We are so excited to be organizing Unpacking 2020: Deaf Perspectives. Join some amazing panelists and our host, Elizabeth Morris, as they talk about all things 2020, and especially it’s effects on the Deaf Community.
Time: October 8th from 6pm to 7:30pm EST
Location: Zoom! For the zoom link please email info@shakespeareintheruff.com by Oct 8th at 1Pm EST
This is a free event, made possible with generous support from Autism Ontario
Live captions and English Interpretation will be provided.
Hosted by Elizabeth Morris
Elizabeth Morris is a graduate of Washington, D.C’s Gallaudet University for the Deaf and also holds MDes in Inclusive Design from OCAD University. Her thesis was based on creating ways to make live theatre more accessible and inclusive for Deaf and Hard of Hearing audience members, including their families and friends. She won a medal for the best exhibit in her program at OCAD U’s 102nd Graduate Exhibition. Elizabeth is also a professional actor, and has performed in Mexico, Romania, South Africa, Japan and Australia. She was the very first Deaf signing actor at the Stratford Festival, and has performed at the Young People’s Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, and Shakespeare Link Canada, National Arts Centre, Concrete Theatre and Citadel Theatre. She is a co-founder of the Deaf Spirit Theatre company. She has performed in
Mustafa Alabssi
Mustafa Alabssi is a Deaf actor living in Regina, Saskatchewan. Mustafa arrived in Canada from Syria in 2016.He is an actor with Deaf Crows Collective, a Deaf theatre troupe based in Regina. Mustafa has performed in Apple Time at Regina’s Globe Theatre and Edmonton’s SoundOFF Festival. He played the character Ryan alongside co-stars Jaime King, Justin Chu Cary and Kelsey Flower in Netflix’s 2019 hit series Black Summer. Mustafa is a passionate advocate for Deaf rights and accessibility. He hopes to see more Deaf performers involved in theatre and film across Canada and the world.
Natasha Bacchus
Natasha is an athlete and artist. She is passionate about mental health, deaf advocacy, fitness and physical expression. Throughout her life, she has nurtured her passion for fitness by competing as
a professional athlete and securing medal positions in both the Deaf Olympics and Pan Am Olympics as well as many other competitive sporting events. While running was her first passion and a means of emotional release, she used acting as a mode of physical expression and found theatre and film to be the preferred spaces for her to thrive as an actor. She has participated in a number of theatre and film productions and has a strong desire to continue to grow and develop as an artist in these industries, expanding representation to include differently-abled persons and empowering Black Deaf women in Canada to shine on and off the stage.
Thurga Kanagasekarampillai
Thurga Kanagasekarampillai is a Deaf Tamil Queer artist. She graduated with Honours in the Acting for Media program at George Brown College in 2018. She has worked as Deaf Interpreter and ASL performer with Cahoots Theatre for ``The Enchanted Loom`` (2016); Red Dress Production for “Drift Seeds” (2017) as ASL performer; Speculation (2018/2019) as ASL performer and Deaf Interpreter; Million Billion Pieces (YTP 2019); The Holy Gasp (July 2020). She is also an actress and was in ‘The Tempest’ at Citadel Theatre as Miranda in Edmonton in April - May 2019. She is the one of three founders of Deafies’ Unique Time with Ali Saeedi, and Ralitsa Rodriguez. Deafies’ Unique Time - ‘Eye So Twisted’ ( Rhubarb Festival / Sound Off Festival 2019) and Deafies Detective Agency (Sound Off Festival 2020).
Gary Malkowski
In 1990, Gary became the first elected Deaf politician in the world, when he served as an NDP Member of Provincial Parliament. He is a provincially and nationally recognized leader with an extensive track record of human rights, anti-discrimination, Deaf and disability advocacy work. Gary graduated with a BA in Social Work and Psychology and MA in Counselling at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., and, in 2011, received an honorary doctorate degree from Gallaudet. He has been featured on TV, radio, and in newspapers and magazines nationally and internationally, including the CTV, Global and CBC. He has been the subject of a BBC documentary and a biographical play and book. He is currently writing his Memoirs book.
ASL-English Interpreters:
Carmelle Cachero & Marcia Adolphe
Live Captions:
Sushani Singh
