One-Woman Play to Benefit Local School
If you’ve wondered about God’s existence, nursed a dying loved one, or screamed out Springsteen’s “Born to Run” lyrics, consider attending the one-woman play, Aiming for Sainthood.
The one-night-only performance, Friday, March 25, at 7:00 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center in Rockwell Hall, benefits St. Mary’s School for the Deaf in Buffalo. The school is one of 11 New York State 4201 schools, which are publicly funded private schools serving students who are deaf, blind, and/or physically disabled.
“My mother went to deaf schools her whole life, and my father went to a high school for deaf kids,” said Ted Schmidt, associate professor of economics and finance. “They met at Gallaudet University.” Gallaudet’s student body comprises the deaf and people whose hearing is severely impaired.
Schmidt, who serves on the board of trustees for St. Mary’s, is a member of Children of Deaf Adults, an international organization made up of hearing adults whose parents were deaf. “We grew up in the deaf culture,” said Schmidt, “and it’s one big family. I consider kids of my parents’ friends to be my cousins.”
As young children—sometimes as young as three or four—hearing children often serve as interpreters negotiating the world of the hearing for their parents. The deaf school in Schmidt’s neighborhood was the nexus for his family’s social life. “Movies with subtitles, parties, trips—everything centered around the school,” he said. “St. Mary’s offers hearing-impaired kids the opportunity to grow up in a nurturing culture.”
Schmidt believes that schools such as St. Mary’s help to keep that culture alive. “It’s an important resource for students who need it, and whose families embrace it,” he said.
Aiming for Sainthood is a one-woman play written and performed by Arlene Malinowski (pictured), who is also a hearing child of deaf parents. The play received “highly recommended” reviews for its many performances in Chicago, where Malinowski lives.
“The play is performed in spoken and sign language,” said Schmidt. “It provides a glimpse of a minority culture’s experience of our shared human condition.”
The one-night-only performance, Friday, March 25, at 7:00 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center in Rockwell Hall, benefits St. Mary’s School for the Deaf in Buffalo. The school is one of 11 New York State 4201 schools, which are publicly funded private schools serving students who are deaf, blind, and/or physically disabled.
“My mother went to deaf schools her whole life, and my father went to a high school for deaf kids,” said Ted Schmidt, associate professor of economics and finance. “They met at Gallaudet University.” Gallaudet’s student body comprises the deaf and people whose hearing is severely impaired.
Schmidt, who serves on the board of trustees for St. Mary’s, is a member of Children of Deaf Adults, an international organization made up of hearing adults whose parents were deaf. “We grew up in the deaf culture,” said Schmidt, “and it’s one big family. I consider kids of my parents’ friends to be my cousins.”
As young children—sometimes as young as three or four—hearing children often serve as interpreters negotiating the world of the hearing for their parents. The deaf school in Schmidt’s neighborhood was the nexus for his family’s social life. “Movies with subtitles, parties, trips—everything centered around the school,” he said. “St. Mary’s offers hearing-impaired kids the opportunity to grow up in a nurturing culture.”
Schmidt believes that schools such as St. Mary’s help to keep that culture alive. “It’s an important resource for students who need it, and whose families embrace it,” he said.
Aiming for Sainthood is a one-woman play written and performed by Arlene Malinowski (pictured), who is also a hearing child of deaf parents. The play received “highly recommended” reviews for its many performances in Chicago, where Malinowski lives.
“The play is performed in spoken and sign language,” said Schmidt. “It provides a glimpse of a minority culture’s experience of our shared human condition.”
Media Contact:
Mary A. Durlak, Senior Writer | 7168783517 | durlakma@buffalostate.edu