foreign film, "Beyond Silence", established Deaf Youth Drama Program (DYDP) with the Seattle Children Theater (a prestigious children theater national-wide). DYDP had an outreach program, in which it established workshops in schools with deaf and hard of hearing programs. I was one of the student participated in DYDP workshops. Billy Seago noticed my talent and asked me to do a leading role in DYDP's short production of "Back to the Deaf Future" at Seattle Children Theater.

To briefly explain DYDP's mission: it integrates short productions from different schools with deaf and hard of hearing program for two days (or one day) in a professional designed theater to educate and get them (students) exposed to theater. Also, Billy Seago asked me to participate in DYDP's summer school for deaf and hard of hearing students for eighteen year-olds and under. I enjoyed "Back to the Deaf Future", but unfortunately I couldn't make it to the summer school. I had a college plan ahead and couldn't resist it. By the way, audience who saw "Back to the Deaf Future" gave some compliments on my work and I was grateful to hear their gratitude about my work. However, I did not seriously persist exploring my potentials in acting until 5 years later; whereas, I was accepted to National Theater of the Deaf 1999 Professional Summer School.

NTD liked my work during the summer school and decided to hire me as their temporary actor, doing LTD (Little Theater of the Deaf) productions. LTD is a parent company of NTD. I did Brom Bones in "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and Nicholas in "Christmas That Almost Wasn't ." The tour lasted only six months, and it occurred mainly in the New England region.

I heard about "Oliver!" producing at Deaf West and immediately knew it was the next production I desired to get involved with. I moved to Los Angeles, and got involved briefly with Bernard Bragg's class at California State University at Northridge. Peter Cook was a part of this program, and we both assisted Mr. Bragg's production of "True Deaf", involving students from the class. It was an interesting experience for myself, which I explored my ASL potentials. It was an exceptional honor to work with Peter Cook, who happens to be a professional ASL storyteller. The production ran for 2 days during my rehearsal with "Oliver!"

It was at the point I never expected "Oliver!" to change my acting career dramatically. After the opening night, "Oliver!" earned raving reviews and LA Ovations, which gave Jeff Calhoun an opportunity to produce a musical for Deaf West: "Big River." I went to the Deaf West Summer School just prior to the audition for "Big River" and built a better knowledge of my acting tools and talents. After the audition, I selfishly, but proudly were offered roles as an ensemble actor. To shed the truth, I never thought "Big River" would soar highly with success in just a short time. I am very fortunate to be a part of this dream.

Beside stage experiences, I was involved in a short films produced by non-profit agency called ADWAS (Abused Deaf Women Advocacy Society), which is located in Seattle. The purpose of ADWAS was to educate people what to in scenarios if they found themselves in abusive situations. Prior to that, I was briefly involved in my high school film production, which was not qualified as professional performance, but volunteering performance.

2. Now could you tell us about how you got involved with Big River? How was your audition? Ty said he and you competed for Huck's role. What kind of monologue did you choose? Did you interpret the dialogue into ASL by yourself?

I told a little on the first question about how I got involved with "Big River". To expand it a little bit, the key point on how I participated in "Big River" was from my involvement in "Oliver!" I played as Bill Sikes, the funniest and meanest role I played, and miss it dearly. I admit I have more creative ideas for this role and hopefully, I'll be able to do a revival of this role in the near future. I am not fully satisfied with this role I did back in 2000. If not, that's okay. "Oliver!" helped me develop a good relationship with Deaf West and Jeff Calhoun.

In 2001, I heard about "Big River" mounting in fall season and also wanted to take the opportunity to get a taste of Deaf West's 2001 Summer School. What a perfect combination: going to Deaf West Summer School, and then auditioning for "Big River". Jeff Calhoun, Ed Waterstreet, Linda Bove, and Bill O'Brien knew my work well enough to feel comfortable hiring me again for "Big River" In my humble opinion; I strived for the best within myself during the audition to prove that I am capable of doing roles in "Big River." I never took this for granted and to this day, I still cannot stress enough how much I admire and respect them to offer me the job, in which many struggling actors would find it a lifetime dream job.

I admitted the audition for the second time with Jeff Calhoun, Ed Waterstreet, Linda Bove, and Bill O'Brien was not as nerve- wrecking as the first audition for "Oliver!" I knew who they were, as they knew me likewise. However, what made me nervous was that the competition had increased immensely, causing me to be concerned if I would be offered the job or not. Compared to "Oliver!," "Big River" attracted probably doubled number of actors who became intrigued to be in the production. The odds of myself receiving the job were slim than before. I was relieved to know I still remained an actor they wanted to work with. I knew I was capable of doing it and after graciously accepting the job, I refused to stop growing my potentials by showing them different creativity on my part with my roles.

Ty and I were the last choice for Huckleberry Finn in the first "Big River" production. I recall at the final audition, I was a bit surprised that Ty got further than I thought he would. He was a new actor, just starting to learn about the business and acting. I was in my 3rd year and a veteran. What an interesting audition. I did feel the intension, but it turned out to be great choice. We played a scene together and made a dynamic chemistry with each other, making people in the audition room chuckle. Ty played Huck Finn as I played Tom Sawyer. We did it in reverse, and it was quite an experience to remember!

At the end, Ty won the role as I won the understudy role. I admit I was a bit disappointed from that audition, but in the long run after experiencing the long journey of "Considerable trouble, considerable joy"; I came to learn that back then when we were competing for this role, it did not matter who is who as long as we're both actively performing. He's a such a wonderful actor, who has grown a lot since the beginning of "Big River". I am probably the only one who saw Ty from a rookie actor to a successful actor. I am immensely happy we're in the production, regardless. If I'm in a leading role or if he's in an ensemble role, in my opinion, what's important is that we have the inner strength of developing a dynamic chemistry in ensembly work. Ty is an actor who has a "massive" ensemble work with one role and I have multiple ensemble works with small roles. Together, we can work effortlessly. If I were the star of the production, I still would admire Ty's work as an ensemble actor, due to the fact that he does make a difference in the production. This is the secret of making "Big River" a huge success. Ensembly, as Jeff Calhoun always emphasized, is the key to the success of any theater productions. Without it, we might be considered in trouble more than being joyful!

At last, my audition was really brief (my first audition). I did a monologue from "A Streetcar Named Desire" as Stanley Kowalski. It wasn't much of an impact as an audition after this one, because I believe Deaf West and the creative team behind "Big River" was curious how I worked together with potential actors for this production.

3. You are the one of five performers who has been in this production from the first incarnation to this day. Could you tell us if your performance has changed in each incarnation, and if so, how? What would you say you learned from this experience? Any impact on your craft?

Yes, I was one of the original cast in "Big River." I would simply say that I grew better in my characters each year; as I developed some ideas that I thought that would be more effective after learning my mistakes. At first, I was raw with my roles then after the fourth year doing it; my confident increased dramatically and I comprehend those roles better than the beginning . I did it by thinking critically in terms of what my characters' intentions are and why they existed in the story. I also needed to understand the balance of characters presented in moments, and how each of my character impacted the scene itself.

A good example would be Dick. I recall when I was Dick; I was more of a native person in the first production. Later on, I felt the role of Dick is more than a native boy. I believe Dick obeys Tom, but in the meanwhile he is a guy with no common sense. A native boy does not show much of common sense, but yet at the same time, he is passive. I never heard of "Bully" from anyone before. I suspected from that he's in his own world and enjoys creating his own languages and looks up to Tom for whatever he does. As a boy, you do not think enough about the situation at times. Tom can fool you often. It's how I built my purpose for this character.

Today, I noticed after I changed my intention for this character, I developed more humors out of it than I previously did. The humor enlightens the presence of the moment with boys, and I have learned something here: Dick tried to act as Tom's sidekick at this time, when Huck is trying to fit in the gang. Dick wanted to be "Approved" as Tom's top gangster, but Tom might be tired of Dick's dumb mind and found Huck's intelligence attractive enough to gain Huck as a new friend. Bingo! My development of character turned into a new dimension of Dick in "We Are The Boy" scene. Now, I can see the purpose of why Dick is in the story, and how Dick is dumb; but yet, funny. It wouldn't make sense if he were a passive, blonde guy.

Now, with my explanation of how I enhanced my understanding of the Dick role; I did the same with the other roles each year, trying to strive to show the intention of each characters' existence. I learned that there are many ways to develop those characters (reflecting this quote: A picture is worth thousand words); and the important thing is to see how your ideas combine with the scene presented as other actors delivers their ideas of their characters together. It does often get interesting to me and usually it can end up with some conflicts. It is why we have rehearsals to get ourselves together into one dynamic ensemble actors.

4. I love watching you as Young Fool, you are so delightful. Also on stage, you perform many different roles in this show, do you have any favorite role/scene(s)?

I do love the song, "Arkansas." I wish I had an ending ovation on my song, but at least I can have a time alone on stage doing the song without anyone else. IT'S MY TIME TO SHINE! No, I'm just kidding. I can feel the spirit of Young Fool, and his enthusiasm of seeing his grandpa in Arkansas. I used my emotional relationship with my actual grandpas, (I have 4 grandpas) and each relationship I maintained with my grandfathers helped me build up my inspiration for my song. Each of my grandpas are unique, but each one of them will always remain part of my life. Integrating them together inspires my character to remember my grandfathers through my character.

Anyway, Young Fool is my favorite role, as does my role of Dick. I love making humors on stage and give audience some laughs. I do enjoy Hank in the song "Nonsuch," but it does not have enough dimensions for me to continue playing this character.

I can say that I HAVE ALWAYS wanted to perform as Duke and Pap. I felt those roles are a good choice for my talents, as far as feeling that I could contribute some interesting choices from those roles. Troy does a marvelous job and I have learned tremendously from him everyday on how he performs as these characters. He's an amazing and creative actor I have ever met and have the uttermost respect for. He has the appearance for these characters, and I believe he's best suited for these roles.

5. Could you tell us what was/is the most challenging thing while performing in this production? Did you have a lengthy discussion with the hearing actors who do the voice for your characters too?

The challenge part was maintaing the rhythms in my songs. Everyday, the rhythm changes depending upon how the production runs and I have to keep up with the changes. It can either go rapid or slow. In the first production, I was pretty close to get my rhythms precised, and following different moods in music itself. Now, my rhythms are much closer to perfection. With all due respect, it happened effectively due to keeping my communication open with my voice over and other hearing actors, knowing it can be a pet peeve to some actors. I strive for perfection and I have gotten some replies that I have improved my rhythm with their helpful feedbacks.

6. Some hearing actors said that it was odd or even uncomfortable when there was little laughter/applause due to the cultural difference in the Tokyo engagement. How did it affect your performance, if there is any? Was it different for you to perform in front of non-English speaking audience? Could you tell us about your experience in Japan? What are the most memorable things you've done? Are there any particular things/places you liked the most?

I was told that Japanese took applauses and laughter differently than Americans. We had to adjust our show somehow to accommodate those kinds of reactions. It wasn't wrong or right, just something we respected and kept our desire to entertain them at our best. At the end, we get the best ovation than Americans. Yup, believe it or not, it's true!

I viewed myself as the same ol's actor when I performed in front of the audience who come from different cultures. I was pleasantly surprised to meet deaf Japanese people, who knew ASL well enough to communicate with us. Our work remains the same regardless of different audiences or different countries, as long as we thrive to express our own presentation in a unique way, hoping to entertain them in every way! We're one extraordinary production and I am proud to be a part of it!

Japan shared their enriching culture traditions, which made myself intrigued to explore learn and be part of their culture. One glitch I had to face was the time zone, which was an experience I would never forget! It was difficult to speak with my fiancee, despite the 16 hour difference; meaning when it was night time in Japan; it was morning time in the USA. Otherwise, I cannot forget the stunning view I had from my hotel room, which was the Akaska, and also the view of Mt Fuji! It gave me more appreciation for what Japan was about and I surely enjoyed visiting the Great Buddha. What's more, I loved the fact there were dartboards everywhere, which I happen to enjoy playing with my Big River cast!

7. In the future, what kind of projects are you interested in to be involved in? What kind of projects would you want a deaf theatre to take on in the future?

At this time, I am uncertain. I have one idea of doing one-man show, but it is still in the " work-in-process". I might like to constitute another deaf theater in the near future; hoping to provide more opportunities to deaf actors, but this isn't a promise. It's something I am interested in, definitely.

I hope that deaf theater can be expanded, doing more productions (both musicals and plays) in Equity theaters. I hope that other major theater companies can develop more relationships with deaf theaters, and sharing investments together. It is never an easy task but its something helpful to promote those future aspiring deaf actors.

8. You are from Seattle, and the tour will end at the Seattle engagement. You must be excited to go back to your home town to perform. Are you expecting many friends and family like Michael McElroy did in Cleveland?

Yes, I am expecting them to come and watch my final week of the tour. So far, I've learned my family reserved more than 20 seats! Only few of my family members saw me out of state but every one in my family, though. So, this will be something special and meaningful to show that a deaf actor such as myself can succeed in the theater business.

9. Do you have any message to the audience?

To those who watched "Big River" I want to give you a heartfelt thank you for all your time contributed to attend the show and paying a hefty price on tickets. I hope at the end, you all appreciate what we have created for you all. This is not an easy production to perform in however, everyday, we try to maintain our best and make it look like we did it effortlessly; and most importantly, to entertain you with a new perspective of incorporating American Sign Language in a musical production. We wanted to address in making you feeling satisfied, knowing the prices were a bit high, but with satisfaction that you have left the theater with greater appreciation of who we are and what we present to you all with our work. ASL is a beautiful language and I am enlightened to hear from the audience in general that they have come to forget, while watching the show; that deaf actors were presented, which gained respect for two cultures combining into one.

If you all want to be a part of this journey someday in the future, please see Deaf West Theater for further information on your opportunity to join. If you just prefer to sit and being entertained by Deaf West's production, do not forget to check the Deaf West website for upcoming productions. We, in respect, hope to present a new production like "Big River" to Broadway someday in the near future.

Ryan, thank you SO MUCH for participating in the Q&A session! I hope to see you again, and break a leg!

Copyright © 2004-2005 Light To Shine All Rights Reserved.

Go back to the Top Page
Return to the Message Main Page