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Interview: Dan McDougall (Page 3)

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Cindy: I'm sure many times when interpreting in the theatre that there is dialogue with no particular signs matching... what do you do in this situation? Do you rely more on conceptual accuracy, the meaning of the word/s, or do you create signs?
Dan: Mary Wells and John Ray, who trained my partner (Kim Willett) and I, gave me the best advice: just tell the story. Now, this doesn't mean we over-edit, etc. But, when we're getting bogged down in English, we go right back to concepts, and then create an equivalent in sign. Only when a specific English word is critical do we focus on it.
We don't' usually create signs, per se ... but in our shadow interpreting work, where we're sign language actors, we have more opportunity to play with language. The playwright for that theatre tends to use puns a lot, and we've learned to incorporate plays on signs that really work.

It's interesting to note that sometimes it's impossible to make something clear. Indeed, in many cases, the playwright may not have intended for a part of the play to be clear at all. Take the "Notes" scene in Phantom of the Opera: six characters are singing completely different lines all at the same time. We had three interpreters, and we divided the lines up based on function. For example, characters A and B may have been talking about the same thing, so we collapsed them into one interpreter, and so on. Well, Deaf patrons said, "Hey, you all signed at the same time, and we couldn't understand everything, because we had to choose one person." Well, it's the same thing for hearing folks. It's not Andrew Lloyd Webber's goal that folks should understand everything, but rather appreciate the skill with which it's all woven together.

So, sometimes interpreters have to understand the goal of the author, and accept that the scene may not have been meant to be totally clear.

Cindy: I read on your Web site "most production staff have a limited understanding of the variety of issues associated with the provision of quality interpreted performance". What are these provisions?
Dan: Ahh, I meant they're not familiar with all the stuff involved with providing interpreters in theatre.

Cindy: You also talk about "Audience Development", tell us a little about this and why it is important.
Dan: Most theatre folks assume if they provide interpreters, then Deaf folks will magically show up at the theatre, thanking the producers for being so generous. But, imagine you've never had theatre accessible to you before. You're now 40 years old, and someone's trying to get to spend money on tickets - but you have to come on one or two specified nights...

So, we try to work with the theatres on their expectations first. We talk to them about the need to cultivate the Deaf audience from scratch. Get Deaf kids involved in theatre, and find ways to engage Deaf adults. Once Deaf folks become more familiar with theatre, they're more apt to show up.

Cindy: How much preparation time do you need for the assignment?
Dan: When we work as signing actors and do shadow interpreting, we're involved in 4-5 three-hour rehearsals per week. This lasts six weeks. When we're put off to the side, or as a separate unit, we try to get as much lead-time as possible. For Phantom, RENT, Evita, etc., we try for 4-6 weeks. We spend a lot of time translating, memorizing, dividing parts, debating, etc.

For straight plays - that is, those without music - we can get away with less time. But several weeks is still a comfortable amount of time.

Cindy: In closing, what advice do you have for interpreters who want to get into Theatre Interpreting?
Dan: Find a mentor (but don't steal his/her work) Don't stop learning your (interpreting) craft, start taking acting classes (but don't forget, you're the interpreter, not the actor) Try to find a niche market for yourself in your area (but don't undercut someone else's price to do it) JUST TELL THE STORY!